Giants Castle escarpment

@ Krimpvark

You can also opt for a hike down from the car park to Fika Patso dam, up with Namahali pass & down either the chain ladders or the gulley.

Last time I did this I was dropped off at Fika Patso Resort & we hike up Namahali pass to the Tugela falls & down the gulley to the car park. That clocked in at 35km, so I guess with the extra hike from the car park down will make for a tad more than 40km.

Good luck & for the GT to aid breast cancer!

How does 1 go about it to gather info on aiding for breast cancer, bone marrow transplants etc.

I'm planning on my first GT's(of many - hopefully) next year & would like to do it 'normally' for the first time & then the succeeding traverses should be for aiding causes.

Jacques

Hi there team, thanks again for the suggestions, but unfortunately we had to can the chain ladder epic due to a lack of funds - oh to be a pro! We did have a magical little look around the end of the GT at Bushman's Neck and tested our bivy bags, so all was not lost. It's certainly a touch more forgiving than the Central and Northern Berg passes! I cannot wait for 1 October...

Jacques, we are working with Pink Drive, who run mobile breast screening clinics and focus on early detection and they are very accommodating. Once we have completed the GT (I am a touch superstitious and don't want to jinx anything, particularly the weather!) I will post all of the reports, photos and our spreadsheets detailing everything that went into the campaign.

The biggest challenge for me has been spending enough time on PR. I would definitely recruit a bigger team than two, because it all becomes a bit much when you work full time. Having said that though, our campaign is not over yet so hopefully we will make it worth Pink Drive's while by the end of the GT.

Log on to Facebook and search "Burly Bears for Breasts", that will give you some idea of what we're up to. I am no expert (on mountains or breasts), but when you do get under way I would be happy to help in any way. It really does help doing it for a cause, because apart from the 'feel good factor', you can't quit!

Obviously this site is also mandatory – the help from the VE crew has made the experience a whole lot less daunting.

Is Nathan Bamm in your group?

Correct, Nate joined me on the first two training challenges and did a smashing job! Small world...

It is a small world indeed! He was one grade ahead of me at school, he told me he was doing a GT in early October some time ago, doubted that there where multiple PMB groups doing this hike in October...

Ha ha, touch wood it has actually turned out to be a very good time of year. On every one of our challenges we have had clear skies. Just plenty of snow initially and howling wind on the last one. I am really holding thumbs for good weather next week - we only have the school holiday to accomplish our goal. I am gutted that our friend won't be joining us, but such is life. Fortunately another mate has stepped up to the plate and has done a fantastic job so all is well. Hope to see you up there sometime!

We are planning our annual pilgramage to the berg next week. Our plan is to go up Judges (we descended that pass last year) and then carry along to Bannermans.

I saw the posts of the snowfall there last weekend and wondered if there are updates and advice on -
- where we can leave our cars?
- any recent security incidents in that area

Thanks
Rolf

Might bump into you on the escarpment - I am heading up Gypaetus Pass on the Saturday and then playing by ear as to where to traverse to, heading down North Hlubi Pass on the Monday. Will probably end up climbing Corner and Judge peaks along the way - if all goes well that is.

The weather forecast for Popple Peak for tonight through to Saturday is falling snow (quite a bit - 20+mm), but then sunny from Sunday, 8 degrees or more as a maximum temperature. I don't think the snow will still be around by the long weekend.

Giants Castle Carpark is usually safe - I will be leaving my car there over the weekend, never had a problem in the past. Just take some packets and put them over your windscreen wipers, a crow there eats rubber! (not joking - there is even a warning sign)

Most security issues at Giants Castle tend to occur from Bannerman Face south ridge through to the Tent. Last security incident I heard of was a VE member attacked by dogs near the top of Lotheni Pass, prior to that I had my gloves stolen on Lotheni Peak ridge on GT (April this year) and prior to that I had rocks thrown at me on Langies Pass in Feb last year - I am not aware of anything recent north of Langies Pass. Just take the usual precautions.

Is it possible to hike on top of the long wall all the way on the escarpment edge and then drop down to the top of Giants Pass? This past weekend a couple of us hiked up to the top of long wall but then got off it and walked to the right (West) to basically walk in a semi circle to the pass.

I'm not talking about climbing down with ropes etc. just walking down from the top to the head of Giants pass. In the image below the green line is where we actually walked, the red line is waht I am enquiring about.