Partners for a fast-ish DGT?

Hey,

This is my first time posting on this forum (or any forum for that matter). Anyway, my partner and me are trying to plan a Fast-ish DGT in Early Feb. 2018 we are looking at around 6-8 Days. I have been Reading a lot about the security matters in the berg and am now starting to wonder if it is a good idea to head in there just the 2 of us. I figured this would be a good place to see if there would be anybody interested in joining us for this adventure?

We are pretty flexible on dates as well as how long we plan to spend on the traverse.

Any other advice would be appreciated

Frankie, I am keen. PM sent.

I've attempted it twice, and failed for various reasons. I'd be keen to join you.

Sounds like a good plan, just make sure you have all the necessary research before you go, as things can go quite wrong if you if the wheels come off (ex: weather, navigation, running out of food, DOGS)
Make sure that you have a gps in the group for navigation in the mist or dark, and always bear in mind that the weather can change dramatically in a short period of time. Be prepared for the worst case scenario, and always have backup caves/camping spots. Go and read up and posts about other peoples' GT's, and get a good general knowledge of each of the areas. Another big concern is knowing where is safe to camp, as there are some dangerous areas in terms of camping. The escarpment has also procured a new military presence, which wasted a lot of our time on my last GT (it might be worth taking some form of ID, as we were held up for a while trying to explain who we were). Two people should be fine, as two of my 3 GT's have been just me and Ghaznavid, and we were fine. Also since it is February, expect a lot of rain and mist.

Hi there
I would be keen for early Feb DGT though I we be a follower not a leader on this one.
Best,
Martin

8 days is tricky - your food weighs a lot (roughly 6.4kg), relying solely on caves becomes risky and your days aren't significantly shorter than 6 days. The stretch from Giants Pass to Thabana Ntlenyana has to be done in a continuous push if you are using the speed line and aren't carrying a tent (not that I'd camp on that section even if I carried a tent), and caves south of Giants on the speed line are fairly far apart.

A smaller group has its advantages on a GT, you will always be as fast as your slowest member - and the more people you add, the slower that is likely to be. Also, over the length of a GT, people's pace varies. On my first GT, I got faster as it went on (because I wasn't really fit enough to do a GT), but on my first speed GT, I got slower as time went on due to fatigue and sore feet. If you look at the fastest times - you will see that the team was on track for a much faster time, and slowed down towards the end, while Stijn's time included a slow start and finishing fast.

Personally I would stick with 2 people, hopefully you know and understand each other well, or be prepared for some conflict! Adding someone you don't know is a big risk and could end with a lot of unhelpful conflict. Know where you will find dogs and kraals and plan your route accordingly. Caves are generally safer than tents, mostly because they aren't visible from a distance and are almost always fairly far from kraals.