I'll piece together a "best of" route from a couple of recorded traverses and make it available as a GPX in the download area - just give me a few days.
The beauty of the escarpment is that there is no defined route. With any traverse I do of any magnitude, I always try to cover ground I haven't done before, visiting new summits and forgotten corners.
There is always the debate between sticking to the edge, or following ridges and valleys a little in from the edge. The balance lies in knowledge of the area, time available, energy/fitness level of the group, weather and also the purpose of the trip.
On this particular stretch of the escarpment, there are of course many variations - too many to go into here. A few of the major ones include:
- traversing the Amphitheatre edge as opposed to shunting down the Khubedu to join up with the edge again at Ifidi, Icidi Pass or even Fangs Pass (the former is more scenic by far, but takes longer)
- circumnavigating the Mweni Cutback, or cutting straight through the bowl of the Cutback along the edge (the latter is actually possible and quite worth it)
- following the Koakoatsoan as opposed to the edge between Rockeries and Nguza Pass (stick to the edge)
- following the Makhapung valley from Ndumeni / Windsor Castle to the Tlanyaku area as opposed to climbing over the big ridge forming the Little Saddle (if u have the energy, climb over the ridge)
- traversing the Didima escarpment between Tlanyaku Pass and Pampiring as opposed to doing Yodler's Cascades and then onto the big watershed near Pampiring (this is a tough choice - both are spectacular in their own right - both have tough sections, the edge being a little tougher and harder to navigate)
Enjoy, and take care, even with good GPS data!
