Roland's Cave, Cathedral Peak, and the Bell Traverse - Hiking Into the Sky (4K)
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- Опубліковано 11 гру 2021
- Simply put, four of the most spectacular days of my life :)
Earlier this year, I finally got the chance to spend a night in Roland's Cave, and hike the Bell Traverse - easily a contender for the most breathtaking hiking trail in Southern Africa. Hiking in Summer meant stunning greenery, plenty of water, more life than I've ever seen in the Drakensberg, but also meant contending with the Drakensberg's infamous thunderstorms. To keep safe, we set a fast pace, and try to arrive at each of the three caves before the mid-afternoon storms rolled in.
On the first day, we climbed Organ Pipes Pass via the Camel, and found our way to Roland's Cave. This was definitely the most exhilarating place I've spent the night - an impossible-looking hole in an otherwise vertical cliff face, with only one narrow, technical path in and out. The next day, we summitted Cleft Peak, 3277m, and the highest point of the journey. We then continued our way across the escarpment to Twins Cave, passing through the top of Cockade Pass, following the river just inside the Lesotho border, and then descending to the cave itself, from which we watched the lightning. The next morning, Aidan and I found our way to the top of Twins Peak for some stunning sunrise views, and we then followed the Bell Traverse to Bell Cave. This was the shortest day, and we arrived at the cave well before lunchtime, were we could relax and enjoy the views of the distant thunderstorms.
After navigating Bugger Gulley, Aidan and I summitted Cathedral Peak the next morning, while Tom preferred to wait at its base. This was probably the most risky part of the whole trip - heavy rains the previous night meant that the rock face was soaking and very slippery, and without a rope, it often felt that the only thing between us and a fall of several hundred metres was a few clumps of grass. Nothing can quite compare to the views from the top of the peak though. We then rejoined Tom, collected our bags, and descended towards the parking lot via Orange Peel Gap through some thick mist.
Just before reaching the bottom, the thunderstorms finally caught up with us. The heavy rain made the river impossible to cross in the normal place, and so followed the river bank further downstream to try to find a bridge. We ended up having to fight our way through a few hundred metres of thick brambles, which made the eventual sight of a crossing that much sweeter.
This is definitely not a hike for beginners, and needs a high level of fitness and comfort around heights. However, if you're looking for an adventure, there isn't one I'd recommend more highly!
Music: Charlie Cunningham - Permanent Way
Fink - Looking Too Closely
Ben Howard - Promise
Contact me: @daniel_johnson_pmbpk
danjohnsonpeter@gmail.com
Best Berg video ever. And I've seen many good ones. Well done guys
Really appreciate the love, thank you! Will most certainly be back for more 😁
Wowee great video. Love the Drakensberg!
Congrats gents. A really tough and hair raising traverse which you all handled extremely well. You should all be proud. Incredible footage. Thanks for all the effort as always!
Anyone seeing this video and wanting to attempt this please please please make sure you have some decent berg experience before doing twins to bell. It’s a route that a single slip can end in death and unfortunately has.
Thank you! It's so great to be able to share these experiences, glad it's well received.
Could not agree more - no room whatsoever for error on some of those traverses
Awesome video. Got nervous when I saw that drove disappear into the mist, but glad you got some awesome shots!
Thank you, I appreciate it very much! Can't count the number of risky shots that drone has been sent out to get 😂 somehow it's survived, but there've definitely been some moments
That looks sick!! Nice video bro! Thanx for sharing, will definitely try this one!
Stay safe, and enjoy it!
Add some narration and enter it into a competition….it is a really excellent video 😮❤❤❤
Epic stuff man! A proper berg hike like this should be on every South Africans bucket list. And great tunes!
Thanks man! Much appreciated
Spectacular video gents. Rolands cave brimgs back memories.
Well done guys i did that a few years back... you have nerves of steel 😂
Thank you! Yea it definitely has some hairy moments, absolutely worth it though
Absolutely incredible video as always. 12/10
Great video, fantastic hike, wonderful trail, the only thing missing is me up there! Bucket list for sure.
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you! Hope you get the chance
How I long to be up there again. Best place in the world! Thanks for taking me back with this fantastic video. Next stop: Grand Traverse December 2022
Ah a Grand Traverse would be amazing! Definitely on the bucket list
@@daniel_johnson_pmbpk My brother and I hiked the Traverse in December 2018. Best thing I've ever done. I'm getting withdrawal symptoms.
3m48s 🤯🥶 scary stuff! Amazing footage man 💯 *golf clap 👏👏👏
Thanks! 😁
Scary yet beautiful. Just awesome. Makes me want to go to the mountains
Magnificent...well done lads. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it! 😁
What a beautiful & hair raising hike. Loved the shot of the sunrise after the storm 🧡
Thank you! I remember shouting to Aidan and Tom to join me so that they wouldn't miss it, it was truly unforgettable
Awesome vid! I'd love to see how you prepare for these hikes at some point
Yea for sure! Not sure it's something I'd make a dedicated video for, but I'm definitely happy to share tips and all that
Nice video, beautiful scenery
thank you!
Amazing footage, wow! You guys are machines!
Thank you!
Thanks for the video. I used to do these kinds of hikes many years ago and it was wonderful to experience it again in a way. It made me happy to see Twins cave and Cleft Peak again. So hard to capture the real majesty of the mountains on video, unless you’ve seen it for yourself and can remember, but this was great footage.
I love the chance to stir up those memories, really glad you enjoyed it :). You're very right, a video is a poor substitute for the real majesty of these places, but hopefully can either bring back memories for those who've been, or encourage others to get out there and see it all for themselves!
Jiss great video, makes one want to get out there and experience life especially after the whole lockdown mess. What video equipment did you use especially the drone? Footage is really sharp and drone bits looks really stable even though top of mountains are always a bit windy.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it :) it was a GoPro Hero 7 Black and a Mavic Pro Platinum. I've found DJI drones to be excellent when it comes to handling adverse conditions (and just excellent in general really), so it did really well, despite me asking a lot of it
Incredible guys and so inspiring. I was there in Nov and climbed Mushroom Rock 🤣 But I left obsessed with the mountains and will be back (with more experience) for Cathedral
Mushroom Rock is great fun as a morning's hike - spot the shot of it in my "Life is for Living" video 😊. Cathedral Peak is a whole different level of experience though, hope you get the chance!
Incredible! You have inspired us to do the hike on our next trip- do you have any additional info i.e. distances? That first day from Cathedral peak hotel to rolands looked insane! Any advice for a group without a six pack among them?
Sure thing! I use Gaia GPS to map out the routes beforehand, its not perfect, but I've found it really helpful, especially while en route. The route is definitely doable for a fairly fit group, my dad and some friends recently did a very similar route and managed well, I would just recommend having at least one or two experienced Drakensberg hikers along with. Camel Pass is definitely doable in a day, getting up from the escarpment to Roland's cave adds a fair bit of extra climbing, but I think the only thing that would make it impossible would be a late start or bad weather at the top. The next day is also long, the climb up to Cleft Peak in particular is brutal, but its a manageable day. Then the Bell Traverse itself to Bell Cave goes very quickly, just be careful on those narrow traverses
Phenomenal video guys! Dan, you are doing great things with your life.
Well done man! Be safe. Love your stuff.
Mr Sliedrecht
Ah thank you Mr. S! Kind of you to say, been feeling very lucky in the things I've had the opportunity to do :)
Excellent! One question though... In many parts of the video I noticed one or two of you guys not carrying backpacks... Were those parts reruns especially to get footage, or did you guys do some kind of sharing of the load?
Great question! On the ascent of Cathedral Peak itself, we stashed our bags behind a rock, because we were coming down the same way. On the top of Cleft Peak (6:40) we had put our bags down for a rest, and were just taking in the view. Then on some of the trickier traverses, Tom didn't feel confident with the heavy bag, and so either Aidan or I carried our bag across, and then came back for Tom's.
Great Video, what time of year was this ? March/April
Great stuff man! I gotta get out there! What did you record with?
Thank you! And sorry for missing this - GoPro Hero 7 Black and Mavic Pro Platinum
Beautifully done video Dan. Really enjoyed watching it, having hiked those same parts and overnighted in those caves. Would you believe that my friend Belinda (from Cathedral Peak Hotel) and I overnighted right on the top of Cathedral Peak in bitter cold one July? There is nowhere to pitch a tent, and the wind ripped our tent to shreds. Great memory.
Thanks Erik, glad to hear it! I remember Lace mentioning that, I can barely wrap my head around it 😂 even in the most favourable conditions on a warm summer's day, the top is epic and exposed - I can't begin to imagine what an experience overnighting in winter must have been 😶. As you say though, such a fantastic memory to have!
I wish you had made the video dowloadable 😊
Is this a a trail u book or u just book 3 days in the area and do the trail on ur own
Hi Abdullah, sorry for the late reply! There is a fee which you pay at Didima Lodge, near the start of the hike, per night spent in the wilderness area. If I remember correctly, Twins Cave needs to be booked in advance, but Roland's Cave and Bell Cave don't require any booking. There definitely isn't any kind of booking for the trail itself, if that makes sense
3:20, that horizontal 'package' at the bottom of your rucksack could be the death of you, i.e. catching on something, causing you to lose your balance and tumble over the edge.