Thumb Pass

Ok - the following post includes details of events in upcoming hike report, so read only if you don't mind spoilers

Cool - we also saw you guys going down. Did you overnight in Bannerman Cave?

In the end it didn't really make a difference to the main objective of the hike, and considering weather etc it would have been a waste to have done a scenic pass like this in the mist anyway - in the same way that I really want to do Gypaetus Pass again because of the fact that we lost out on the view due to mist.

I'm hoping to try it as a day hike in May/June this year when its dryer and the risk of mist is less, so let me know if you want to make some plans to do it some time later this year.

So this weekend I am hoping to give Thumb Pass another go

Seeing as the last attempt was thwarted by mist, hopefully the last day of winter will make for a good hike

good luck !

So, after an overnight trial run on a bivy (see www.vertical-endeavour.com/forum/14-drakensberg-general/55402-emergency-bivy-protocol.html?start=40#58315), we set off with our 1km head-start and light packs for what should be a relatively easy day in repeating Thumb Pass.

Due to a less than comfortable night, we had eaten breakfast and topped out on the first hill on the Bannerman Path trail by around 5AM. The wind was getting worse.

Sadly from here it went severely pear-shaped.

According to our wind gauge the wind at the height of the gusts was reaching 90km/h at 2000m before we topped out the 3rd hill before the contour path. We could barely stand up when the wind picked up. Considering the exposure near the top of the pass, it would have been crazy to go for it. So sadly we had to retreat - safety first unfortunately

We were back at the car park at 8:30 having walked 10km and with me taking a record 5 photos.

It was by no means the nicest experience I have ever had in the Berg - my hands were icicles through my 3 layer gloves (which held up better in some escarpment snow falls than they did today), my face was cold through my buff and beanie. I have never been genuinely concerned about hypothermia in the Small Berg during a day of bright sunshine and with no wet gear before. I can only imagine what the escarpment would have been like...

What wind gauge do you have?