Long time hiking friends of mine, Rob and Darrell have had Rolands cave on their bucket list for years - for those that do not know about this cave, it is regarded as a 'must' in any hikers book, mostly for its location and outlook, but maybe even more so for the scary final approach that is needed before getting into the cave itself. It is situated in the Cathedral Peak area and one needs to hike up the Organ Pipes Pass to the escarpment. From here it is about another hour to get to the narrow path that leads around the front of the escarpment and so on to the narrow ledge. There is a 100 metre sheer drop to Thuthumi Gully below and one needs to lean into the rock wall and make sure of your grip on the obliging tufts of hardy Berg grass. This is only for a few metres and then you are safely in the cave with awe inspiring views below and around you. I had last visited the cave some 10 years ago and was slightly apprehensive as to how I would handle the ledge, given that I have gotten a lot more cautious as I have got older.
So it was with a great deal of excitement and anticipation that we managed to get a hike organised for the weekend of the 15th and 16th February. We spent the Friday night at the MCSA Cambalala Hut which is handily situated just below the top of Mikes Pass. 5 of us set off early on Saturday morning including Darrells daughter Claire and future son in law, Luke. We would be joined later by Stephan and Christine who were driving up from Durban that morning. The day promised to be hot and got off to a sweaty start when I mistakenly sent the team up the wrong hill as I thought we had gone too far. It’s amazing how a path can lengthen in 10 years………. but I told them it was just a good test of their fitness and resolve. I won’t live this down however, and this hill will now be known as Elaine’s folly forever!
( see if you can spot it in the photos below!) Aside from this blip in the navigation, the rest of the hike all went smoothly and we marvelled at the fantastic views all the way up the ridge. We stopped for a quick break at the old Fire Look Out hut, which is now sadly abandoned and decrepit - now roofless since the last time I saw it. Although hot, we could not have asked for better weather and we arrived at the top of the pass just after 1.00pm. Stephan and Christine had caught up with us by now and we all made our way towards the cave which had another 100 metres or so to climb, and stopped to gather our water for the night before continuing onwards. Luke and Claire did a sterling job collecting water for the more 'mature'members of the team. Becoming a senior citizen does have its perks!
And so now for the highlight of the day. Heavily laden with our water, we found the cairns marking the entry to the ledge and all carefully made our way across. I did not find it as scary as remembered although Claire did not enjoy it and received assistance and encouragement from Stephan. She told us that she had a terrible fear of heights and Darrell had been a bit vague over this side of things!
The view is magnificent and one cannot get tired of the vista that is laid out before you. The thing that made it very special for me was Darrell and Rob’s reaction to actually realising their dream. They were so happy and both said that the cave had exceeded all expectations. We all spent some time just soaking it all in and realising that there are not many people that get to experience this. A perfect evening fell and Rob arranged for his daughter and family/friends that were also staying at Cambalala to signal with lights from the bottom and we would flash our headtorches. It worked and this was very exciting for all the children ( and a few adults!) If you double click on the photo below you will see our light. After some lively card playing, we all went to bed, managing to fit the seven of us in, somehow. We were visited by the resident mouse who did some exploration and food shopping in the early hours, but other than that and some snoring here and there, it was an uneventful night.
The next morning we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise, sitting at the entrance of the cave with our coffee. While we were packing up, Luke and Stephan discovered two bolts that had been attached to an area above the ledge for assistance in getting in to the cave which we had missed the day before. They tied in a rope and this made our departure a lot easier and gave added confidence.
We took a slightly different route back, returning via Thuthumi Gully and the Smugglers path which eventually joins in with the Organ Pipes pass. On the way a few of us climbed two of the Organ Pipes Khulus which are easy scrambles. Superb views! As we got to the saddle where the Smugglers path descends to Organ Pipes path we noticed another path leading off to the right which Stephan explored. The rest of us continued down on to the Organ Pipes path and were soon met by Stephan who had successfully got down on to the path some distance ahead of us. So clearly another easier short cut exists which is interesting.
We got back to the carpark at midday and were met by all at Cambalala Hut bearing cold beers and drinks. What a great ending to an epic hike that will long be remembered!
