Day1:

Left Nelspruit, Mpumalanga, at 04H00 arrived in Winterton by 10H00. We checked in with Lily (Cathkin Park). Lily shuttled us to Cathedral Peak Hotel and by 12H00 we were on the trail to the top of Ribbon falls. We went via Doreen Falls, arriving just short of the contour, at the last running water for the night.

An awesome night, we were constantly reminded of the enormity of the pass to climb the next day. No rain in sight.

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Day 2:

Up at sunrise, we tackled the pass. We had opted to do the Camel’s Pass, and agreed if the weather was foul we would reconsider Mike’s Pass. The weather was clear so we set off. Making good progress, about half way before the “bad section” the mist rolled in from below. Somewhere in the mist two Basotho’s appeared coming down and startled us. It was clearly a “guide” taking a young lady down into SA. They were travelling light, no bags, just water and food. He assured us we were still on the right track. We parted ways and we carried on up, the mist had become really heavy and we could not see any landmarks. At one stage we paused to listen, and somewhere, not far off, we could hear a waterfall. We never did see it, but it sounded impressive. The mist had turned into a light constant rain making the well-used path slippery. Concentration was the key. When we arrived at the well documented “bad section” we realised it was now a small stream. We voted and said “no go!”Luckily, I had read on the forum that someone had made a loop, or detour, up and above the “bad section”. We explored and discovered a way around. As we hit the main Organ Pipes Pass track, the drizzle turned into rain. Wet to the bone, we decided to push on. We arrived at the cairn, cold and exhausted. We turned south for Roland’s Cave. It was further that we had imagined. Really cold, the cave entrance was wet and daunting. I decided to drop my pack and, with Heinrich’s assistance, we secured the rope between the two permanent tie points. I returned for our packs and escaped the rain and cold into Roland’s Cave.

A huge thank you to Supertramp on VE who was kind enough to share his accurate track up Camel Pass and into Roland’s Cave, it was a lifesaver in the heavy mist and rain.

Once in, we quickly changed into dry clothes, and climbed into our sleeping bags to warm up. Half an hour later, we were all ok. We made dinner and just appreciated the absolute beauty of the mountains below – they appeared and disappeared as the blanket of clouds moved about. We settled down to sleep, and in low light, noticed something move as fast as lightning on the cave wall to the roof. We kept watching and eventually got a fix on the movement. We jumped up with torches and camera, and there we found the cutest little mouse. I guess he also wanted out of the rain and cold. We jumped back into to bed, and lights out.

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Day3:

We headed south as planned. Originally we thought we could get as far as Didima, however, this was not to be. What was clear was the Basotho herders had moved their livestock right up to the escarpment edge, following the rain and green grass. The mist came and went and when the sun was out it was rather hot. We met our first herdsman and had a pleasant interaction. As we approached Sugar Loaf Mountain, the mist turned into threatening clouds. After the wet and cold yesterday, we all agreed what to do - find running water, a flat spot and make camp. If it were to rain, we wanted to be dry in our tents! And as we were to discover, early every afternoon a rain shower would occur.

We hid in our tents for the shower and, when it passed, we were left with breathtakingly awesome views. We had at least two hours of light left, and so, we relaxed and admired the view. We spotted four Rhebok heading where we came from. A further highlight was the two Bearded Vultures that glided just below us, what a treat! We had dinner and hit the sack.

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Day 4:

We all felt much better after the afternoon rest and headed south for Didima Caves. The views were awesome. We spotted a Cape Vulture, Drakensberg Rock Jumper and a Drakensberg Siskin. The Sphinx was as near to real thing as I’ve ever seen. The two Pillar Cairns just before Hlanyaku Pass were awesome. Plenty of Basotho activity in the valley to our south west. We met several more herdsmen, all of whom were pleasant. We passed Hlanyako Pass, gunning for Didima Caves, with the weather holding a bit better than day 1 and 2.

We made it to the cave in the early afternoon. We agreed that Didima Cave was 5 star accommodation, being clean, big and comfortable.

We enjoyed a sundowner, dinner and an early and dry full night’s sleep.

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Day 5:

A stunning morning with perfect light. What great way to start the day. Our target was a flat spot near water just short of Ship’s Prow Pass. We kept to the contour path and saw alot of livestock and herdsmen again. In total if, I remember correctly, we had met eight Basotho’s so far. The mist came and went and we learned it was easier just to leave ponchos on. As we had planned, we arrived 1000m short of Ships Prow Pass. We found our flat spot, near running water and made camp. We were constantly aware of Basotho’s checking up on us from the ridge.

There was an afternoon shower, which we managed to escape in our tents. After the shower, the temperature dropped. We were dry, but it was unusually cold (beanie and gloves type cold). We made dinner and watched the daylight fade. At dusk we were spoilt with the calls of a Black Backed Jackal. Somewhat surprising at 3000m, however, if there’s livestock, water and relatively good weather I cannot see why not! We went off to bed for a good night’s rest.

 

Day6:

The big down day! We made it to Ships Prow Pass, and in our excitement, we made a mistake. Instead of heading a little further south to the moderate pass, we simply headed down the first one we found. Although we never had a serious problem, we found the going extremely tough.  Plenty loose rocks, ranging from pebbles to boulders. Nothing was secure. So slowly, and carefully, we made our way down. We finally arrived at the bottom, which is a collection of huge boulders and running water, with minimal injuries. Vincent took a small tumble and hurt his wrist, I took a fall and sprained my right ankle. All in all, we were good to continue. We tried to make it to the contour path, but again, the rain cut the day short. We found a spot of relatively flat, high ground, pitched tents and sat out the shower.

After the shower we were treated to an awesome view up the valley, clearly seeing the  two route options either side of the Prow. Damn our route looked bad compared to the southern option. Sun downers and bed.

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Day7:

After really struggling out the river bed, Vincent discovered the contour path. From here on it was plan sailing. We made great progress with only a bit of light rain and mist. The little streams were all bursting their banks, and some proved challenging to cross. We were treated to two beautiful Berg Adders, one big boy and, a little later, a smaller one in a bad mood. We were heading for the campsite just before Blind Man’s Corner, and as we had the height advantage, we noticed other hikers heading for the campsite. We decide we weren’t ready for company just yet and found a flat spot near water and set up camp. Being our last night out, we soaked up the late afternoon views in a breathtaking light.

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Day 8:

Homeward bound. We sent Lily a sms that we would be at Monks Cowl campsite by 11h00. We called the Didima from Monks Cowl KZN Office and cleared ourselves off the mountain register. Much to the local hotel tourists’ amusement, or perhaps the smell, we found Lily and headed back for a hot shower, a few ice cold beers and a huge steak, egg and chips at the Local.

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Day9: After a strangely comfortable warm night’s sleep in a bed, we said goodbye to the great Barrier of Spears. Farewell until next time, and headed home to Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.

Conclusion:

Tough, wet and beautiful. We decided that wet and never thirsty may well be better that dry and thirsty.

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Heinrich notched up over 30 different orchid species. We spotted Rheebok on two occasions. Five snakes, being three Skaapsteekers and two Berg Adders. Special bird sightings included the Cape Vulture, Bearded Vulture, Drakensberg Rock Jumper, Drakensberg Siskin and White-necked Raven. Awesome and friendly interactions with the Basotho’s. And of course, Heinrich managed awesome photographs yet again.