Solo hiking in the Berg

ghaznavid wrote: Observations:
1) baboons don't notice you coming when you are alone and no one is talking

I wonder which part of this statement led to you seeing the baboons. The alone part or the not talking part

The extra map Stijn suggested is key - it gives hours of quality reading material, and that is just talking about the front. And, as a bonus the maps are completely waterproof and can be used as a raincoat

Stijn wrote: The secret is to take along some Amarula Cream, a deck of cards and 2 x Cobham maps for good measure

Sounds like a plan. I think I'll take along The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy - just to make sure I don't get bored.

AndrewP wrote: I wonder which part of this statement led to you seeing the baboons. The alone part or the not talking part

I don't have sufficient evidence to come to a scientific conclusion on that one just yet

Remember that one time I went to the dentist...

AndrewP wrote: The extra map Stijn suggested is key - it gives hours of quality reading material, and that is just talking about the front. And, as a bonus the maps are completely waterproof and can be used as a raincoat

Great advice - I will definitely do that. Important that it is the Cobham map, though - I tried that with the Giants Castle map and the wind made it work as a paraglider...

I solo'd in Malolotja once after my hiking party got too high on good ol swazi and decided to nap at 11am instead of hiking.
Left them behind and enjoyed my trip. Night was pretty terrifying in the dense ravine forest all alone.

Now it seems i will have to do next weeks wolkberg trip solo.
Mate who was coming with reckons he needs to cancel due to a project at work with a tight deadline.

I have never done 5 days solo... so i am pretty nervous and also excited. If it was highlands it would be somewhat ok. But thick forests, waterfalls and lots of hills kinda plays madness on my imagination at all times.
Dont know if i want to take a book and be distracted from being where i am.

Oh and yes. Baboons seem to not fear solo hikers much. Been charged a few times on solo day hikes... they always bluff. Still scary sitting alone in the middle of nowhere and seeing those huge fangs charge you.

Hi Croco.

I can't remember if there was cellphone signal in the Wolkberge, my girlfriend (now my wife) was with me along with 3 other hikers so had no need to communicate with anyone else. I most likely switched my coms off and just used the GPS part of phone. Does anyone else know about signal and what network/s?

If your keen on the solo hiking ,what I would suggest is to write a detailed itinerary and arrange to check in with a good mate at least once a day at a specific time. That good mate obviously needs to know what to do and have the means to if no communication occurs. Just a thought.

I'm most definitely not one to breed or spread fear, indeed I push for the opposite, but with that said I do believe in being prepared. Thinking about Mark Grobler who went hiking alone in December last year, he was last spotted at Twins Cave and his body hasn't been found (please correct me if I've got details wrong).

Andreas wrote: Hi Croco.

I can't remember if there was cellphone signal in the Wolkberge, my girlfriend (now my wife) was with me along with 3 other hikers so had no need to communicate with anyone else. I most likely switched my coms off and just used the GPS part of phone. Does anyone else know about signal and what network/s?

If your keen on the solo hiking ,what I would suggest is to write a detailed itinerary and arrange to check in with a good mate at least once a day at a specific time. That good mate obviously needs to know what to do and have the means to if no communication occurs. Just a thought.

I'm most definitely not one to breed or spread fear, indeed I push for the opposite, but with that said I do believe in being prepared. Thinking about Mark Grobler who went hiking alone in December last year, he was last spotted at Twins Cave and his body hasn't been found (please correct me if I've got details wrong).

There is reception here and there from what i hear. If you are high enough and out of the forest and gorges.
Very sad news on Mark.

I just got word that one of my friends will be joining the trip after all. Contingency invites just in case
Solo hiking is risky for sure. My dad actually tore his ankle ligaments clean off once... if we were not two people it would have been a death sentence.

If i do go solo i will rent a sat phone. Wolkberg and malolotja solo is on my to do list for sure.

Before we jump to conclusions - we don't know what happened to Mark Grobler. It is possible that what happened to him could have also happened to a group of hikers. We don't know if the incident was preventable. Being in a group is safer (in most cases), but rock falls and similar unfortunate occurrences are generally not as a result of the group size.

Viking wrote: He was however placed at Twin's Cave due to the note he left.

Note? Without creating speculation, that seems a bit odd. I wonder what it said.

AdrianT wrote: Note? Without creating speculation, that seems a bit odd. I wonder what it said.

That he intended on returning to Twins the following night (as per article mentioned in Dragon's Wrath thread ).

Dave wrote:

AdrianT wrote: Note? Without creating speculation, that seems a bit odd. I wonder what it said.

That he intended on returning to Twins the following night (as per article mentioned in Dragon's Wrath thread ).

Thanks. That is weird though.