Who is doing or has done the Grand Traverse

Our planned overnight stops look something like this, either in the cave or camped nearby... as on occasion we have not been able to find one or two of the "legendary" Drakensberg caves... This trip I will be having yet another look for Fangs Cave, my last trip left me convinced it does not exist...

Day 1: Sentinel car park - Escarpment - Overnight Icidi Cave
Day 2: Icidi Cave - Escarpment - Mpojwane Cave
Day 3: Mponjwane Cave - Escarpment - Overnight at Ndumeni Caves
Day 4: Ndumeni Caves - Escarpment - Overnight Didima Cave
Day 5: Didima Cave - Escarpment - Overnight Injisuthi Summit Cave
Day 6: Injisuthi Summit Cave - Escarpment - Overnight Bannerman Cave
Day 7: Bannerman Cave - Escarpment - Overnight Lynx Cave
Day 8: Lynx Cave - Escarpment - Overnight and Resupply Sani Top Chalets
Day 9: Sani Top Chalets - Escarpment - Pigeon Hole Cave
Day 10: Pigeon Hole Cave - Bushmans Nek

I am comfortable with the first five days as we have done them on various hikes before. Neither of us have been further south than Injisuthi, does anyone know if days 6 -10 are realistic?

We will have two spare days for Justin...
Justin case we need them

Thanks
Andrew

A quick note on Fangs Cave - which is so much better than Icidi Cave. I spent many pre GPS years looking for Fangs Cave and eventually found it.
To find the cave, descend Fangs pass and a few minutes from the top you'll see a gully going up to your right. Fangs Cave is on the left when ascending this gully. The gully is easy to find because it is the only one with a characteristic rock arch at the top.

Andrew McAughey wrote: I am comfortable with the first five days as we have done them on various hikes before. Neither of us have been further south than Injisuthi, does anyone know if days 6 -10 are realistic?

Upper Injisuthi Cave to Bannerman Cave is a fairly short day, thats only about 10km. In addition to this, Bannerman Cave has a bad reputation (although - unless you get through to the south side of Redi Peak from UI Cave, you have to sleep in the "danger zone" one way or another). Maybe consider Lotheni Cave (although you should read up on the cave first - its placement is convenient, I don't know how it is otherwise). This point assumes that you haven't planned that to be a rest day.

Days 8 and 9 are doable, but really tough, approx 25km each, but at least you will have light packs before the resupply, so it is possible.

I don't actually know Pigeon Hole Cave, but some details on it would be nice - sounds like the place to be in a storm...

I would mock you for that "Justin time" joke if I hadn't made a very similar joke 2 hours ago while coaching a wargames team (although that was a person whose name is in fact Justin and his troops where "Justin" charging range)...

2 days till I start my GT!

MBC being their 2012 GT tomorrow; so I would like to wish all hikers a safe, fun and enjoyable hike. It's an experience you will never forget .. hopefully for all the right reasons

mnt_tiska wrote: I spent many pre GPS years looking for Fangs Cave and eventually found it.

I can relate, except that we got lucky on our first trip. Our standard cave-finding method (with our group of 3) was to put one person on each buttress flanking the top of the pass. Then the runner (usually Alex), would take instruction from us and investigate every potenial spot as viewed from the buttresses. For Fangs Cave in particular, there were many shouts of "further... further" which Alex mistook to be "faster... faster", much to his frustration!

Christine wrote: MBC being their 2012 GT tomorrow; so I would like to wish all hikers a safe, fun and enjoyable hike. It's an experience you will never forget .. hopefully for all the right reasons

Thanks

Thanks Intrepid I got an extra 8gb SD card, so I now have the capacity to take about 6000 pics.

10 years later: a history professor specialising in the 10th century Middle East nations looks at the latest edition of the EKZN maps and tries to figure out why there is a peak in the middle of nowhere called "Ghaznavid Peak"...

All the best for successul GTs everyone!