The 9 summits of SA

I think we have to take what is on the SG 1:50000 maps and the KZN Hiking maps, ie. Mont-aux-Sources is on the KZN-Lesotho border and the KZN-Freestate border departs northward from this border from a point 3191m on the ridge between Mont-aux-Sources and Namahadi Pass. Ours is not to reason why. It is not a mistake, just a definition that someone has made. The Slingsby maps do not have this border the same as the other two.

There is a reason why I will agree 100% with that answer - it means I don't have to climb both Namahadi and MA Sources on my record attempt on the 9 summits!

But on a more serious note - at the end of the day maps hold only persuasive authority from a legal point of view, and those issued under a government survey are stronger evidence than those issued by EZKN or Geomaps. I.e. I agree with what you are saying. Its "statistically sad", it would add to the legend of a peak that is Mont-Aux-Sources for it to have stood on a 3 way border, and it doesn't change the fact that it is a khulu I must bag, but its not likely to form part of my story of climbing the highest point in every province.

This was my 700th VE post

intrepid wrote: PS: if you catch up to me too rapidly, you'll force my hand in logging into VE's database and bringing that number down a bit...

Maybe that split personality of mine that I set up to test the account creating gremlins should come to life - the birth of the Buyid [evil laugh smilie]... But seriously, you were on 700 odd posts when I joined, so we continue to match each other in total posts, just mine are mostly questions and Berg Quiz and yours are mostly answers to my questions

intrepid wrote: MCSA Journal of 1994: has the Khulu article by Murch plus an additional one by him called "Heights in Southern Africa and in the new South Africa" which deals with the 9 summits amongst other things.

Whats the easiest way of getting the MCSA journal? Do they distribute their old journals?

intrepid wrote: The journal also has our very own thomas' account of his 549km solo traverse across the Berg escarpment.

Was that the distance record GT ending in the Eastern Cape that David Bristow talks about in Best Walks of the Drakensberg? Would love to read an account of that (or any other insane distance GT)...

ghaznavid wrote: Maybe that split personality of mine that I set up to test the account creating gremlins should come to life - the birth of the Buyid [evil laugh smilie]...

Bad idea [gollum, gollum]

The best place to find old MCSA Journals is at second-hand bookshops. There are a few online ones that you can search as well. I have bought several very old copies through this means. Keep trying if you can't find them initially as they keep cropping up. Must be the old members passing on and their kids getting rid of their "junk".

Thomas Wimber described his walk in that same 1994 journal. He called it "Walking the Spine of the Dragon". The only problem with all these epics is that they start a little too short. The Drakensberg does not start at the Sentinel but at a point just north of Dagga Nek pass, above present day Phutadijaba. Murch called this point 'Metjhatijhane'. Who knows why? At this point the old Gondwanaland cap swings through 90 degrees and travels down the middle of Lesotho. I believe they are then the Malutis although that is also up for debate. One needs to study a DEM or Digital Elevation Model to see this stand out clearly. I can post one if anyone is interested? We should perhaps start a new forum on "Where does the Drakensberg start and end" and the Malutis as well for that matter.

I'll give that a shot.

From what I have read they say the Berg starts just north of Maputo, but I have picked up that most Berg community people dispute the Mpumulanga Berg and all related ranges to the north being part of the Dragon itself. I have noticed that on Google Earth (without national borders being turned on), you can clearly see the Lesotho border by the mountain ranges, but after that sharp turn you refer to, there is no obvious mountains going north. A forum on this would be very interesting.

The people who say the Drakensberg is in Mpumalanga province or elsewhere are those that are marketing tourism destinations. The lure of that name is too good to resist. The people of Rhodes will tell you that their mountains (the Witteberg) are also the Drakensberg, because some misguided surveyor put Drakensberg on the 1:50000 map of that area. Geologists will tell you that the range is defined by the eastern edge of the basalt lava. Who ya gonna trust. (Ok, I think the Lebombo mountains of northern KZN and Swaziland are basalt but we will quietly ignore that). From the Sentinel, the escarpment that travels north-east to Mpumalanga province is sandstone. I need a geologist to help me out here.

Ok, I have done some calculations, my estimate for the quickest possible time on this record (without exceeding the speed limit while driving, no using bicycles, just cars and your feet) is 112 hours (4 days 16 hours) - thats with all sleeping being done while someone else in the group is driving, Mafadi without sleeping sounds tough though. That's time allocated as follows:
- 30 hours to drive about 2500km
- 11 hours to climbing Iron Crown, De Berg, Nooitgedacht West and Toringkop on Day 1
- 16 hours to climb Namahadi via the chain ladders
- 20 hours to Mafadi
- 20 hours to Kwa-Duma
- 5 hours to Murch Point
- 10 hours to summit Seweweekspoort (the timer stops on this summit)

I think my record attempt idea of 6 days 12 hours is very doable (the extra 48 hours being sleeping 8 hours each night), I just should probably do Kwa-Duma beforehand though, or find a good GPS track for it... The attempt would live or die with Mafadi and Kwa-Duma, but with 2 days to play with before we miss the record, I think its doable.

I would'nt underestimate Seweweekspoort Peak, it sounds like there are no hiking trails all the way to the top on both the southern and northern routes. It's a pity that the 9 summits don't include the majestic Kompasberg (which is the highest point in SA outside of the Drakensberg), and rather the lesser peak, Murch Point.