Route as trad in Ithumba Hill

The climb takes its name from a prominent patch of aloes just below the main terrace which bissects the crag, just to the right of Stance 4 in Plate 4. It can also be seen as a dark patch in Plate 3, just to the right of the point where the terrace begins to fall away to the left. The route looks a little intimidating from below, but is not as hard as it looks. Plate 3 gives the best impression of the general angle. The climb was led direct on 26th September, 1948, without previous reconnaissance, by J. W. Howard, with J. W. Balfour and M. W. E. North as his party. Owing to the lack of belays the pitches are long, and it is advisable to have 30 m of rope for each man. The length of each pitch was estimated (not measured) and the total length would appear to be about 134 m, the vertical interval being 91 m.

1. 24 m. The start (marked by a cairn) somewhat below the right end of a vertical wall. The pitch is up easy rocks diagonally to the right, avoiding the wall.

2. 24 m. Traverse left for a short way, over the top of the wall, then proceed up rough, steep slabs to a minute belay and stance, I found the last 3 m tricky. This is a delightful pitch with small holds on first-class rock, spectacular and exposed.

3. 27 m. Straight up, leaving a large semi-detached boulder on the right and the aloe patch on the left, to the main terrace.

4. 12 m. Above the terrace is a short steep wall which is perhaps the hardest bit of the climb. It was ascended by moving a few yards to the left along the terrace, taking a short slant to the left, then traversing right on small holds to the point where the gradient eases. This brings one out on the top of the wall, after which the route leads diagonally up to the left to a good stance and belay.

5. 24 m. Straight up a steep face on excellent holds to where the grass begins.

6. 21 m. Here we traversed to the right up grass on slabs round the final butress, but this might, perhaps, be taken direct.

Pitch 4 was Balfour's Waterloo. He couldn't manage the traverse to the right on the small holds, mainly, I think, because his reach is shorter than Howard's or mine, and after several minutes' struggle he made a jump for a hand-hold, missed it and came unstuck. He was held from above of course, though from a little to one side. As his weight came on the roper I was astonished how it stretched. The neatest parallel that occurs to me is that of a yo-yo, the effect being heightened by Balfour's expression of yo-yo-like (or do I mean Yogi-like ?) impassivity as he catapulted down.