The Wolfberg Cracks

We didn’t sleep well again, which was a pain as today we had a mega hike planned today and as soon as we got up at 7am we started preparing. I filled all the water bottles and our new 2 litre bladder bag and Ellie made us chicken mayo sandwiches to take with us and after a couple of coffees we were ready.
We jumped in the car just after 8am and drove around the campsite and upto an electric gate we had been given the passcode to when we checked in. We punched in the code, drove through and then drove the 1.5km to the parking area.
Once at the parking area we both donned our hats, I grabbed my camera bag that also contained my food and a water bottle and Ellie grabbed her rucksack with a water bottle, sandwiches and the bladder bag, then we set off down the valley of the red gods and into the mountains.
Within 30 minutes we were both knackered. Our legs were burning and we had climbed 150 meters from here the hike just got more technical and I would say it was actually more of a climb. We kept stopping for water and Ellie’s legs were burning, we would walk for 10 minutes and then stop for 2 and after an hour we were both sweating in places sweat shouldn’t be.
2 thirds of the way up it was now a full on climb as we pulled ourselves up and over boulders. Our next obstacle was the cliff ledge as we had to negotiate walking around the edge of a huge free standing cliff face using ropes while we walked on a skinny ledge and then finally we came to the mouth of the cracks.
It was here that we met a group of elderly South African hikers and I helped them up into a ledge before Ellie and I stopped for lunch to let them get further ahead.
After a 20 minute break Ellie and I negotiated entering the Wolfberg cracks by chimneying up the side of 2 rocks and grabbing hold of a rope that had been fixed in place and then pulling ourselves over a huge boulder, we were in the first crack.
Above us was a huge arch and a couple of smaller ones and we had to climb over and shimmy under massive rocks to get good pictures. We stayed in this section of the crack for about 20 minutes and as we started to move further up the South Africans started walking back.
Initially they said the path was blocked but it turned out there was a path but they couldn’t reach it so we said we would carry on and look for ourselves, then they said if we could get through could we help them and off we all went.
Another 100 meters up we came to a vertical shaft and a rope hanging off the side about 10feet up. Then there was a wooden block screwed in the wall and a boulder. Above the boulder was another rope set to one side and about 15 feet up. This was going to be a real challenge.
I started by wedging my feet against one wall and my back against the other. I chimneyed up to the first rope and got a good hold putting my foot in the block and climbed onto the boulder. Then I chimneyed up the wall grabbing a small ledge and pulling myself up to the next rope and then it was a full pull of my body up onto another boulder belly first. Here I had to lay on my back and slide through a tiny gap and when u came out the other side I had to pull myself up and out vertically where it opened up into a slot canyon. Obviously I could get through so I slid back through the gap in my back and helped Ellie up. Then I talked the South Africans what they needed to do and I pulled all 11 of them and Ellie Sherpad there bags up and down the slot canyon, it took us 90 minutes but to be fair these guys were an inspiration as the youngest was 62 and the oldest was 73.
At the top of the slot canyon they gave us a guard of honour with their walking poles.
At the top they tuned right heading to Wolfberg arch and we headed left and back down the second crack which was definitely a climb and not a hike.
It was unbelievably treacherous and one wrong footing could send us 600 meters straight down. It was like this for the first 45 minutes of the decent until finally we joined the path we had ascended on and we could walk even though they were big steps down.
We got back to the caravan at 2:30pm and we were knackered. We had climbed 2200 feet that over 600 meters almost vertically. We had walked over 4 miles and it had taken over 6 hours. The first thing e both did back at camp was take a long shower.
I kept an eye out for our South African neighbours and they eventually got back at 5:30pm just as I lit the Braai.
We set one awning side up as the wind started to get up and it kept us warm while we cooked and we had our first Wors of the trip with fresh sweetcorn on the cob and relish. Then we pulled the Braai into the awning to keep warm before heading to bed early.Read more