Saturday 30 June 2018

Celebrate Trees

What would our earth look like without trees?
This Saturday afternoon I photographed trees in the setting winter sun. As most of the trees had shed their leaves, I enjoyed the bared trunks, branches and the beautiful light. What a feast I had with Elaine! Please go to this page to see the photos  richardhuntphotographer.blogspot.com/p/ce.html


Thursday 14 June 2018

Visiting The Pools at Mnweni

Elaine, Roger, Karl and myself visited the 3 major pools at Mnweni. Normally during our Mnweni trips we hike past all 3 pools to higher areas bypassing the pools on a different pathway. Since we have never spent time at the pools we decided to make a weekend of it and explore them.
Please go to this link to see our trip report    richardhuntphotographer.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_14.html


Monday 30 April 2018

Amphitheatre Exposed

Amphitheatre Exposed

We have hiked through the Amphitheatre but have never had a good look at the whole area. This area we have put off for a long time and together with a few buddies (In the photo below: Farouk, Rinaldo, Ryan, Richard, Elaine & Roger) spent 3 days meandering through all the crooks and crannies. It is an amazing place with many little mini cutbacks and surprises. The massive cliffs throughout this area are breath taking, making the Amphitheatre one of the most remarkable places in Africa.
Elaine and myself have over the past 6 years hiked all the Berg, some places a couple of times and the Amphitheatre was the last place on our list to be discovered. Maybe because it is the easiest place to access and the mass of hikers going there discouraged us. If you had to ask most people if they have gone to the Drakensberg Escarpment they would say Amphitheatre.
We went up the Gully route coming out on Beacon Buttress. I have done the chain ladders before and wanted to experience this alternative route with an aim to photograph the view from Beacon Buttress.
We spent the 1st night above the Tugela Falls together with a mass of other tents. It looked like some sort of Flashy Fen music festival...tented village, not my cup of tea. To make it worse there was a drone making a very annoying noise, definitely not a place to experience mountain solitude!!
We spent the 2nd night tenting at Ribbon Falls Stream and enjoyed a quiet evening having the whole place to ourselves.
On our walk back on the 3rd day some went to see Crows Nest and others along the escarpment for more photos. On the last morning we witnessed a typical Drakensberg cloud inversion and later during the day the clouds spilled over the escarpment engulfing all the views bringing a fresh winter coolness to the air. To view the photos please click on this link.....  http://richardhuntphotographer.blogspot.co.za/p/amphitheatre-exposed.html


Monday 9 April 2018

Mnweni/Rockeries Pass Easter Hike


Mnweni/Rockeries Easter Trip Report
(Compiled by Elaine and taken off Vertical Endeavor)


Our plan had been to meet up with the MCSA Joburg group Andrew Porter was leading at the Hanging Valleys in the Mnweni. The guys were going to be climbing the Mnweni Pinnacles while Tony Marshall was going to tackle some passes in the Mnweni Cutback. Our group was going to head up Rockeries Pass and tent on top, and then make our way to the Hanging Valleys the next day and we were looking forward to watching the climbers and taking some photographs. The weather forecast was not looking promising but we were hoping that conditions would improve. Unfortunately mother nature had other ideas and all the plans changed…..
We set off from the drop off point at the Rockeries with the skies over the Mnweni looking cloudy and a little threatening, and made steady progress up the pass, reaching the top in the mid afternoon. By now there was a strong wind blowing and the mist was coming in. It had been a long day and it was good to get inside our tents and settle down. It rained heavily during the night for quite some time and we woke to a thick mist and a light drizzle. We hoped it would burn off, but apart from a few occasions when the mist lifted momentarily, it remained the same for the entire day. We made our way north to the cutback taking the path that overlooks Eeny Meeny Miny Mo and the Twelve Apostles (not that we saw anything!) and then, as the mist and drizzle continued, decided to tent in the small valley to the South of the Hanging Valleys. We found a beautiful site right at the edge of the escarpment close to the source of the Mnweni river which plunges over the escarpment ( this is what it appears from the map - please correct me if I am wrong!). Richard was very excited as he could only imagine what sights would unfold when the mist lifted. As we were putting up our tents, the mist did indeed lift for a few minutes and I managed to capture this photo.


It closed in again and we were engulfed in thick mist the entire afternoon and everything became rather wet - its amazing how the mist manages to get in to everything. We spent a peaceful night with the sound of the rushing river and it rained heavily at times. In anticipation we opened our tent flaps the next morning only to discover yet more thick mist and drizzle. To say we were disappointed is an understatement! We have vowed to return to this spot sometime soon. As we were pretty sure that the climbers would have abandoned their plans, we decided to return south and spend the morning walking along the escarpment edge past Ledgers Cave and then on to Mponjwane Cave where we would spend the night. By now our tents were sodden and we were hoping for some sun at some point to dry out our gear. We came across the MCSA camp close to the top of Mnweni Pass - they had left on a day hike so were sorry to miss them. The ground was extremely wet, little rivers and pools everywhere, I have never seen the Mnweni with so much water. We collected water on our way to Mponjwane Cave but as we discovered later, could have got water a lot closer to the cave. By now the sun was making more of a show and we could see clearer skies to the south. The mist persisted though, along the escarpment until dusk. The path down to Mponjwane Cave is very eroded and some care is needed to negotiate it. On arrival we all spread out our tents and wet gear on the grass in front of the cave and happily it all got dry as the sun vied for attention with the sporadic mist. It was interesting to see where we had climbed up the Rockeries Tower on an epic trip a while back when we climbed up Mponjwane Gully. See ....    https://www.vertical-endeavour.com/forum/11-drakensberg-passes/56169-mponjwane-pass.html#70406

 Monday morning dawned clear and bright - celebrations! But as is often the case, it was the day we were going back down the escarpment via Rockeries Pass. We thought we would stretch our stay in the mountains and overnight at Sunshine Cave. However the rain had swelled the river in front of the cave and it looked very dodgy - we decided against it, and walked out to the road. We encountered a few other hiking groups, amongst them some of the MCSA group and we all gathered at the pick up point, hoping to organise a lift. There was no cell phone signal so we resigned ourselves to the 5km trudge back to the Mnweni Cultural Centre. We understand that Andrew Tony and Roger (Diamond) had stayed back to do a descent of the gully at the back of the cutback which involved several abseils . One of them will be doing a write up soon so we can look forward to an epic read!
The day which had started out with beautiful blue skies had changed and become cloudy and threatening and there were distinct rumbles of thunder. On cue the rain started falling as we started our walk and there were quite a few hikers on the road, one guy with an umbrella ( did he really carry that all the way up to the escarpment and back??). We met a local woman on her way back to her hut, and after exchanging greetings and Two Minute Noodles and energy bars, she insisted that she would arrange a lift for us. She instructed us to wait at the “Taxi pick up” which is near the bridge. Sure enough our lift arrived within 15 minutes. - the driver a lovely elderly traditional Zulu with a beautiful smile. It was an interesting trip. Richard sat in the front and observed our driver pumping the brakes on steep declines as they didn’t work all the time and told us afterwards that it was only the rut in the road which ensured our safe trajectory! In the meantime we enjoyed a very erratic and bumpy ride in the back complete with water streaming in all the various openings accompanied by a dubious smell……….. all part of the fun!

So, the weather didn’t play ball, but we still enjoyed a memorable hike. Thats the Mnweni for you.


Monday 19 February 2018

Cathedral Hiking Adventure



After a long absence I am blogging again. This last weekend Elaine and myself went to Cathedral Peak for a hike, still looking for photos to put in the Spirit of the Drakensberg book. We have climbed Cathedral Peak before but this hike was a photographic hike and an escape into the wilderness for a much needed refueling. The day began at Didima Resort where we signed in the Mountain Register and began walking from the Cathedral Peak Hotel Golf Course. We had walk over the bridge here because the river had too much water in it to cross over higher at the normal crossing place which is situated higher up the river.

It was a very hot day and we suffered in the humid heat which was very draining on the body. Walking up to our overnight tent spot was uphill the whole way along a long ridge that drops steeply on both sides. By lunch time clouds had accumulated on the mountains which made for a cooler walk and Cathedral Peak was hidden in the clouds. The ground was very wet from rain the night before and one had to be careful of slipping especially on the steeper slopes. Our plan was to tent at the base of Cathedral which is the start of the Bell Traverse.

We found a nice flat tenting spot on a high point but after we saw where lightning had recently ripped the ground up we then walked to a safer place into a valley and eventually found the only place for a tent. Not the perfect spot as we later discovered with sore backs the next morning! It does not look like it in the photo but the ground was rocky, uneven and full of lumps.


This hike was a good introduction into 2018 as we have many places to hike this year. The highlight of  this adventure were all the wild flowers growing abundantly because of the good rains. Please click on this link to see the rest of our photos.............     http://richardhuntphotographer.blogspot.co.za/p/ca.html  


Tuesday 14 November 2017

Photo Hike to Cobham...Drakensberg

Had a nice photo hike to Cobham in the Southern Drakensberg. The previous year I had been to the same area but the veld was burnt out and the photography not good. I walked out on a nice cooler day, good light and great clouds for photography. Being alone I was able to walk fast and spend quality time taking photos, not feeling like I was holding up others. Higher up in the mountains I past 2 groups of dagga smugglers coming down from Lesotho....this was the spot where 2 hikers were ambushed last year and all their gear stolen. I had more than just a 24 to 70mm ????? so was prepared as I always am in the Drakensberg. I have spent years building up my photographic equip and I am not prepared for it to be stolen in a minute.
In the afternoon I arrived at the spot I wanted to overnight, high on a hill overlooking the whole of Cobham. What an awesome experience, will never get tired of it. I got the photos I needed and more for my coffee table book which I am busy publishing at the moment. There are still a few places I need to get to in the Drakensberg before the end of the year to take photos.
Enjoy the photos of Cobham at this blog link :  http://richardhuntphotographer.blogspot.co.za/p/cobham-photo-hike_14.html

Saturday 7 October 2017

Photography Hike to Upper Injasuthi Escarpment Area

Our recent photography hike was to the Upper Injasuthi area above the Trojan Wall. I have copied Elaines write up as she has covered it well. My story will be with photos on this link.....

http://richardhuntphotographer.blogspot.co.za/p/upper-injashuti.html


This is Elaines write up:

We spent 5 days in the Berg over the long weekend in September hiking up to the escarpment in the Upper Injasuti cave area.  We left from Giants Castle and our aim for the first day was to tent near the bottom of Judges Pass. The weather did not play along and we spent the morning trudging along in thick mist which changed to a steady drizzle by the time we reached Bannermans Hut for lunch.  We were glad to have a little shelter for a while and met some fellow hikers who had attempted to climb Bannermans Pass earlier and bailed, returning to the hut as conditions were so miserable.  We headed out in to the gloom and cold again and fortunately found a path for most of the way.I had heard that it was practically non existent but it was not too bad at all.  It was growing colder and wetter and I for one was very pleased to reach our tent site and put up our tents, and then try and get warm.  It seemed that everything was wet and damp despite rain gear and backpack covers - that persistent drizzle gets in to everything! Poor Farouk spent a very uncomfortable and cold night with a leak in his tent and  wisely decided to return to camp the following morning. It turned out to be a good decision given the extreme weather conditions we were to endure later………..
We got off to a very misty but thankfully rainless start, and as we headed upwards, I could not help remembering our epic snow hike up Judges Pass of some years back. Darrell and Gert-Jan, I know you have fond memories of that one!  Although visibility was poor, we could hear the voices of another group that were slightly ahead of us - they had come up from the Injasuti side. They were headed for the top and intended to camp at the top of Leslies pass that night - a long way, but they were young and strong - say no more…... We were nearing the top of the pass when the clouds started to part and we could see blue sky - great excitement!  A strong wind was blowing on the escarpment and we had lunch behind the shelter of a rocky ridge before heading for the long, sustained climb that is the back of the Trojan Wall.  Our intention was to try and find John Hones campsite - this is on the cover of his well known book ‘Encounters with Dragons’.  We found the spot and set up our tents and enjoyed the magnificent view. 

 I have been to this area several times and never get tired of the amazing scenery. The following day was to be spent relaxing and taking in the sights - Richards son, Jeremy was along on the hike with us and keen to experience the sights and sounds of the mountains. He had last hiked with his Dad when he was 12 or so. It was still quite early when we noticed the growing darkness of the skies to the north of us - something was brewing and it was coming fast!  Within minutes the winds hit us, accompanied by driving rain and we all got into our tents rather hurriedly.  What happened in the next half an hour was astonishing - I have never experienced such a storm and there were many anxious moments when I imagined our tents and us being sent over the escarpment.  We were all holding on to our tent poles for dear life and hoping for the best.  After what seemed an age the gale force winds abated and the worst of the storm was over us and heading into KZN.  Luckily all of the tents held up but it was quite sobering to think of what could have happened.  After this bit of excitement, we thought it would be a good idea to spend that night in Upper Injasuti Cave as the forecast was for more bad weather and the possibility of snow.  So we packed up and collected water and went up to the cave where we settled in.  I am glad to report that the cave is clean and habitable again - the last time I was here the locals had been burning fires and it was pretty dirty.  Mind you, we did discover some rubbish that some hikers had left behind in a heap - sad but true. Hylton carried this out with him when we left. Thora and I went for a walk down to the river and to the waterfall that plunges over the edge in front of the Eastern Triplet, whilst Jeremy and Hylton set off for Mafadi and Red Wall Peak.  The wind was still gusting quite strongly and dark clouds kept scudding across the sky so we kept an eye on the weather.  I am always surprised as to how deceptive the distance looks down to the edge of the escarpment from the cave - a lot further and steeper than it looks.  We decided to make our way back to the cave when a few drops of rain started falling and the skies grew darker. Fortunately the guys got back just as the rain started again and for the remainder of the afternoon, we chilled in the cave.  Chilled is the operative word as it was pretty cold and it did not take me long to get right in to my sleeping bag. As we settled in for an early night, the wind became more fierce and continued to grow in strength.  After supper I awoke a few hours later ( only 9.00pm!) to find myself and sleeping bag covered in dust and sand from the wind that came sweeping in.  It was raining hard and it sounded like we were in the middle of a hurricane - the gusting winds were horrific accompanied by thunder and lightning.  When we shone our torches into the black gloom, we could see that the rain was being swept sideways.  We also saw snow showers coming over the front of the cave, but these came and went due to the ferocity of that wind. Any toilet breaks were completed in record time!  All I could think was that I was so glad we had elected to stay in the cave - had we been out there in the elements I have no doubt that our tents would have been shredded.  But……the excitement was not over for the night.  I had no sooner settled back into my bag when I detected the sound of scrabbling nails on our ground sheet above the noise of the storm. Up I shot and shone my head torch to reveal a rather large rat sitting as calm as you please on my pillow - not even a cute little mouse but a huge rodent!  Richard chased him out the cave but as you can imagine there was not much rest for me for the remainder of the night - I was sure he ( or she) would be back!  After a long night while the wind and rain continued to rage, dawn broke to bruised skies. After taking some photos and  then breakfast, we packed up and headed back down the Trojan Wall - there were snow drifts here and there and ice was thick against the rocks.  Mafadi was covered in some snow and the mountains further back in Lesotho were white.  The sun was out and the wind a lot less fierce so it looked like the day was improving.  We were headed in the direction of Bannermans Pass, so went past Judges and then through the saddle of Popple Peak before hiking down towards the Bannermans Valley campsite.  There was very little water in the river, the driest I have seen it in some years.  We set up camp in the usual GT campsite and walked downstream to find water.  We spent a leisurely afternoon and enjoyed the sight of the mass of clouds that were pushing up against the escarpment before another early night in the mountains.  That night however was pretty freezing - we think it must have gone down to minus 8 or 9 degrees - the water was frozen in the morning.  The wind continued to blow but as we descended Bannermans it got warmer and more sheltered and it was not long before we were hauling off all our layers of gear. It was a beautiful day and we completed the remainder of our hike down the ridge in glorious sunshine enjoying the views we had been denied on our first day.

All in all a great hike with  wonderful friends and family, a lot of weather, and yet another one for the memory books!

Elaine