Popple Peak ( af, Popplepiek) is a mountain in the
Drakensberg
The Drakensberg (Afrikaans: Drakensberge, Zulu: uKhahlambha, Sotho: Maluti) is the eastern portion of the Great Escarpment, which encloses the central Southern African plateau. The Great Escarpment reaches its greatest elevation – within t ...
range,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
. It is located on the border between South Africa and
Lesotho, on the watershed that forms the border between the two countries. Popple peak is 3331 m above sea level and has an elevation of approximately 300 metres from the surrounding
escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations.
The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''esca ...
. It is the 13th highest peak in South Africa and it is visible from as far away as
Estcourt
Estcourt () is a town in the uThukela District of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The main economic activity is farming with large bacon and processed food factories situated around the town. The N3 freeway passes close to the town, link ...
and
Ladysmith Ladysmith may refer to:
* Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
* Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada
* Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States
* Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia
* Ladysmith, Virginia, United States
* Ladysmith Island, Queenslan ...
in the
KwaZulu-Natal Midlands.
This peak is considered a ''Khulu'', a peak above 3000 metres and not within 1 km of another ''Khulu'', as defined by the
Mountain Club of South Africa
The Mountain Club of South Africa (MCSA) is the largest and oldest mountaineering club in South Africa. It facilitates and engages in mountaineering, climbing of all types, bouldering, hiking, international expeditions, mountain search and res ...
.
The peak was named by Barry Anderson in 1946 after John Poppleton
[{{cite book, last=Barnes, first=Bill, title=Giants Castle – A Personal History, year=1991] (who climbed the peak with Barry Anderson and Des Watkins). On arrival at the summit a thunderstorm came up, and Poppleton was concerned for his safety,
causing him to leave the summit. Anderson later sent the survey of the peak to the Surveyor General with the height and name "Popple Peak".
References
Mountains of KwaZulu-Natal