August 2010 - Florent & Laurent Grenier
3 days on the greatest quartzite ridge of South Africa...
In
the heart of the Richtersveld lies a massive quartzitic mountain
range... It is about 10km long, 1300m high and rises above
the
bare sands of the Richtersveld and above the Orange River. The
closest "village" is Eksteenfontein where you can find a grocery store
(canned food only and water), accomodation, but no petrol. The
white rocks (quartzite) that make up the ridge are the oldest in South
Africa. They were formed 1996 million years ago.
Its steep rocky slopes and the remoteness of the region have long detered people from trying to reach the summit of those mountains. The first botanical expeditions on Rosyntjiesberge were only made a few decades ago (one of the first pioneers was E. Van Jaarsveld and his team of botanists). Since then many new species were discovered and revealed to be endemic to the Rosyntjiesberge: Tylecodon ellaphiae, Othonna cremnophila, Conophytum taylorianum ssp. rosynense, ... Unique variations (and forms) of already-existing species also proved to be endemic to the mountains (among them, a huge form of Conophytum stephanii).
On my last trip to South-Africa with my father, we scheduled a 3 days expedition on foot on Rosyntjiesberge. On the first morning, we went to the supermarket of Steinkopf to buy enough food and water to survive for one week. Then we headed to the Richtersveld. The paved road stops 60km south of Eksteenfontein. From Eksteenfontein, we took the very bad track that leads to Rosyntjiesberge... It took us 2 hours to reach the mountains (40km).
20km south of the mountain range you can already see the Rosyntjiesberge (in the background). As you can see it, the gravel road is not very wide and there are many rocks on the road side that can be (very!) dangerous for a tyre.
And it happened. We got a flat tyre. Actually, not a flat tyre. A burst out tyre! A sharp rock did it. There was no way we could follow our route to Rosyntjiesberge. We only had one spare wheel !
So we got back to Springbok (200km, 4 hours!), the closest place to get it fixed. We were on a sunday. The next monday was Women Day. So all shops are closed till thuesday ! Fortunately, we got the help of the owner of Annies Cottage (a very nice B&B) who knows everybody in town. We got a new wheel on monday morning and immediately headed (again!) towards the Rosyntjiesberge!
We got very close to the Rosyntjiesberge at 4 hour.
At 4h30, the road was getting too bad and we had to stop. From now on, we had to walk on foot. We filled the backpacks with food, water (15L for each of us), a tent and blankets (Could be very cold up here!). We left a note in the car to tell the people (that might think we disappeared or that might want to steal it =D) that we'll be back on Wednesday evening.
We were not on the Rosyntjiesberge yet. Only on the foothills. But it was already hard as we were overloaded with water and as the slopes were covered with loose shales that occur to be quite slippery !
Here on the foothills the ground is very dry (shales do not retain water) so the vegetation is scarce and succulents are rare. We saw a few Aloe dichotoma though.
My father was holding out well. He was well prepared for that expedition.
After an hour of walking, we discovered the Rosyntjiesberge in itself. What you see here is not actually the summit of Rosyntjiesberge... it's only the first barrier (alt. 800m) we will have to cross tomorrow morning. The summit is much higher.
There we stopped and settled our first camp. It was too dark to try to come over this first barrier.
There we found a dead tree that helped us building our fire. Wood is rare, here in the desert! We had lyophilized meals in our backpacks. That's easier to carry than cans. We tried to spare our water as much as possible. It had to last for 3 days (Or at least we wished it could). We finished dinner under the stars and after a few minutes staring at the stars we had the chance to see a falling star !
Our two tents only weight 1.5kg and get easily settled. The only trouble is that the ground is too rocky to stick the pickets into it.
We fell asleep at 7 hour.
The alarm clock rang at 6h15 in the morning. We had breakfast and at 7h we were ready for the ascent of the Rosyntjiesberge. The sun was rising above the large valley. It was a moon-like scenery.
At first, there was very few succulents, so we kept on climbing. As we were overloaded, climbing was hard and we had to come over many barriers, such as this one. You can see my father climbing on a very steep slope. Fortunately, the rocks were firm and did not fall under your feet. It was quartzite !
Here, a few Swhantesia herrei were to be found. A nice little mesembryanthemaceae.
A few Tylecodon hallii (we found only 3 plants) were protected by the big rocks. As you can see, screes were numerous. Plants cannot get a root-hold on that. So they retire under bigger rocks.
We were gaining elevation and the scenery was getting magnifiscent as the sun rose above the Richtersveld desert.
Mitrophyllum grows here. He's a shade lover. It can actually get pretty big (50cm high) and often leans on the surrounding bushes. It grows with many other succulents, such as Bulbine sp, Pelargonium spinosum, Crassula sp,...
Tylecodon ellaphiae is endemic to the Rosyntjiesberge. It was discovered in the 80's. This is a nice geophyte that grows in the rock cracks. It occurs in dense colonies.
Small cliffs were to be jumped off. Here on the north side of Rosyntjiesberge, where the suns shines, big clumps of Euphorbia are common.
Back in the shade, under the bushes, you may find the big Conophytum jucundum var rushii. Each head is 2cm across.
And there are many of them indeed !!
As we got closer to the top, we found a very wooly form of Anacampseros sp.
Another eye-catching succulent is Conophytum angelicae. It has rugged epidermis and is always covered by the previous year's sheats. We only found it at the higher elevations.
There, we thought we were about to reach the summit. It actually wasn't so. This peak was hiding the big one, the one we were so eager to reach.
The rocks (quartzite again) are nicely colored.
There we met for the first time with Othonna cremnophila, another endemic. It has a nice wolly apex, and bright green leaves. Nearby, there were some Pelargonium mirabilis, Othonna sp (caudex) and dwarf ferns.
Rocks are also worth a look. Those carvings into the quartzite are quite strange.
Quartz crystals are also common, and some (such as those) are pretty big !
The summit was getting closer (In the background). We had to walk upon this rocky ridge, which was filled with crevices and sharp rocks.
Here you can see how rugged our path was. In the background, we can now see Namibia.
A little Adromischus sp. There, we stopped to eat. It was noon and we were a bit exhausted. We had beans, jam, and a few bananas.
A little bulb is starting to bloom.
Caudiciform Othonnas. Leaves are polymorphous.
Finally, we reached the summit. It was very windy and the air was cool (15°c ?). From there we could see all around: the big crops in Namibia, the Richtersveld, the Orange river valley,... The air is pure and it allows us to see in the far distance.
A view towards the Orange river valley and Namibia...
On the summit grows one of the most sacred plants of the Richtersveld: Pachypodium namaquanum, or half-men as the legends says that those plants are people fleeing towards Namibia that have been turned into plants.
From now on, we decided to walk on the ridge and to go west. Here you can see the ridge with many barriers that we'll have cross: valleys, cliffs,...
On the summits grows a dwarf and clumpy form of Conophytum pagae, with purple markings. This form seems to be restricted to the summit.
On the quartzite cliffs, Othonna cremnophila was inserted directly into the rock. Where does she gets the nutrients ??
Othonna cremnophila was sharing its habitat with yet another little endemic to the Rosyntjiesberge: Conophytum taylorianum rosynense.
Tylecodon kritzingeri is another endemic to the Rosyntjiesberg and to the Oemsberg (further west). They are growing in the shade on the western slopes. This is one of the thinnest of all Tylecodons: its stems are very fragile. It leans on the surrounding bushes.
It was getting dark when we found a little population of Pachypodium namaquanum. The plants were HUGE. The biggest we have ever seen. This plant is about 3m50 high and has many branches ( a rare feature in Pachypodium namaquanum).
We decided to settle our camp there. There was a flat area between large specimens of Tylecodon paniculata, that was perfect for the tents. We built a fire, although the only wood we could collect was thin brushwood !
We had dinner at 6h and when to bed at 7h after a little glance at the stars. The sky is magnifiscent (Here at least, the air is pure!).
On the morning we woke up early (at 6!) and began walking at 7h. It was only 3°C, that's very cold and windy. At first, we had to climb a steep slope with white cliffs. There was many Gasteria pillansii there as well as some Othonna cremnophila, Tylecodon sp,...
A view at the cliffs we had to cross. Our progress in the mountains was therefore very slow !
A little non-succulent Asclepiadaceae
This form of Conophytum stephanii is pretty big. It is a unique form, endemic to the Rosyntjiesberge. You can find the normal form at many other places: Umdaus, Harras,...
And this is one of the tiniest forms of Conophytum pagae ! The heads are only a few millimeters across, while the regular form of C. pagae is 1 to 2cm across.
There we stopped for lunch. We were almost at the western end of Rosyntjiesberg. Mission completed ! We decided to begin our descent, so as to get to the car before dusk.
The western end of Rosyntjiesberge. In the background, to the left, you can see the Oemsberg mountains, where many other endemics are still hiding.
From the ridge, one can also see the northern Richtersveld and Namibia !
Aloe ramosissima on the foothills... Very rare, sometimes occuring (and hybridizing !) with Aloe dichotoma !
Florent, Laurent and the Rosyntjiesberge in the background.
We finnaly reach our car, which was still there ! What a relief it was to get rid of our heavy backpacks. We felt like flying !
We have discovered a lot during those 3 days of wandering in the Rosyntjiesberge, and didn't get back without sequelae: our feet were hurt, my father lost a nail and his hands were incredibly swollen ! But we had a great time in that lost wilderness...
Leave your comments to : FLORENT.GRENIER4@wanadoo.fr
Florent & Laurent GRENIER - South Africa 2010 - YOUF© Corporation
Its steep rocky slopes and the remoteness of the region have long detered people from trying to reach the summit of those mountains. The first botanical expeditions on Rosyntjiesberge were only made a few decades ago (one of the first pioneers was E. Van Jaarsveld and his team of botanists). Since then many new species were discovered and revealed to be endemic to the Rosyntjiesberge: Tylecodon ellaphiae, Othonna cremnophila, Conophytum taylorianum ssp. rosynense, ... Unique variations (and forms) of already-existing species also proved to be endemic to the mountains (among them, a huge form of Conophytum stephanii).
On my last trip to South-Africa with my father, we scheduled a 3 days expedition on foot on Rosyntjiesberge. On the first morning, we went to the supermarket of Steinkopf to buy enough food and water to survive for one week. Then we headed to the Richtersveld. The paved road stops 60km south of Eksteenfontein. From Eksteenfontein, we took the very bad track that leads to Rosyntjiesberge... It took us 2 hours to reach the mountains (40km).
20km south of the mountain range you can already see the Rosyntjiesberge (in the background). As you can see it, the gravel road is not very wide and there are many rocks on the road side that can be (very!) dangerous for a tyre.
And it happened. We got a flat tyre. Actually, not a flat tyre. A burst out tyre! A sharp rock did it. There was no way we could follow our route to Rosyntjiesberge. We only had one spare wheel !
So we got back to Springbok (200km, 4 hours!), the closest place to get it fixed. We were on a sunday. The next monday was Women Day. So all shops are closed till thuesday ! Fortunately, we got the help of the owner of Annies Cottage (a very nice B&B) who knows everybody in town. We got a new wheel on monday morning and immediately headed (again!) towards the Rosyntjiesberge!
We got very close to the Rosyntjiesberge at 4 hour.
At 4h30, the road was getting too bad and we had to stop. From now on, we had to walk on foot. We filled the backpacks with food, water (15L for each of us), a tent and blankets (Could be very cold up here!). We left a note in the car to tell the people (that might think we disappeared or that might want to steal it =D) that we'll be back on Wednesday evening.
We were not on the Rosyntjiesberge yet. Only on the foothills. But it was already hard as we were overloaded with water and as the slopes were covered with loose shales that occur to be quite slippery !
Here on the foothills the ground is very dry (shales do not retain water) so the vegetation is scarce and succulents are rare. We saw a few Aloe dichotoma though.
My father was holding out well. He was well prepared for that expedition.
After an hour of walking, we discovered the Rosyntjiesberge in itself. What you see here is not actually the summit of Rosyntjiesberge... it's only the first barrier (alt. 800m) we will have to cross tomorrow morning. The summit is much higher.
There we stopped and settled our first camp. It was too dark to try to come over this first barrier.
There we found a dead tree that helped us building our fire. Wood is rare, here in the desert! We had lyophilized meals in our backpacks. That's easier to carry than cans. We tried to spare our water as much as possible. It had to last for 3 days (Or at least we wished it could). We finished dinner under the stars and after a few minutes staring at the stars we had the chance to see a falling star !
Our two tents only weight 1.5kg and get easily settled. The only trouble is that the ground is too rocky to stick the pickets into it.
We fell asleep at 7 hour.
The alarm clock rang at 6h15 in the morning. We had breakfast and at 7h we were ready for the ascent of the Rosyntjiesberge. The sun was rising above the large valley. It was a moon-like scenery.
At first, there was very few succulents, so we kept on climbing. As we were overloaded, climbing was hard and we had to come over many barriers, such as this one. You can see my father climbing on a very steep slope. Fortunately, the rocks were firm and did not fall under your feet. It was quartzite !
Here, a few Swhantesia herrei were to be found. A nice little mesembryanthemaceae.
A few Tylecodon hallii (we found only 3 plants) were protected by the big rocks. As you can see, screes were numerous. Plants cannot get a root-hold on that. So they retire under bigger rocks.
We were gaining elevation and the scenery was getting magnifiscent as the sun rose above the Richtersveld desert.
Mitrophyllum grows here. He's a shade lover. It can actually get pretty big (50cm high) and often leans on the surrounding bushes. It grows with many other succulents, such as Bulbine sp, Pelargonium spinosum, Crassula sp,...
Tylecodon ellaphiae is endemic to the Rosyntjiesberge. It was discovered in the 80's. This is a nice geophyte that grows in the rock cracks. It occurs in dense colonies.
Small cliffs were to be jumped off. Here on the north side of Rosyntjiesberge, where the suns shines, big clumps of Euphorbia are common.
Back in the shade, under the bushes, you may find the big Conophytum jucundum var rushii. Each head is 2cm across.
And there are many of them indeed !!
As we got closer to the top, we found a very wooly form of Anacampseros sp.
Another eye-catching succulent is Conophytum angelicae. It has rugged epidermis and is always covered by the previous year's sheats. We only found it at the higher elevations.
There, we thought we were about to reach the summit. It actually wasn't so. This peak was hiding the big one, the one we were so eager to reach.
The rocks (quartzite again) are nicely colored.
There we met for the first time with Othonna cremnophila, another endemic. It has a nice wolly apex, and bright green leaves. Nearby, there were some Pelargonium mirabilis, Othonna sp (caudex) and dwarf ferns.
Rocks are also worth a look. Those carvings into the quartzite are quite strange.
Quartz crystals are also common, and some (such as those) are pretty big !
The summit was getting closer (In the background). We had to walk upon this rocky ridge, which was filled with crevices and sharp rocks.
Here you can see how rugged our path was. In the background, we can now see Namibia.
A little Adromischus sp. There, we stopped to eat. It was noon and we were a bit exhausted. We had beans, jam, and a few bananas.
A little bulb is starting to bloom.
Caudiciform Othonnas. Leaves are polymorphous.
Finally, we reached the summit. It was very windy and the air was cool (15°c ?). From there we could see all around: the big crops in Namibia, the Richtersveld, the Orange river valley,... The air is pure and it allows us to see in the far distance.
A view towards the Orange river valley and Namibia...
On the summit grows one of the most sacred plants of the Richtersveld: Pachypodium namaquanum, or half-men as the legends says that those plants are people fleeing towards Namibia that have been turned into plants.
From now on, we decided to walk on the ridge and to go west. Here you can see the ridge with many barriers that we'll have cross: valleys, cliffs,...
On the summits grows a dwarf and clumpy form of Conophytum pagae, with purple markings. This form seems to be restricted to the summit.
On the quartzite cliffs, Othonna cremnophila was inserted directly into the rock. Where does she gets the nutrients ??
Othonna cremnophila was sharing its habitat with yet another little endemic to the Rosyntjiesberge: Conophytum taylorianum rosynense.
Tylecodon kritzingeri is another endemic to the Rosyntjiesberg and to the Oemsberg (further west). They are growing in the shade on the western slopes. This is one of the thinnest of all Tylecodons: its stems are very fragile. It leans on the surrounding bushes.
It was getting dark when we found a little population of Pachypodium namaquanum. The plants were HUGE. The biggest we have ever seen. This plant is about 3m50 high and has many branches ( a rare feature in Pachypodium namaquanum).
We decided to settle our camp there. There was a flat area between large specimens of Tylecodon paniculata, that was perfect for the tents. We built a fire, although the only wood we could collect was thin brushwood !
We had dinner at 6h and when to bed at 7h after a little glance at the stars. The sky is magnifiscent (Here at least, the air is pure!).
On the morning we woke up early (at 6!) and began walking at 7h. It was only 3°C, that's very cold and windy. At first, we had to climb a steep slope with white cliffs. There was many Gasteria pillansii there as well as some Othonna cremnophila, Tylecodon sp,...
A view at the cliffs we had to cross. Our progress in the mountains was therefore very slow !
A little non-succulent Asclepiadaceae
This form of Conophytum stephanii is pretty big. It is a unique form, endemic to the Rosyntjiesberge. You can find the normal form at many other places: Umdaus, Harras,...
And this is one of the tiniest forms of Conophytum pagae ! The heads are only a few millimeters across, while the regular form of C. pagae is 1 to 2cm across.
There we stopped for lunch. We were almost at the western end of Rosyntjiesberg. Mission completed ! We decided to begin our descent, so as to get to the car before dusk.
The western end of Rosyntjiesberge. In the background, to the left, you can see the Oemsberg mountains, where many other endemics are still hiding.
From the ridge, one can also see the northern Richtersveld and Namibia !
Aloe ramosissima on the foothills... Very rare, sometimes occuring (and hybridizing !) with Aloe dichotoma !
Florent, Laurent and the Rosyntjiesberge in the background.
We finnaly reach our car, which was still there ! What a relief it was to get rid of our heavy backpacks. We felt like flying !
We have discovered a lot during those 3 days of wandering in the Rosyntjiesberge, and didn't get back without sequelae: our feet were hurt, my father lost a nail and his hands were incredibly swollen ! But we had a great time in that lost wilderness...
Leave your comments to : FLORENT.GRENIER4@wanadoo.fr
Florent & Laurent GRENIER - South Africa 2010 - YOUF© Corporation