This was to be our final hike before the 60+Drakensberg Grand Traverse kicks off on 28th March 2024. We met at Didima camp in the morning before driving up Mikes Pass to Cambalala Hut where we would drop off the second batch of re-supplies. The road up Mikes Pass was the worst I have seen it, no doubt as a result of the heavy rains this Summer and care had to be taken to negotiate it safely. We settled in and spent the afternoon chatting and relaxing before enjoying a braai that evening.
We were up very early and decided on an early start as the day promised to be a very warm one. There was a lot of climbing ahead of us and the ascent up to the old Fire Look Out Hut was as relentless as ever. We stopped for a break there and enjoyed the views before setting off again. It was a beautiful day with no clouds and a slight breeze that helped with the heat. Further up we made use of a small spring where we filled up our water bottles. The final section of the pass was quite eroded and steep, but mercifully not too long ( although some would beg to differ) From here we still had the last climb of the day which was over Didima Dome and we were all most relieved once this was behind us. We descended into the valley and found a suitable place to tent. It had been a long day and we all slept very well that night!
We awoke to some light rain and misty conditions which soon cleared up. After packing up we made our way towards Thuthumi Pass – sadly the mist was billowing up from below the escarpment and we were soon enveloped in white out conditions. So no views and so it was to be for most of the day. Richard wanted to explore an old path that he had a track for which would come out below the Fire Look Out Hut, so down we plunged into the depths of the pass. The going was very slow because of the mist and very overgrown conditions and we took some time to negotiate our way down. We stopped at the river crossing and took our bearings before climbing out up a very steep grassy bank and contouring around into the next valley. The ‘path’ was virtually non existent and extremely overgrown although the tracklog showed we were headed in the right direction. After battling for a while longer, we made the call and decided to return –the going was hard and with no visuals to assist, we felt it could become dangerous. Just then the mist below us cleared and we could see further down the Thuthumi valley. Life just became a whole lot easier! We found the lower path that comes out at the top of Philips Folly and although this path too has become overgrown in places, it was far easier than contouring on ankle twisting terrain. We had another stroke of luck as we then saw the Fire look out hut far above us and we made a beeline directly up the hill. This shortcut would save us an hour or two! Nonetheless we only reached Cambalala just before 6.00pm. For many of us, it was still a long drive home with some heading for Johannesburg ( Dave and Sharna) , Durban ( Farouk) and even Swaziland ( looking at you Dudu!)
Thanks to all for the company – a tough hike which will stand us in good stead for the big one!
Acknowledgements - Farouk (photos) and to Bobby Stanton ( map)
