Blast from the past: The more things change the more they stay the same

19 Aug 2022 15:39 - 19 Aug 2022 20:14 #77965 by BergAttie
I received below via my father in law from his friend Dave Rowe who seems to have racked up quite a bit of Berg time in his day. Shared here with his permission. Interesting to read about the approach, nutrition and gear in those days. Also another reference to the Ndumeni hut.

BERG BLUNDERS
Blunders in the Drakensberg, such as setting out improperly equipped, not knowing the route, or hiking in dense mist in unfamiliar terain have led to many disasters. In my early days of ‘Berging’ I made two big blunders, which fortunately did not end in tragedy, but certainly resulted in considerable discomfort: ‘The longest day’; and then ‘The longest night’.
THE LONGEST DAY
In 1962 I planned to hike from Cathedral Peak Hotel, up Organ Pipes pass, ‘inland’ to the Senqu (Orange) river, upstream to its source near Mponjwane, then along the escarpment to the Sentinel hut on the Amphitheatre plateau, and finally down to Thendele via the Pudding and Devil’s Hoek. All in four days, with three nights out: about 100 km, measured on the map. I was familiar only with the route from Thendele to the Amphitheatre plateau (blunder?).
On the morning of 30 September 1962 Val dropped us at the hotel, and I set off with two totally inexperienced young companions, John and Bushy, carrying our Bergen rucksacks, wearing Edworks velskoens, and equipped with my trusty benzine stove, my flimsy homemade tent, and a Sweeny-Pearse mountain club map (no fancy contours, just a line showing the escarpment, rivers, and passes). The first night was spent in the old mountain club Nissen hut at the top of Organ Pipes pass.
The next morning we started in near freezing (1 deg C) temperature. Going was difficult and slow all the way down the Maloreng and Koakoatsi valleys: rough terrain and no paths. And the fact that we experienced four seasons didn’t help: sleet, strong winds, repeated rain showers, and even bright sunlight when we reached the Senqu. Then to cap it all, a thunderstorm shortly after setting off upstream. While trying to erect our tent two Basotho men on horseback stopped and offered us accommodation in their nearby kraal, where we spent a comfortable dry night with the headman in his hut , warmed by a horse dung fire. It had been a long day -- over 10 hours of hiking, but only 26 km covered.
At 5:20 the next morning we set off. Thus started ‘The longest day’. We had over 55 km to cover if we hoped to reach the Sentinel hut by nightfall. Fortunately the weather was kind; wind-still with not a cloud in the sky. At 10 a m we reached the source of the Senqu, then turned left to follow the edge of the escarpment. Many people think that the terrain is flat above the escarpment, but that is far from the real situation. It is a slog up and down many steep slopes, and as one is hiking at an altitude of over 3000 m (10 000 feet), those with ‘carburation’ difficulties find the going extra tough. Then, to add to it, there are no clear paths; just what is labelled on our modern maps as ‘ways to go’. At 6:30 that evening we reached the south- eastern edge of Mont-aux-Sources mountain where there was a convenient overhang that would provide shelter, so decided that we would go no further, but would spend the night there at 3100 m and about 5 km from the hut. We had been hiking for over 13 hours and covered at least 50 km. (Distances on foot are always longer than those measured with string on the map --- the map does not account for all the twists and turns and ups and downs.) All of us were so bushed that no one had the energy or desire to trek almost a km down to the stream to fetch water for the evening’s cooking, so we made do with half a cup of sugar water and a few rusks each. Did not even have the medicinal half jack of Mellow Wood, as I had given that to our previous evening’s host! Since having a breakfast of oats porridge, coffee and rusks at 6:30 that morning, we had had only a few cheese wedges and ProVitas for lunch. No need to say, however, that we slept
like logs in our sleeping bags on the bare rock (no mattresses or mountain mats in those days), despite the temperature dropping to 2 deg C in our shelter. Although I continued to hike and climb in the Berg for more than another 50 years, that remained the longest day: not in hours, but in km covered under those conditions.
When we reached the hut (no longer needed!) and the Tugela the next morning, I cooked up the most memorable breakfast ever: a big pot of Jungle oats combined with a Royco turkey broth, into which Oxo cubes were also crumbled, all washed down with plenty of coffee. Then sated and satisfied, we set off on the final 13 km on the old climbers’ route: down the Sentinel gulley, then from the Pudding straight down to Devil’s Hoek and on to Thendele to RV with Val and Fluff Trauseld.
Lessons learnt:- Don’t be too optimistic regarding the distances you hope to cover --- allow at least one day extra; and take enough food for one or two extra days. Packet soups, oats, or quick-cook pasta weigh very little, but are life-saving heavyweights.
Next time --- The longest night.

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Last edit: 19 Aug 2022 20:14 by intrepid. Reason: imbedded attached images into message

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30 Aug 2022 07:45 #77976 by Beard
Awesome. HOw's those shoes!

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30 Aug 2022 11:47 #77977 by ghaznavid
Thanks for sharing, that was very interesting!

It is amazing how much easier hiking is today compared to 60 years ago - detailed maps, GPS, light weight gear and phones to call mountain rescue (not to mention much better shoes).

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31 Aug 2022 14:11 #77978 by BergAttie
I can see a new hiking format called Retro hiking where you go out with Map, compass, no phone, no GPS, no synthetic material of any kind (backpacks, tents, clothes) retro stove and food limited to non-processed. Will be extreme!

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31 Aug 2022 14:26 #77979 by ASL-Bivak#
Ranulph Fiennes swears by Ventile jackets! It could be done but it's going to be heavy physically and financially!

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01 Sep 2022 08:46 #77980 by ghaznavid

I can see a new hiking format called Retro hiking where you go out with Map, compass, no phone, no GPS, no synthetic material of any kind (backpacks, tents, clothes) retro stove and food limited to non-processed. Will be extreme!

Its an interesting concept - but from some perspective is a bit arbitrary, as in how far back should one go with the gear? Llullaillaco (6739m, Argentina) has Inca ruins on its summit ridge, so its first ascent was clearly pre the modern era - should one climb it in alpaca skins? Similarly - is researching the route beforehand acceptable? Weather forecasts? Just knowing a route exists and has been done before is a huge benefit. Even access routes have changed the game - having to hike from the nearest town vs car parks for the Drakensberg, Lukla Airport for the Everest Region, or even being able to travel to other regions by means faster than a ship. Even if you don't use the easier access, knowing it is there to get out in an emergency makes the game easier.

I prefer the response of harder goals. One could never safely do a fast DGT 50 years ago, but today you can use a superlight pack, use a GPS to find caves in the dark, use a weather forecast to pick the best series of days - and if things go wrong, you can bail down the many documented routes, and use your phone to arrange a lift from the car park where you bailed. Obviously the inverse of this has been really sad - Everest (and K2 seems to be following as well) becoming a circus where anyone with money and some fitness can stand in a queue and climb a rope while breathing atmosphere that someone else has carried up the mountain for them. Catching a helicopter ride into Camp 1 to skip the Kumbu Icefall could be argued to be safer, although I think most of us would agree that this is cheating, so once again - where is the line? I doubt any two people agree on the line between what is fair and what isn't.

For me the line is at the point where your actions have long term negative implications to the mountain - e.g. litter, leaving used O2 bottles on 8000ers, modifying the mountain in some way to make it easier (e.g. via ferratas) etc.

Modern equipment makes the mountains safer for people who know what they are doing, although it also means people who don't know what they are doing can get into trouble far easier than they could 50 years ago.

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02 Sep 2022 10:15 #77981 by BergAttie
Good point. I suppose all "new" extreme sports has to define themselves over time.

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Think of the different climbing disciplines.

Retro hiking can have discipline like: Naked and Afraid, Neanderthal, Stone Age, Iron Age, Medieval, New World, Pre WW2, Pre-2000 and Beyond 2000s.......

Imagine the reality shows just waiting to be born from this!

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02 Sep 2022 11:17 - 02 Sep 2022 11:18 #77982 by Richard Hunt
This thread has stirred up memories. These photos were most probably taken 40+ years ago. We only had gater pads, heavy tents, wooden walking sticks, leather boots (mainly army boots) fuel stoves as the gas of those days did not burn at 3000m, woolen jerseys and heavy cotton jackets, ponchos were standard, only compass and map, full face balaclavas. Basuto shepherds clothing has not changed though.   25kgs was the backpack lightest weight for a one -night hike and everything was heavy. But in my latter years I am thankful for the lightweight gear, as it means I can hike till the day I leave this earth.

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Last edit: 02 Sep 2022 11:18 by Richard Hunt.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Stijn, DeonS, GetaPix, ghaznavid, riaan300, andrehayward

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02 Sep 2022 11:19 - 02 Sep 2022 11:22 #77983 by ghaznavid

Retro hiking can have discipline like: Naked and Afraid, Neanderthal, Stone Age, Iron Age, Medieval, New World, Pre WW2, Pre-2000 and Beyond 2000s.......



 

Very true. But the question remains - who is up for a VE medieval themed hike, come armoured in full plate :lol: 

At the end of the day, I guess it boils down to what you enjoy. If that is leaving all tech at home, there's nothing wrong with that - we all spend too much time staring at screens anyway. As long as you aren't hurting others or damaging the environment, there's no real reason why people can't do whatever form of hiking/climbing they enjoy.

But in my latter years I am thankful for the lightweight gear, as it means I can hike till the day I leave this earth.

Thanks for sharing. True - modern gear does potentially extend one's hiking life much further than one realistically could have 50 years ago.
Last edit: 02 Sep 2022 11:22 by ghaznavid.

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02 Sep 2022 14:10 #77984 by GetaPix
What good memories that spread of Tents bring back. Im of course not old and retro but I will never forget my trusty Kestrell in which I had the firm belief that it was indestructible  and the best Tent ever. 
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