85km, 3500m vertical elevation gain, two countries, 6 days of food and gear on our backs, and one of the most spectacular hikes of my life!
When I received a last minute invite to join a UCT Mountain Club mission to the Drakensberg, I knew it was something I couldn't miss. Our goal was to summit 5 of South Africa's 6 highest peaks - Champagne Castle (3377m), Lithobolong (3379m), Njesuthi (3408m), the Trojan Wall (3354m) and of course Mafadi (3450m), the highest point in South Africa.
After overnighting at Monk's Cowl campsite, we set out for Keith Bush Camp via the Sphinx, camping beneath the stunning ridgeline joining Champagne Castle to Monk's Cowl, Cathkin Peak and Sterkhorn. The next morning, we began by climbing Gray's Pass, then summitting Champagne Castle. While we made our way off the peak and into Lesotho, we got caught in a heavy hail and thunderstorm, and arrived at a campsite near the river behind Leslie's Pass freezing cold and exhausted. Sunrise the next morning made us quickly forget the challenge of the day before, and our trek over Lithobolong, Mafadi and Njesuthi took us past some truly breathtaking views over the edge of the escarpment. Having ticked off our three major summits, we descended to make camp at Upper Injisuthi Cave. With time to spare, some exploration led us to a pool above one of the most impressive waterfalls I've ever seen!
After waking up to another gorgeous sunrise, we climbed our last peak of the trip, the Trojan Wall, which features on of the largest and most vertical cliff-faces I've come across, challenged only perhaps by the Amphitheatre itself. We then continued across the escarpment to descend Judges Pass and Heartbreak Hill, and made camp next to the river. Day 5 saw us follow this prehistoric valley to the Injisuthi campsite, and to our relief, the river hadn't risen to the point at which we couldn't safely cross. Our excitement quickly evaporated just past this point, as Jordan picked up a nasty ankle sprain which took us back to Injisuthi to make camp, rather than the planned stop along the trail.
On the morning of what would have been our final day of hiking, we woke up resolved to complete the circuit to Monk's Cowl. The fortunate presence of a friend in the area meant that Jordan, Amy and David could catch a lift in a car, while Scott, the Annas, Sasha and myself pushed on with lighter packs to tackle the last stretch of the route. Scott had been feeling quite ill, but managed to push through it, and we arrived back at Monk's Cowl in the middle of the afternoon of day 6.
A massive thanks to Scott, Amy and Anna B for masterminding the trip, and to them, Anna R, Jordan, David and Sasha for a beautiful 6 days in the mountains! It was incredible to finally explore this region of the escarpment, and I couldn't have hoped for a better group with which to complete this mission.
Music: Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood
Ben Howard - Time is Dancing
Lord Huron - What Do It Mean?
Moments - Am I Dreaming?
Fleet Foxes - Can I Believe You?
Mthunzi - Ngibambe La ft. Claudio x Kenza
Contact me: danjohnsonpeter@gmail.com
@daniel_johnson_pmbpk (instagram)