These passes are considered ideal for first time hikers to the escarpment as they are non technical and fairly straight forward. We met at Giants Castle camp in cool and misty conditions, with the hope that the weather would lift, but it was not to be and the mist remained stubbornly in place throughout the day. As we climbed higher, it became colder and wetter and the hut was a welcome sight. Another party had already booked the hut but as they had not arrived yet, we made ourselves comfortable and dry, expecting to be cast out into the cold sooner rather than later. However as the afternoon wore on with no sign of them, we allowed ourselves to quietly hope that we would be in for some luck! By early evening we were firmly entrenched and they never arrived – so no having to pitch tents outside in the wet and cold!
We awoke to a misty morning but as we could see the escarpment above us, we knew it would clear up as the day warmed up. We stopped often to enjoy the views and catch our breath on the way up the pass and summited just before lunch. It was quite windy and we enjoyed a well earned lunch break in a sheltered spot. From here it was a long slow trudge up the Sanqubethu ridge. I can’t speak for the others, but my legs were very mutinous and felt like lead!
We went over a ridge behind Bannermans Cave which was new territory for me and tented in the valley on the other side. After fighting with the wind while putting up our tents we settled in for the remainder of the afternoon with some of us taking a walk to the escarpment edge to admire the scenery below. The wind continued at gale force rate during the night and by daybreak had not abated. We were about 1km from the head of Langalibalele pass and I took the opportunity to see the Carbineers Grave which is situated above the pass. Troopers Erskine, Potterill, Bond, and natives Kambule and Katana are buried here under a huge pile of boulders. These men were part of the Pietermaritzburg and Karkloof Natal Carbineers under the leadership of Major Durnford and were involved in an ultimately disastrous skirmish with Chief Langalibalele at the head of the pass. Several of the passes nearby are named after these men and most hikers will not have fond memories of Mount Durnford which is a massive ridge to climb!
We were literally blown down the pass with sudden gusts of wind being the order of the day. It is a long ridge to descend and it grew a lot warmer the lower we went. Karen sprained her ankle badly and did very well to get to camp. Congratulations too must go to Lindy Ann and Monique on successfully completing their first Berg passes !
