Injisuthi Camp to Marble Baths

Early Friday morning, everything ready. went to meet friends and journey to inisuthu in late morning. Registered and fill our detail information for emergency in case eg where we go, What gear we have, what date and time they expect us to return, our medical condition, car registration etc.

The hiking bag is quiet heavy, it like you carry your child on your back for all day!

Thrilled off we go on trek hike. First day was wonderful and such a beautiful scenic of drakensberg, fortunate we have map as we felt that we lost off the path on map but my gut felt we are on right path. we tried reach to Marble Bath cave for accommodation but unfortunate bad luck the sun gone and the darker it is and harder our visible that may be danger and also it colder. I felt that map don't explain very clear or detail. My thought that map may be small but the reality that it very biggest from outside from draken sky.

Decide to stop for camp at side of mountain with open view as we pitch the ground, sat on big rock for cook nice meal and it is damn cold! decide to sleep early. One of my lucky group brought a tent but Pity I didn't bring tent as 3 of us, me, Thiru and Michaela won't able to fit in. So we have to sleep outside. Blimey it sub zero temperature and I can't sleep till 2am! Too cold and extreme uncomfortable. But... such a beautiful view of universe and caught few shooting star did manage to few wink of sleep for while except the icy cold biting my face. I really want to die and live in peace cost home as I felt like dying from hypothermia. Thank goodness for warm pants jacket, scarf, thick sock and sleeping bag. And also thank goodness no snow, rain or mist. Just clear night. Except the dew prowling everywhere on my sleeping bag, gear, tent

Saturday dawn upon I'm first to woke up, the fresh coldest air breath and enjoy the view of stunning view of mountain with bloodily halo. So waiting for other to wake up. To my shocking experience that some gear, shoe, mat, already iced from dew. We can't really change clothes due too cold! Enjoy watching morning sun shone on face of mountain and while we cook breakfast. The sun rising the warmer and beautiful day.
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and we chill till mid morning.

Then we argue to go back the same route and find other path but my gut say we must go on and see what we can discover there. Such a pity we found marble bath cave half hour from place we stay overnight. If we left earlier then we will be there before dark. But it not matter as we learn
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So we went to marble bath and wow it is paradise! The crystal river on rocky pool is something I can't explain. Changing to short. Wanted to swim but when tip my toe in and I don't really want to swim cod it toooooo freeze! The rock is heaven like. The water is very pure, flawless, transparent that naturally supply from mountain. Drinking it with pleasure.

So we wash dishes, refill water from marble bath. decide to continue travel to Grindstone cave. Twist and turn and we end up the rocky river that we can't find the path on opposite. Judging from map my gut feeling say we have to step over rocky river upward and some hours passed and we can't find the path. And fear we don't want end up like previous night and told them we have to go back to marble bath cave for overnight stay and travel back home on same route we travel as we agree. Went back to marble bath pool and chill for while then went up to cave before dark.

Amazing big cave, nice place but not fancy and it not too cold like last night which I'm surprise. we cooking and having merry evening. Also we need to eat all food to make our bag lighter
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We decide to wake up pre dawn to get everything ready and trek back to car fast as possible to avoid stuck again at night.

Woke up in dark at 5h30am expect dawn coming soon and woke up other that they complain want to sleep more. So gave them half hour of sleep and the lighter shone from cave mouth. Woke them hard and must urgent pack up and rid the food to keep our bag lighter therefore it will make us walk faster
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Trekking but unfortunate one of our group knee developing problem as it pain every step as I have to be with her, carry her bag from top to down and in afternoon we arrive at insjuthu camp safety with exhausted, cut and scratch, muscle pain, shoulder pain from bag, sunburnt

My experience it is beautiful view, lot of challenge, interesting to learn. Except the path sometime took us wrong turn, too cold at night, and our extreme valuable is we learnt and keep the teamwork going. Next time am sure we will do it better.

Question:

the scene on Marble Bath, We decide to stay overnight at Grindstone Cave. So we did travel till we bump into river with full of rock and we cant find the path nearby. Judging from map it say we have to get through the rocky river upward and we did for few hours and we cant find the path and decide to go back to Marble Bath Cave.

Question: Where we supposed to find the path after rocky river? It is the route between Marble Bath and Grindstone cave.

anyone can reply my question?

I'm sure someone here have been to rocky river from marble bath to grindstone cave route?

@spiderkzn, I can confirm what Diverian has said above. From marble baths, once you have rounded the corner and started walking upstream (along an overgrown but not too overgrown path), if you looked across the valley you should have been able to see the path coming diagonally down on the opposite side of the valley. I've done the route from camp to Gridstone caves, over to marble baths and back to camp less than a year ago and the path was clear the whole way except for the about 2km section between the river crossing and marble baths.

ah thank you so much diverian!

Look like I miss the path as we vain looking for path to across over river.

look likely it was overgrown that how we got lost and decide return to Marble Bath Cave to slept extra night

Hi

Are there any pieces of flat ground around Marble Baths (Injasuti)
That are suitable for tents (x4), looks like the cave is already booked over the
Easter weekend so will need to tent rather.

Thanks

diverian wrote: Yes there is a nice campsite down at the pools itself that will easily accommodate 4 tents will post a pic.

Hi Diverian thanks for posting this camp spot, how much higher is it from the river, I don't want to be caught in a flood, and where exactly is it, down/upstream from Marble Baths?

Any idea if it is still usable as a camp spot?

Hey Warren

I have not used the campsite before, but did walk past it on a couple of occasions, the most recent being 2 weeks ago coming down Leslies. It is situated on high ground on the left side, slightly upstream of main marble bath pools (coming down from Leslies), see attached image.



Therefore flash floods should not pose a threat, the campsite is still usable. I unfortunately dont have a GPX file for it, but the garmin basecamp maps do (S29° 09.053' E29° 23.742')

I hope this helps