With the objective of summiting seven of the apostle buttresses between Porcupine Ravine and Llandudno Buttress we set off at a brisk pace. This route had never been done before so our estimated time schedule kept us under pressure and our revs up! The strong wind on top added to the excitement, especially atop the exposed buttresses, but the reward was crystal clear panoramic views. These buttresses are well worth visiting as they open up vistas not seen from the normal routes on the mountain – especially Separation Buttress that protrudes far out and provides rewarding views towards Grootkop. Each buttress summit has its own characteristic – Valken and Postern require following an intricate route through deep gullies whereas others are just a straight forward walk to the summit – some have beacons of just a few rocks stacked together whereas Corridor has a carefully constructed 1 metre high beacon – Slangolie was the only one sporting the old ‘trig survey’ type beacon. We arrived back at the cars at 5:30pm after a 10 hour day and an estimated 15km of hiking.
Photos by Don Jepson
