Centenary Hut - Lower Injasuti Cave Loop

I have been to Centenary Hut many times – mostly from the Injasuti side and often wondered what the route would be like heading North from the hut along the contour path that comes out near Lower Injasuti Cave. I know this area is not often frequented by hikers and wondered whether there would be a path at all as the section towards the end is marked as ‘ill defined’ on the maps. On our hike to the bottom of the Red Wall in January we had a look at the route when we were on the ridge that runs above Lower Injasuti Cave and felt that we would like to give it a bash (‘bash’ turning out to be quite apt as you will read later on)
We set out on a cool overcast day and headed up towards the Fergie’s cave turnoff – there has been a lot of rain in the area of late and the rivers were full. We decided to go via Poachers Stream thus avoiding the main river crossing but adding on a bit of distance. The paths are extremely overgrown and I was quite surprised to see the huge difference in vegetation in the two months since we last hiked here. After pushing our way through the head high bush past Fergie’s Cave, ‘Heartbreak Hill’ loomed into view, as always looking fairly innocent as you cannot see the numerous false tops from the bottom. I am not sure whether this is the official name – it is just the one I have always known it by, probably from Lawrence Bates of the Mountain Backpackers Club. I think it is one of the steepest and most sustained ascents in the little Berg but stand to be corrected. Although it was overcast, it was pretty humid and we were glad to eventually reach the plateau at the top before continuing on to the hut. Every time I come up here there is a bit more of the hut that has deteriorated which is very sad. The pigeons are now nesting inside as all the windows are broken and the floors are filthy and covered with droppings. The old iron beds are still there but nothing else, the ceiling boards have been ripped off, and the veranda columns are crumbling although the iron poles supporting them are intact. The roof however is still strong, and has withstood many fierce Berg winds and storms. They knew how to build in times gone by! Just as an aside, and possibly an issue for another separate topic, could VE not revitalise this hut as they have done so wonderfully well with Tsekeseke Hut? All that needs to be done really is to replace the window panes with the type of material used at Bannermans Hut – this would keep the pigeons out and the hut would remain clean and habitable. Centenary Hut stands in arguably one of the most scenic areas of the Little Berg, situated underneath the Trojan Wall and is ideally situated for escarpment hikes as Corner Pass and Judges Passes are close by. It’s just a shame that it is falling into disrepair and Parks Board don’t seem to be interested. I feel it is worth saving.
Anyway, I digress…… once on the contour path we headed north, now into unknown territory. The weather which had remained overcast all day, now became cooler and the mist was descending. The contour path was surprisingly visible and it was clear that it had been used frequently in years gone by. As the mist came and went we were offered tantalising views of the valley and ridges below with the Trojan Wall looming in and out of sight. We had decided to set up our tent close to one of the many streams in this area and after walking for another hour, we found a good place to camp – a little ridge with a flat area just below the path that we hoped would offer up fantastic views if the mist cleared. There are a number of little rivers and waterfalls in this area, and they were all full and flowing strongly. The wind picked up during the night and was pretty strong resulting in the mist being blown away. The following day we awoke to clear skies and glorious views both before and behind us with the escarpment wall towering above and glowing in the new day’s light. We packed up and were on our way early as we wanted to make the most of the early morning light for photographs. The path continues around a high ridge and as we rounded the corner we were greeted with the fantastic sight of the main Trojan Wall, the Triplets, Red Wall, Injasuti Buttresses, Scaly peak and in the distance Molar Peak , The Ape and Old Woman Grinding Corn, and beyond that Cathkin Peak. This entire length of escarpment is laid out in front of you and you are directly underneath it all. We could see directly into Hiltons Pass – a daunting sight and a view seldom seen. It was quite awe inspiring and at this point I was wondering why people don’t hike this route more often – with the path being better than expected, it just didn’t make sense. We were about to find out……..
It was from this point onwards that the contour path ends abruptly and becomes ‘ill defined’. Looking ahead one has to cross a series of ridges, gullies and streams with numerous climbs and descents, all in thick vegetation. We made our own way and tried to take the more obvious lines – sometimes we were fortunate to find a path or animal track, and these were always on the Northern slopes but the rest was mostly an ankle wrenching affair. The views more than made up for it, but it was hard work. There is about 4km of bush whacking and rough ground. The view under the Eastern Triplet is particularly awe inspiring and it was very interesting to see the rock bridge that connects the middle Triplet to the escarpment – this is where Andrew and company will presumably be venturing over the Easter weekend. We hope to meet up and say hi Andrew, as we will be in the vicinity.

We eventually reached the ridge that runs down to Lower Injasuti Cave and from there commenced the descent. The clouds had been gathering during the morning and as we reached the cave, some ominous rumblings were heard. We barely had time to cram down a hurried lunch before hauling our packs back on and heading down the (overgrown) path back to camp. It was still very humid and hot so I decided against rain gear. Just past Battle Cave the heavens opened so I arrived back rather drenched. It was a fantastic hike in terms of views and if you don’t mind some (read ‘a lot’) of bundu bashing and want to see a part of the Berg that is not often visited, then I would definitely recommend this as a great round trip

For more photos of this hike go to........ goo.gl/photos/VSvJCf7Rp89tfDBW8
and to see a video go to........