For the long weekend in December, we planned a hike to the escarpment and decided on the Judges/Langalibalele Passes route, with an option to descend Bannerman’s.
We were joined by Ernst, who will be part of the 60plus DGT next year and Irene, an old hiking friend who has been lost to us to running for a few years! We watched the weather quite closely during the week and the forecast alternated between heavy rain and drizzle - in the end we decided to take our chances! The morning was cool and overcast but strangely humid as we made our way up the ridges leading up to the contour path. The mist started making its presence known the higher we climbed, and we came across a beautiful sighting of a large group of Eland that were watching us walk by. Their ghostly images fading in and out of the mist is an image I won’t forget. We stopped for a break at Bannerman’s Hut which was just as well as the heavens opened, and it rained heavily for a while – its not often that we time it that well! We were on our way again after it eased off and the last leg of the climb up towards the camping spot near the bottom of Judges Pass seemed never ending. Fortunately, the rain held off for a while and we were able to put up our tents and collect water from the nearby stream. Just before the rain came down again in earnest, we heard a jackal that sounded very unhappy with life as he yelped for a good half hour! It started pouring then which probably put paid to that and it rained heavily for a solid two hours. It was lovely to drift off to sleep (or should I rather say, plummet, I was that tired!) with the rain falling on the tent.
We awoke to very moody skies over KZN but as we packed up, the sun came out and it looked to be a clear day on top of the escarpment. It was not long though before the mist started rolling down and the higher we climbed the thicker it became. There is a long-sustained ridge where there is no respite from the climb, and it was good to gain some relief once we reached the section where one contours into the final climb. As we approached the summit, blue skies beckoned with a strong breeze. We stopped for a break and to enjoy the views and then made our way toward the climb towards Popple Peak. We contoured here towards the escarpment taking in the views and the fields of wildflowers. We made a call here and decided to tent in the little valley just before Bannerman’s instead of going on to Langalibalele. It meant that Ernst could experience Bannerman’s Pass for the first time, and secondly, we could all enjoy a leisurely afternoon! We collected water from some pools further down and settled in for a chilled couple of hours. This little valley was like paradise, we were surrounded by wildflowers and in front of us, stretching into the distance, the many green valleys of Lesotho. We were somewhat surprised to see no signs of livestock or herdsmen.
After a peaceful evening which was surprisingly cool, the next day dawned bright and breezy with no clouds in a blue sky. We packed up early and were soon on our way to the head of Bannerman’s Pass. There was water running everywhere with a large waterfall cascading down the one side of the pass. This has never been one of my favourite passes despite it not being difficult – I think its just the boulder section I am not fond of! As we descended it became a lot warmer and we completed the 14.5km day in good time, arriving at Giants Camp site after lunch. Ernst got going immediately on his motorbike, he had a long way to travel home to the Orange Free State. It was great meeting and hiking with him and Irene who was as strong as ever! Thank you both for a wonderful hike and we look forward to the next time.
(Thanks to Richard,Ernst and Irene for photo contributions)
