Winter Grand Traverse

To fellow adventurers:

With months of work pressure and Covid 19 restrictions I have been deprived of serious escarpment hiking for too long.  I am now keen to change this drastically by attempting a GT in early July 2020 (provided it is permitted by then).  At this stage I have found 1 adventurous hiker interested, but I am putting the word out for more adventurous souls to express interest.  I have done the GT once before as a khulu-bagging one (  www.vertical-endeavour.com/forum/grand-traverse-write-ups/55708-gt2014-15-don-t-follow-the-lights.html?start=0  ), but this time I would like to do an unsupported standard GT (Sentinel car park -> Chain ladders -> Mont Aux Sources -> Cleft Peak -> Champagne Castle -> Mafadi -> Giant's Castle -> Thabana Ntlenyana -> Thamathu Pass -> Bushman's Neck).  I might start with Gudu Pass from Royal Natal to get to Sentinel car park. Due to the need for a heavy pack to carry adequate cold gear, I have no intention to attempt a speed GT  and thus project a 7-10 days hiking plan. 
Because of the greater risks associated with such a winter GT (and because cell phone reception is almost always absent up there), I have just bought in a Spot X 2-way satellite messenger ( www.findmespot.com/en-za/products-services/spot-x ) by which I should have message contact with the outside world along the route and can show anyone my position on a web page.
Those who are interested in this and feel up to such a GT, provided they have substantial past hiking experience and adequate cold gear, should post their interest here or message their interest to me directly.
There is a good chance of seeing no Basothos anywhere on such a GT (the shepherds move West to lower altitude in winter) and thus the risks of any Covid 19 transmission are probably lower than virtually anywhere else on earth, but securing legal permission to do such a GT seems to be the most likely obstacle that could derail this plan.

Hello, I'm planning to do the DGT at the end of May/beginning of June. What temperatures should I expect? Would a sleeping bag with a comfort rating of 0°C and a limit of -5°C be sufficient?

Hi Theo, there is often snow on the top at that time of year, and yes you can expect temps of between 0 and -5 overnight, possibly lower. Everyone is different so it's hard to know if your bag is enough. It also depends on your sleeping mat, if you have a high R value insulation that helps a lot. The entire "sleep system" must be considered. Are you in a tent? That can make it warmer too. 

Hi Theo, 

There are also variables around your tent or whether you plan to sleep in cave but for me (and I'm not you..) a -5 bag is usually fine at this time of year. A couple of options you could take to provide some contingency warmth are 1) a liner like the Sea to Summit Reactor (250gm) which adds 4 to 8 deg or a space blanket that you can use as a thermal ground sheet. I've used both and can attest to their effectivess.