Mini Hike Reports

 

Thanks, Ghaz. I assume that, since you returned to the head of the pass for the summit selfie, Didima branches off from Tlanyaku, but would you mind marking it on the map, as there are a couple of options?

It is the gully that tops out between Didima Dome and Didima Buttress, as marked in red on the map.



I will do a detailed pass write up in due course, I'm just a lot slower than ghaznavid in sorting photos etc.

Hi Dave. Just to add to Tony's reply - the approach didn't always feel logical, seeing as the pass goes up a tributary of a tributary of the Didima River. So basically you keep taking a smaller tributary rather than the main river - but you have to take the right splits (which, ironically are all right hand splits). The gully wasn't obvious from below either. There were a few false gullies around that probably won't connect with the escarpment.

Tony and I both made a rough track beforehand, and I was very happy that we did this as I am not sure I would have ended up in the right place otherwise (not sure how Tony felt about navigation).

An interesting stat I just pulled off Tony's gps track recorded (the actual track, not the pre-hike estimate) on the pass - the pass was roughly 1.2km long with 683m in altitude gain. That means it is one of the steepest passes in the Drakensberg. I can't remember the stats on every pass I've done, but IIRC, Mohlesi Pass was my previous steepest average gradient on a pass, at about 800m vertical to 1.8km GPS recorded distance, or an average gradient of 22.8°. Comparatively Didima Pass is a gradient of 29.65° - who says you never use maths after leaving school

Hello Guys & Gals.
A hike Elinda and myself did at Bushman's Nek this last weekend.
The link......    A Snow Hike 

Over the weekend Ruth and I took part in the Cathedral Peak Challenge, it is a well run event and it was great to be apart of it.

The organizers really did a good job with regards to Safety on the peak it was well thought through given the number of people that took part, so well done to them and to Rob and his team that controlled the critical sections from the based of the peak all the way to the top - thanks

Ranger, thanks as well to you for taking time of of your schedule to assist with the event

Hi Rich

Thanks for the nice pics...a crow also chowed some of my food when i was in ledgers cave a few years ago.  I was also taking pics, who says photography is without it's risks

On Saturday 8 September 2018, Stijn and I set out to improve on the time for the FKT on the Drakensberg Northern Traverse.

We had an idea of what we believed was achievable for the two of us and we finished on 10h16m, Starting at the sign at Sentinel car park, summiting Mont-Aux-Sources Peak, and following the high berg before descending Mlambonja pass and finish at the Reception to the Cathedral Peak Hotel.

The last time that I did the Northern traverse was as a teenager still at school, so to be able to tell people that a route which took me the better part of 5 days to hike so many years ago, we managed to finish well within the daylight hours of single days leaves me with a huge sense of accomplishment.

Stijn and I have been chatting about doing this for the better part of the year, so about a month ago we set the date and started working through the logistic etc.We enlisted Fred and Debbie, who were also interested in a Drakensberg Northern Traverse and that assisted hugely with issues around a point to point route. 

Early in the week last week the weather forecasts were not looking very good, and Fred and Debbie decided that they would rather descend rockeries to MCC, which given the forecast was going to be the best decision so as to avoid a very late night out with minimal gear.On Friday, the four of us met at Cathedral Peak Hotel, left one car in the parking lot and headed to Bingalela for dinner.At Bingalela we bumped into PapaD, Smurf, Ralf and Ruth, also ahead of their own weekend adventure in the Berg – I was great to see all of you!After Dinner we headed up to Witsies for the night ahead of the 7am lift that we had arranged up to the Sentinel car park.We were soon at the car park and started around 7.30am. Fred and Debbie went at their own pace and Stijn and I made out way up the zig zags to the chain ladders. The Monte Challenge was also being run on the same day so it was exciting to be on route for a bit. We were soon up the ladders and heading in to Mont-Aux-Sources peak, which we made in good time.





I was looking forward to the running though the Kubedu, and we were soon through the Kubedu valley on our way to our second climb of the day, which with the line we took was very manageable, which wasn’t the case for me for the next two climbs up to the Mnweni Highway and then the top of the Ntonjelana ridge. When we got to the top on the Ntonjelana ridge that is when the chill in the wind really hit us, it was a headwind at that stage and my nose felt like it was starting to freeze.


I had to dig deep as the day progressed, I was really flat by the time we reached Mlambonja pass, so to stand at the top of Mlambonja and know that I still had 16ks to get to the finish was tough.





While the descent is long, we dropped altitude fairly quickly and that helped, soon we were on the contour path and heading to the Hotel, and with some speed work for the last km we were soon at the hotel reception.

 It was an epic day out, that I’m not going to forget! Thanks Stijn!!

WarrenM wrote: Over the weekend Ruth and I took part in the Cathedral Peak Challenge, it is a well run event and it was great to be apart of it.

While our combine time is not anything in comparison to Johardt's, we are at least representing on the mixed team standings