Who is doing or has done the Grand Traverse

Hi all

Kevin and I are excited to start our Drakensberg Grand Traverse on Saturday morning. We aim for 6 days. No food drops etc but sleeping in a tent.

Here is the link to our Spot GPS tracker:

Spot Tracking

We will send a test signal tomorrow (Friday 18 March) and will start hiking early on Saturday.

Hope to see some of you in the Berg!

Murray

Good luck

Good luck guys!

Looks like the guys are halfway up the Jarateng, so looks like they are well on track for 6 days.

And we made it in 6 days! New respect for The Berg. But for two novices we're pretty happy with the result.

O, and we saw the group with the guy with the red beard. They were doing the DGT in reverse.

Thanks for everyone's advice. Race report to follow.

Well done Murray! Looking forward to your report

Well done guys!!!

Well done!

We also completed our trip successfully going South to North in the planned 8 nights.

Report to follow in the next week or so.

Brilliant, we were concerned that your time will run out!

Drakensberg Grand Traverse by two novices in 6 days
Saturday 19 March – Thursday 24 March 2016
Murray Steenkamp (40) and Kevin Rodwell (38)

Introduction
The journey started two years ago when we decided to do a fast DGT (Drakensberg Grand Traverse) after the hype of the Ryno Griessel and Ryan Sands’ record. Two of our colleagues also participated in a Drakensberg adventure a year ago.

The DGT is a self-sufficient (no resupply) journey of 210 – 240km across the Drakensberg in South Africa from the Sentinel Car park at Witsieshoek, over 6 peaks, to the Boesmansnek Boarder Post.

The Gear
To travel light would be key in doing a fast DGT. However, we decided to take a tent with us as well as extra food in case we needed to extend the hike to 8 days. The logistics around doing it in 6 days, rather than 3 (or in less than 50 hours like Ryno and Ryan or Andrew Porter) are very different.

My pack weighed in at about 14kg (including water) and Kevin’s at 16kg. The food and snacks alone were about 3.5kg. The sleeping bag and tent added another 3kg. We had a Garmin Dakota 20 hiking GPS with topographical maps that worked brilliantly (with the record route on it). Kevin had a Suunto navigation watch with the same route on it.

We used a Spot GPS tracking device and added the optional insurance – rather safe than sorry. It was also nice for our friends and family to follow us on the Spot website.

The Daily Routine
We got up at 04h30 and start hiking at 05h30. We started the morning with Pro Nutro. At 11h00 we stopped for lunch (usually John West tuna and Mini Cheddars / Fritos). At 18h00 we stopped to pitch the tent and prepare our Back Country freeze dried meal. This was the highlight in terms of our food consumption! We slept at between 2700m and 3000m every night.

Day 0
We arrived at Sentinel car park – but what a bad road! Without a bakkie or 4x4 I would not recommend the road. And the toilets are in a shocking state – rather use the veld… We are not sure where the R40 per person toll money goes to. Next time I would sleep at Witsieshoek and pay the fair to be taken to the starting point.

We signed into the mountain register at the car park. We are still not sure how to sign out. I phoned Witsieshoek after the hike and Maria would follow it up. She did not phone back and I could not get hold of her again. I mailed Witsieshoek as well to confirm that we have finished.

Day 1
An early morning rise and off we go at 04h30. All the excitement of the journey that we planned for almost 2 years! And with my fear for heights, the chain ladders would be the first obstacle. The route to the chains are fairly easy but you need to watch the path in the dark. But the chains was not so bad and the Sentinel route is most definitely the easiest way to get on the Berg.

Mount Aux Source was reached in the morning and the first check box could be ticked off. We saw a lot of Basotho people on the Berg and it helps a lot to know a few Sesotho phrases to greet them. All of them are looking for sweets, smokes or money. There are a lot of cattle and sheep on the mountain. We also saw donkeys, horses, mice, bokkies, dogs, vultures, lizards, rabbits and frogs!

Kevin struggled with his back due to a too small bag with the load not evenly distributed. After a re-pack, it helped a little bit. We had perfect weather for at least the first 3 days.

I soon realised that swearing won’t work and prayer will take you further. The Berg is tough and it is either up or down – nothing in between! The flats will be on a contour and even then you need to watch your step. With 35 to 40 km per day and total elevation of almost 10,000m over the 6 days, this is for sure the toughest adventure we have undertaken.

Day 2
My snacks per day was a zip lock bag with 40g of Dry Wors, 40g of almonds and 40g of jelly sweets. In the late afternoon I had my dessert for the day: a 30g packet of Milk Bottles! And we needed all of this energy for the second day: Cleft!

Kevin’s back made it through the day but blisters started to form on his heels. The ascent towards Cleft peak, didn’t help. Day 2 was one of the most difficult days. But we made it to the top of Cleft and could phone home (we had Vodacom reception but no MTN signal from time to time).

The nights are cold and our First Ascent zero degree sleeping bags was not really sufficient. The inners was of no use in terms of keeping us warm. We used a space blanket for additional ground cover but I might take a mattress along next time. Sleeping pills would be recommended! You hardly get any sleep in.

We met Gerard, a solo German hiker on this day. He started at Golden Gate and was on day 7 of his 14 day hike to Boesmansnek. He had a huge pack! He was not following a specific route. We were the first hikers that he encountered in the 7 days.

Day 3
On day 3 we climbed Champagne Castle and Mafadi (highest peak in South Africa). Cleft is probably worse but Mafadi ridge was long and steep. But we made it and could tick another box.

Kevin’s blisters became worse and he started on a wide spectrum antibiotic. With Bactroban he nurtured his feet for the next 4 days. Our plaster almost ran out. His biggest mistake was probably the change of his usual socks for “new” guaranteed blister free socks!

My favourite flavours of the Back Country meals would be the Bobotie flavour and the Sweet and Sour Lamb. We managed to camp close to water on the first 2 nights but from night 3 onwards we only washed dishes the next morning en route. Well, dishes being two cups…

Day 4
Giant’s Castle was on the agenda for day 4. We climbed it in the mist / cloud cover. This was the first day with not so great weather. We could only take a selfie at the top as the visibility was very poor. Coming down the weather improved but it stayed windy and cold for the next two days.

We met a group of 4 hikers doing the DGT in reverse (including the guy with the red beard). They aimed for 8 days but had some tummy issues along the way. Not sure if they finished in time.

Blisters were still a concern and I twisted my left ankle. Not too bad but the down hills are becoming increasingly difficult.

Day 5
Thabana Ntlenyana is the highest peak in Southern Africa and would be our last big one. Cleft and Mafadi ridge was more difficult but this one had a long climb! And after almost 5 days, we were tired. It was cold, the blisters and ankles were not good. But we made the final peak and dropped down to Sani road.

This was where I needed to convince Kevin not to turn left and grab a beer at the Sani lodge! We passed our last escape route and pushed through until we pitched the tent for our last night in the Berg. I was cold with the cold coming from the ground.

Day 6
We got up the usual time in the rain (not too heavy) and put on our rain pants for the first time. Luckily the rain stopped after about two hours. We really had very good weather.

Everyone said that the last couple of days will be “rolling hills” toward the finish – nope, we disagree! Still up and down and up again. The vegetation changed with more grass lands and higher bushes. And then you need to descend via a few passes to get to Boesmansnek.

The down hills were difficult with my ankle but the smell of home and the thought of a Hamburger drove us to the end. The rocky section at the end was slippery and I twisted my ankle again – only 2km from the finish!

We made it to the border post just after 18h00. What an adventure! Doing it in 6 days is a challenge, especially with 14kg on your back. We were blessed with good weather and no serious incidents. A good medical kit is recommended.

Conclusion
Without the support of our family and friends this would not have been possible. They believed in us. And thanks to Mandy, our biggest supporter, who managed the logistics around getting us into and out of the Berg.

What a way of experiencing the creation!