Berg Alert 2017

WarrenM wrote: Ok sorry should have elaborated to start.

- section of road, between the cattle grid and the park entrance to Injisuthi.
- 3 youngsters one probably 9 the other two around 11, and there was a teenager (17ish) ).

I would agree that was the approximate ages of the youth we encountered on the Saturday morning 26 November 2016.

Hi All. Just a word of warning for those heading down south on top of the escarpment around Tsepeng area. I was guiding a group there last week and we were camped at around 3000m a couple of kilometers west of thaba Tsepeng when, after we had all turned in, wandering hands strayed in under the flysheet and tried to steal equipment. Luckily a light sleeper heard the scratching and foiled the attempted theft of a pair of boots (found one boot a distance from the tent). We spent the rest of the night doing guard duty! Luckily nothing lost apart from sleep. Take care and keep your boots close!

Hi Paul

Thanks for the heads up. I assume you mean the Tsepeng on the Leqooa Ridge? There are a few peaks called Tsepeng. West - that would be that cutback immediately south of Matebeng, so the north side of the Leqooa Ridge?

Ya that's the place. We had just come over the saddle heading south and were camped facing thaba Moroke across the valley. Might have been an opportunist, but I certainly got the feeling they had done it before.

Best to keep the boots in the tent with you, despite the smell:sick: Also we tie our packs to the tent poles in the bell if we cant bring them in due to space considerations. Other than that, everything stays in the tent with us.

I have recently purchased two infra red battery operated alarms that are nice and small, and will be taking these with in future. It can either emit a mind numbingly painful laser beam...only kidding, either a chime, or an alarm. It resets itself after 10 seconds.

When I use a tent on top (rarely these days), I put my shoes into a packet and I put the packet into my pack. I then use the pack under my head or feet depending on the slope of the tent. Aside from my water bottles, and if I have gone ultra-heavy - my gas stove - nothing is ever left in the bell of the tent.

portable infrared wide angle alarms should almost be a mandatory item on hike leaders pack-lists
they are relatively light and if you consider the cost \ weight VS benefit it makes it a no-brainer
taking 4 of them will allow you to establish a 360deg alarm perimeter

Now I know the purists will say it takes away that special something when visiting the berg, and I agree 100%.
But measured against missing footware (or worse!) it would be wise to be prudent.

It is sad that it has got to this. Although having said this, i used to carry a small alarm system that operated on pulling out a pin about 13 years ago. It was a pain to set up and i only used it once when we were camped at ribbon falls.

I think that it is a useful deterrent. A sudden high pitch alarm system is certainly going to give thieves a pause for thought, and will assist the occupants to have a more peaceful sleep knowing that guard duty is being taken care of.

@ Karl...yes it is sad that we are the last generation to have fully experienced the peace and freedom of the Maloti/Drakensberg.....what an amazing and incredible privilege. Many things will change in the future and we will adapt to the changing security situations. We cannot get our Drakensberg mountain dose!! When I plan a escarpment hike now I study the map to see in what country we will be hiking so as to know my legal rights concerning fire power. We are going up Elandshoek Pass and down Lotheni Pass during the Easter weekend so we will be on the SA side of the border all the way. This last weekend our house was robbed, many doors smashed down, many items stolen and R60 000.00 damage done so I am one of those South Africans who have had enough...let the mountain night invaders come taste my gatvol wrath. Just sharing how I feel in these changing and challenging times.