The Bell Traverse

We had a record wet summer rainfall this year and so far 2022 had received very close to the 56 year record (Since 1966) and well above the 56 year average. Attached is rainfall for Champagne valley that should be representative of Cathedral area in general (courtesy of Paul Brogan who collects and compiles this data). I am pretty sure that there will be water even beyond Bell cave on the traverse. I have never seen the Berg as wet as it is now. You can walk around without the need to fill bladders/bottles and will usually find water within 1-2km of where you are. Interesting times.
 

Can confirm that this source has water most of the year. If super dry then you will have to drop down into the stream valley early, but the berg has had a lot of rain and there is a lot of H20 everywhere. You might find little streams in smaller galleys around the inner and outer horn - I've had this happen on a number of occasions. Generally speaking, I've found it mostly dry after the inner horn, so once you get to the section approaching the chessmen I doubt you'll find water on the path. At least it would mean that dodgy spot under the chessmen isn't wet and slippery.

Hi everyone 
Recently did the bell traverse with 8 first timers. We were warned at didima of a recent landslide but they did not have the location. We took the chance of seeing for ourselves and can confirm that it is still quite easily navigated, however it may need some kind of maintenance. Attached are some pictures. Coming from twins cave towards cathedral it is quite far into the traverse, just before the tricky section below the chessmen 
    
 

I came upon it in September last year. Not sure when it happened though - probably early to mid 2021?

I think the recent heavy rains have done a lot of damage in the Drakensberg. When I was pacing a friend on UTD a few weeks ago, a lot of the trail next to the Mzimkhulu River was gone and a lot of the bank was unstable. The dodgy section on Leslies Pass also felt more eroded 3 weeks ago than it was a year ago. These things happen, unfortunately, and will continue to happen over time. We like to think of mountains as static objects, as change happens slowly compared to our lifetimes - but the reality is that mountains are forever changing with time and will continue to do so long after we are all gone.

Bell Traverse Hike Report
Standard route from Cathedral Peak Hotel up passed Sherman’s Cave, Orange Peel Gap, Cathedral Summit, Bell Cave, Twins and down Mlambonja Pass back to the hotel.
May 11th – 14th 2022
Day 1
We left Nelspruit at 04H00 and were at Cathedral Peak Hotel by 12H00. Heinrich had arranged a quick quad bike trip to the San rock art, not far from the hotel. The paintings were rather special as they are in good condition and clearly indicate lions, not the most common San rock art subject.
Once done, we checked in and completed the Mountain Register at Didima, had a quick pub lunch, and hit the trail. The first night objective was Sherman’s Cave. We reached Sherman’s well before dark and set up for the night. The cave itself was clean and in good condition. There was a small pile of rubbish in the far end of the cave, but this is to be expected as Sherman’s is very close to the hotel and well used. The first interesting factor was the abundance of water. Being May, we were expecting the worst, however, every stream and drip spot had plenty water.
We were joined by an intrepid solo hiker for the night. John Herman had hit the trail an hour behind us. We were happy to share the cave and enjoyed sharing experiences and ideas. John would stay in the Lower Berg so we would part way just before Orange Peel Gap the next day.
 
Day 2
After a good night’s rest, we packed-up and hit the trail. We figured that at the top of the first little waterfall, not long after Sherman’s, would be our last opportunity for water. We carried our standard 2lt in the bladder and 2lt in bottles. We had decided to take turns in carrying an additional 3lt in a collapsible container. In theory, if we made it through day 2, including dinner, without touching our standard supply, we would be good until the bottom of Mlambonja two and bit days later.
While filling up above the falls we were privileged to see two eland canter off into the hills. Always special to share their space.

Watered up, we hit the hill to Orange Peel Gap. After reading up on the Bell Traverse, we had understood that there would be two memorable challenges. One was Orange Peel Gap and the other was dreaded Buggers Gully. In reality it would be different. Orange Peel Gap, besides being a well-documented slog, the actual pass was in shadow and wet. The loose rock and black clay-like surface made for a frustrating, difficult climb. After a while we popped out at the top and took a well-deserved rest and had a laugh. Cathedral Peak was now very clear, and the infamous Bugger Gully became visible. This was the other memorable point we had discussed in great detail.
 
We arrived at the bottom of Cathedral Peak/Bugger Gully in the early afternoon. We had planned to drop our kit and climb to the top of Cathedral Peak using the standard scramble and chain ladder route. This proved tougher for me than my hiking buddy. Tired, and only measuring 1.72m, my height made the challenging scrambles even more challenging. I had brought a 30m climbing rope and a harness for just in case. This worked well as the taller of the two of us, Heinrich, scrambled up ahead and played anchor for me at the difficult bits.
 
All in all, its an awesome, doable summit. It could have perhaps been made easier if had not had to slog all the way up with heavy packs and extra water before summiting. In retrospect, sleeping closer to the Cathedral Peak base and tackling it with fresh legs and arms is probably a better way to do it.

I need to add, while we were summiting, a lone walker, who appeared to be a local, walked right past our kit without seeing where we were. The kit had solar chargers and cameras clearly visible, not a thing was touched. I think it’s important to mention that in all our Drakensberg hikes we have never had a negative interaction with the locals. I am aware there are certain unsavoury characters roaming the berg, but we should not suspect or paint all the locals with the same brush.

Once down, we decided not to push for Bell Cave but to tent on the ridge below Buggers Gully. The sun set and the wind picked up. We were snug in our tents, but the noise of the wind against our tents made for a tough night’s sleep.
 
Day 3
We rose with an awesome sunrise and packed under the menacing view of Buggers Gully. I was not in good shape. The long climb and long night made for a rather negative mind-set. This was not helped by the fact that I am rather superstitious (sorry I know it’s silly) but it was also Friday the 13th! It took my hiking buddy a full half an hour to convince me to get on the traverse and head for Twins Cave. Another valid reason you should never hike alone, sometimes you just need a bit of sense check and a push!
 
We set off up Bugger Gully. This turned out to be steep, short, but not half as bad as it was made out to be. We found this easier than Ships Prow or even the Camel? Perhaps the fresh legs and the motivational speech before the climb skews my opinion. Personally, we found this easier than Orange Peel Gap. Both up, and down the other side.
The below picture indicates the hiker (circled in red) for some perspective.
 
Once over, and along the well-used path, we reached Bell Cave. Again, I think using our tents was a good call as Bell Cave is not that great from a shelter perspective. We pushed on passed the Outer and Inner Horn and under the Chessmen, rounded the Mitre, and, as always, more UP and UP then onto Twins Cave. The average path indicated by the green line in the picture below. 
 
Twins Cave is huge and clean apart from livestock droppings. Again, on previous readings from VE, we pushed past and into Twins Annexure Cave. Perfect, clean and further off the beaten path.

Bell Traverse Completed:
It was always our ambition to complete a hike report that fellow hikers could use in their research prior to tackling the famous Bell Traverse. In our readings we had had descriptions of anything from easy climbing to near death experiences.
As always, any hiking experience depends on many factors, most of which are personal, so below is my attempt at describing the traverse:

• This hike is definitely for the experienced hiker. Several multi day Drakensberg hikes should be completed before considering the Bell Traverse.
• Water. As expected, there is very little water along the traverse as it’s basically a ridge line. Being the month of May we expected the worst and prepared accordingly. And again, nothing is normal in the mountains, as we encountered several strong drip points along the traverse. We found two strong drips on the final section leading to Twins Annexure and filled two water bottles while we settled into the cave. Brilliant to be able to rehydrate 100% before sleeping. Having said that, I am not sure I would tackle this traverse in the rain or snow

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• As for the difficulty, someone on VE mentioned it was similar to the Roland’s Cave entry walk. I think that is an accurate description. As with Roland’s entry, its high and the drop-off is huge. One lapse of concentration could lead to a serious accident. The major difference is that Roland’s is a five-minute walk/scramble and the Bell Traverse is a couple of hours. The key is regular breaks and to remain focused. Yes, there are several exposed (gnarly) sections, however, they are few and all short. Didima warned of reports of a mud/land slide near the Chessman. We found this section, but it posed no major hassle. Loose sand, concentration and a bit of effort and we passed it without cause for alarm.
• Caves: Sherman’s Cave was great. Bell Cave does not have much cover. Twins Cave, only if you desperate or a large group. Twins Annexure is up there with the best caves we have used in the Drakensberg.

Day 4
After an awesome, restful night we packed up and headed up to the top of Mlambonja Pass. The view at the top of the pass is brilliant but daunting, as you can clearly see the route that lies before you.
 
Off we set to use all the muscles we hadn’t used already on the way up. The going was fair, and the pass and path was clear. In no time, we could hear the bubbling and gurgling of running water. We pushed on to the bottom of the pass, and all along the river, before jumping onto the contour pass and pushing for the hotel. Originally we planned to spend the last night near the river a few kilometres from the hotel. As always, the berg is full of surprises. While slogging towards One Tree Hill, we noticed a lone hiker approaching. It was none other than John. We had shared Sherman’s Cave with John three nights prior. John had enjoyed his hike and had planned to spend the last night near the river. We stopped, took a break and caught up. Once done we parted ways for the second time and headed towards the hotel.
 
We had done such good time we found ourselves looking at the hotel by mid-afternoon. We could not resist the thought of an ice cold beer, a plate of food and comfy bed, so pushed on to the hotel. For the record we were having a beer on the patio by 16H00, much to amusement of the local patrons (not sure if it was the smell, backpacks or grin on our faces).

All’s well that ends well as we spent the night at the hotel and drove back to Nelspruit on the Sunday.








 

@Redshift - Stunning photo from Twins Anex.

We visited Twins a few months ago and that first, built-up section is pretty level, flat and smooth. It's our usual preferred sleeping spot in this cave and have never found manure in this section. The wall does block your view a bit, but other than this it's a great sleeping spot

Has this changed in any way, shape or form?

I am surprised that you found rubbish in Sherman's cave. Its a pity.
I have stayed in it many times and it was always spotless. The last time I was there was in February.

Thanx Riaang.
Twins main cave, if you referring to the walled off area at the furthest end coming from Bells direction, yes. This appears to be the area where most folk sleep over and its pretty clear of dung. The rest or open section and the grass area in front is well decorated with droppings and would be tough to get a good nights rest due to the smell. Also the annexure is well off the beaten path and really not to far from the main cave.