Organ Pipes Pass - Camel Route

Thanks all, doesn't seem too bad.
We'll try it and see how it goes.

@Selous good luck for your hike as well! We'll keep an eye out for you in Lesotho
We went down Tseketseke in 2011 and after the flash flood the paths overall quality suffered a lot, with one or two sections even requiring fairly sure footing.

Some feedback: we went ahead and completed the Camel route this weekend. All in all we loved the route! It wasn't too strenuous and provided wonderful views. Some sections are slightly suspect but overall we weren't too worried. People with a fear of heights might have a problem though. I'd definitely avoid it in icy conditions and even rain will likely be a no-go for me.

The path passes by quite a few sheer drops, but 95% of the time the path itself is very good with no real risk of slipping or losing one's balance. The worrisome portions are some of the rocky sections that need to be traversed and one or two places where the path was fairly eroded.

This photo shows some early rock scrambling, but this portion wasn't really risky:


Most of the route looks more or less like this and is fairly easy going:


This was the worst part in my opinion and a slip here would probably prove fatal:


The last section the route stays above fairly long drops and the path gets slightly worse, but is still very manageable:

Zecrates wrote: This was the worst part in my opinion and a slip here would probably prove fatal:










Yes, that is the same place as my photo sequence from the 'Don't look down' thread, which we did when it was quite wet.

Maybe a good day hike would be up Camel Route down Thuthumi Ridge. I must give that one a shot...

My 1453^th post - for those who don't know the relevance of 1453, I assume you don't enjoy late medieval history

Hi All

It was great to have bumped into two VE members at Cathedral Peak this weekend. The first was Zecrates as they were coming down Cockade and we were going up. Great to chat and catch up on there Camel Route - Brave Men. The other was Highlands Fanatic who come and said hi while we were having some well deserved beers on the terrace at Cathedral Peak. Great to have met two VE members in the Berg. Shot Guys
Regards
Selous

Hi Selous,

Yeah, was great running into you. You guys motored up Cockade once you passed us
How was Tseketseke going down?

Regards,
Zecrates

Thanks Selous, yes indeed great to meet you as well.

Was a bit surprised to see you guys this early in the day (lunchtime), given that you camped on the escarpment the previous night. Good going. Looking forward to the write-up.

Is this photo taken just as one passes underneath Castle Butress? I went up Camel this year Easter weekend. The plan was up Camel and down Thuthumi. But we decided to rather turn back at this section, being very wet and slippery. The gradient of the slope doesn't help as well! Having seen someone go down a mountain before, with a fatal end, I did not want to take the risk. It did mean that we had to walk all the way down to where the Camel route meets the contour path to get to water and level ground to pitch our tents.
The next day we hiked along the contour path to Mlambonja and went down to Marble Baths. I haven't done any other contour paths in the Berg really, but this section is seriously neglected. The plant growth was so thick, we lost the path a couple of times. I felt like a 'padskraper' trying to make it easier for the guys behind me. The contour path was more work than any pass I have ever done in the Berg!

...Sadly the case with most of the berg nowadays. We just need to get tougher/fitter/crazier haha

Elandman, indeed! And good riddens that there still are people just as crazy to do these hikes with me!