Feb GT Report, Xeni vs Xeno, various rants

EDITED January/February GT report
(Took out some of the rants, the criticism that they don't belong on this website is cogent.)
(Tried to be more clear on some things)

(all place names from memory, no map at hand, may be mistakes)

I am back in utah after hiking the gt in February, or at least most of it. I record complaints against Ezemvelo and thieves, and report on 2 xeni caves, both enormous. Xeni is a lovely cave, the other not. we need to name the other. I propose xeno.

I used a z-packs solo hexamid with no floor, essentially a tarp, but mine is modified so I can peg it to the ground. Worked, though not perfect. Water does get in. Luckily I used my custom (my design) feathered friends sleeping bag, essentially an overstuffed hummingbird with no zipper. The outer is made of schoeller nano fabric, which is a new fabric that is hydrophobic, effectively mostly waterproof breathable. So even when water penetrated my foot area, as it did many times, I stayed dry in my bag. Water penetrating the head area was not so much of a problem as I used all my food sacks to get my head away from the end.

I have sold the hexamid and purchased a side entry SMD (Six Moons Designs) solo skyscape X, which solves all the problems from the hexamid – full floor – asymmetric – meaning high at the head and low at the foot – has two side vestibules (bells) and double zip. The compromises are – not free standing, condensation will form on the walls, requires TWO trekking poles. Big problem for me – I am always breaking hiking sticks. My pack stays can be put together if one of trekking poles breaks, but I also got rid of my ultralight Ti Goat (now Ruta Locura) Carbon 2 piece telescoping (twist type) poles as BOTH broke in the berg and ordered some heftier Locus brand carbon 3 piece (flip lock lever type) from Japan. But at 400g compromises are made.

I like to start at sani to avoid ezemvelo. Of course starting at sentinel (Free State) also avoids them, but I was out of money so could not afford to drive to the north, and the sentinel does charge, though it is a one time fee. I don't want anything to do with ezemvelo, I don't want to give them money, they are undeserving. Eight years ago on my first gt north I rescued some people at organ pipes pass, took them to roland's cave, walked them out. Ezemvelo then tried to charge me for 10 days and lectured me on my disobedience for not giving them an exact itinerary, paying for 17 days, for not signing a liability waiver, and for not paying for the caves. I ended up paying them for 1 day and getting out of there.

Already at storms river White english trash stole my campstove and my fuel, campstove was the expensive part, but i had a backup, but stealing my fuel hurt me. Then on my first day out from sani – very heavy and not in great shape and suffering altitude – realized i left my gps in my car. Second day, hid my pack and went back for it. On my way back in I noticed 5 Basotho young men 17-19 years old dancing on my grave. They had found and raided my pack. Luckily they don't know how to undo zippers and never got into my pack lid. They stole 5 chocolate bars, 5 packages of biscuits, and all my expensive home baked fruit rusks, i lost all my breakfasts and snacks. They also tasted my biltong and not liking it threw it in a puddle – i lost half my lunches. Once my snacks ran out i was forced to cook or not eat.

Not until that night did I realize they stole my lighter, or better, the ring leader pocketed it. Without a lighter I must turn back. Luckily i had a backup lighter, but now i had no backup, and if my old rusty lighter failed my life would be in danger. But i was also low on fuel due to the white jackass.

There are no lighters in lesotho, so lighters are valuable and make a boy a chief, i mean, a thief.

Followed the 5 young men to a kraal directly n of sani. They are so brash they boasted of their exploits to the younger brother of 15 or 16 years who was left in charge while the big boys went on their jol and thieving. Next morning the younger brother came snooping around my camp. I caught him but he is so brash he doesn't run but begs. I take out my last chocolate bar and my last package of biscuits and my only lighter and he thinks he is getting a reward and a lighter to boot so he will be a chief like his brother. Then I yell at him in english that I know his compatriots wish me dead but i'm not dead yet but i'll be sure to let him know personally if i starve to death - of course he doesn't understand a thing and i chase him off.

Saw these same 5 young men at sani upon my return. They didn't recognize me of course, but i whispered curses at them. Little did i know i would be soon robbed again. I was low on funds but had saved R800 for getting my 4x4 to storage in Matatiele and for accommodations and food. I know the last place I had it – in the Sani Top Chalet. Someone pinched it from me. I was reduced to begging. But just like the other thefts, the money hurt but all my phone number in Joburg were in my wallet and the theft of that hurt more. I ended up sleeping in the parking lot of the 4 ways mall when Gemini backpackers TWICE failed to pick me up.

Could not find hlatimba n cave, for the third time, i have never found it in 3 gts. (Hlatimba S cave was too wet to use.) I have reached the point where i doubt it exists. Anyone actually been there? This time i had plenty of time to search for it. Tried to get to it from below in the pass and from above, eventually camped on top in a hellava storm, and some kind of flea or bedbug got in my sleeping bag.

Which brings up the ruination of the GT. 8 years ago it was pleasant. Today it is ruined. It is impossible to find a campsite without 5 pieces of faeces on it. Doesn't matter if the land is in South Africa. Basuthos believe that the border is where the SA border posts or the hotels or the Ezemvelo offices are – at the bottom. Everything in the sky is theirs. So are the passes. So are the trails and the little berg.

Look, I can't change reality, the chinese are paving the road from Mokhotlong to sani, Sani will become a big town like Quacha, it's inevitable. But Ezemvelo could protect the border. They couldn't care less. Here it is in in a nutshell. You cannot have that density of domestic animals without blowback. Mosquitos are coming, so are fleas, so are ticks, and other nasties, they will bring diseases, and it is just a matter of time until the streams are all contaminated with both animal borne disease and worse human borne disease.

Njasuti cave 8 years ago was a lovely cave. Today it is ruined, it has 6-8” of ash on the floor, and in ash is the ruination of a sleeping bag. Many of the caves have dung in them – if the Basothos can't find wood, they burn dung. I have found baboon dung in Rolands for god sake. Yes, could be left by baboons, but it has been carefully stashed in the cave pockets – with concomitant dung flies!

didema cave is being used by shepherds. The grass outside is grazed to roots, and the cave stinks of sheep urine, i also found a used condom, and assume that's a white guy's trash, because if it's a basotho's trash, you can see where this is going, we have a joke.

I could not find ship's prow, don't know how i found it so easily in the past.

There is no longer a trail up what the map calls thutumi pass up to organ pipes (south of the camel, up to a rise, then down, then steeply up, almost against the Ndumeni dome, arriving at organ pipes pass). So the dagga smugglers no longer use it. The camel is overly used, and in one place the trail is washed away, one must do a technical move where the fall is about 20m. It is an accident waiting to happen.

I got into Roland's in the nick of time. We had 4 straight days of heavy rain (late Jan early Feb) – 70cm as measured at the hotel – and I just waited, but ran out of fuel. I wanted to go out on the 4th day, but my phone showed emergency calls only, so I called to get a weather forecast. The switchboard said they could only route me to police in Bergville. The police laughed at me. Useless. Look, I don't mind if the police chose to be useless, in fact, I prefer useless police to the fascist police state. But emergency services should not be forced to route me to useless police. They should be a switchboard to anywhere I need. In fact, there is search and rescue, and I asked for them, but of course, was not allowed to speak to them. Another nail in the coffin of reason, efficiency, and safety.

As soon as it partly cleared on the 5th day I went out. Resupplied at the hotel, then tried to go back up. As a kid I hiked from the hotel to Twins cave via Xeni cave so knew the way. It is also clearly marked on the Ezemvelo map. Unfortunately, I was about to find out that the trail doesn't exist anymore.

That brings up a point. Slingsby's maps were great, I had 2 sets, but both are gone, probably burned up in my house fire. Slingsby has other maps, so he is still around. So why isn't he publishing maps of the Drakensberg? I suspect Ezemvelo has threatened him or actually sued him. They want no competition.

I made a mistake that cost me days. Out of the hotel, the Ezemvelo signage is a logic puzzle and I solved it wrong. From top to bottom it says – left arrow, Neptune's pools, Mlanbonja River, right arrow, Blue pools. I read what I needed – “Mlambonja River, right arrow” and went right. I read it that way for two reasons. The closest arrow to the Mlambonja River sign is RIGHT ARROW, and in English, we say, Mlanbonja River, RIGHT. The correct way to read this logic puzzle is – everything under left arrow go left, everything under right arrow go right. But not connecting arrows with places and leaving the reader to solve which arrow goes with which sign just begs for mistakes. The sign should have an arrow on each place. Cost me 3 days and a hell of a bushwhack.

Coming back, rivers were in full spate, I lost my river crossing shoes in the rage. Cut my foot badly. I ran into Ezemvelo, and they arrested me. It was a repeat of 10 years ago. Same lecture. They couldn't give a hoot about my well being, though they profess it earnestly. All they really cared about is that I sign a waiver, which I promised with equal earnestness, but which I purposefully never did. There they are, lecturing me on how much they care, while I am barefoot, my feet are bleeding, and they never even asked where my shoes are or why I'm bleeding. My tent was torn, they never asked if I needed anything. They demanded money, which I steadfastly refused to give them. They lectured me on “no free camping”. I retorted that there is plenty of free camping in Lesotho, and Cathedral Peak hotel is private property, so they cannot stop me going up. Of course, they know that there is no way up to twin's any longer. They never counseled me not to go because of lack of trails, they never got me a weather forecast. As soon as I could I went back up. The map shows the contour path to twins bottom and then I planned to go up.

I decided to sleep at Xeni cave. (Had to - had a very deep gash in my foot that needed to heal before I continued. I stayed at Xeno 5 days healing.) Have not been there in 40 years, but knew I was close. I found a very obvious trial up (to the South) and took it. It was hell, up a waterfall creek. It leads to a cave which is NOT Xeni but is huge and clearly very well used. Many online descriptions clearly end up here but think they are at Xeni Cave. One onliner says Xeni is a dusty cave. Not Xeni, this other one. Xeni is only 200m (west) away and at the same contour but you cannot get to it because the waterfall ravine is too deep and steep.

This other dusty cave has a huge overhang, the largest I have ever seen, reminds me of a Cathedral. However, I implore not to call it cathedral cave since this lends it credence to it of which it has none. It is a terrible cave compared to Xeni. It has camping at 4 levels. I did not camp at the base because it is very dusty – white dust. Up above, to the east, are three flat spaces big enough for a tent. All three are under the overhang. I chose the highest. During the rain I had to hug the wall but never had to pitch my tent.

From there I climbed up and over to the contour path, but fell through twice. The trail has not been maintained in decades, and the long grass obscures a view of your feet. Yes, dangerous for snakes, but I couldn't slow down. But twice the trail has been completely washed away and I fell twice, the second time breaking both my poles and breaking my hand. Not maintaining the trails has serious consequences for safety.

Still I went on. The path leaves the contour and goes down to the Xeni River (hard to find), crosses, then immediately I lost the trail going up, and never found it again. 4 hours of bushwhacking swearing at Ezemvelo, and my legs were shredded by proteas and cycads. I gave up and camped at the next river, could see the old trail on the other side but could not find a way to get to it. Turned back. I was only a km from the Twins bottom but there is no way to get there. Not maintaining the trails has serious consequences for safety.

I was in no mood to reascend to the contour path so i simply walked down the xeni gorge. I camped at Xeni cave on the way back. Quickly I realized the way to tell whether you are on the right or wrong trail - the dagga trail to the other cave is not maintained, it is dirt, but the Xeni cave trail has wood nailed to the ground, and a ladder almost immediately.

I give the GPS coordinates of both caves. And the turnoff to Xeni. The other cave needs a name. I propose Xeno. Other suggestions that come to mind are : 4 level cave, dusty cave, hangover cave, ****** cave. Perhaps it already has a name, but I doubt it. I notice that no one publishes the gps points of xeni cave, and i think its because no one has sorted it out which is xeni and which is xeno. I attempt.

All gps points wgs84
xeniup is the start of the trail up which enters xeni at the west end
xeni+ is the other (E) side of xeni

xeni 1848m S28 58.036 E29 09.907
xeni+ 1848m S28 58.038 E29 09.888
xeniup 1774m S28 57.969 E29 09.794
xeno 1835m S28 57.979 E29 10.104

I never recorded the xenoup since I never went back but I can guess
xenoup (NOT recorded, guess) 1760m S28 57.900 E29 10.000

I abandoned my attempt to get back up and finish the Northern Traverse. I had wasted too much time, had a plane to catch, and wanted to complete the Southern Traverse from Sani. I took minibus taxis and hitched back to Sani.

From Sani I then went South. Without my GPS. I had been robbed so many times I pawned it to a fellow American for R1000. Ezemvelo maps are almost useless. Got lost after the Rhino, last known point was the 2-man Shepherds? cave. I recall crossing the Mashai but the basothos don't call it that. Days later the mist cleared and I went straight up the leqooa wall – 3400m yes straight up - and saw the Leqooa river – or at least the north branch of it. Camped there, on the wall. Next day walked to a pass, but is is a Lesotho-Lesotho pass, but it is definitely the way I should have come up. Then went around some huge peak to the source of the Leqooa and made it to Mzimude cave. Next day went up the big wall (tomatu?), the south wall of the drakensberg. Looked down to isicatula pass, but could see no way down.

I didn't feel like bushwhacking. My ezemvelo map showed nice network of trails in south Africa. So i went back to mzimude and down the pass, but none of the trails exist, i had planned to come out at bushmans nek by following the contour path but there is no contour path any longer, so followed the mzimude river – an enormous bushwhack - and ended up at garden castle. Not maintaining the trails has serious consequences for safety.

I am struck by the fact i ran into no fellow hiker in the berg. Could this be because the trails don't exist?

Ezemvelo is derelict of duty – they maintain no trails yet sell a map full of non-existent trails. Most destinations cannot be accomplished since the trails run out. They do no checking on the ground. Their new editions have the same errors as the old editions. They still sell paper maps rather than tyvek. They rely on dagga smugglers and rustlers to maintain trails. They pretend to be concerned with safety but don't know the meaning. They demand money and liability waivers, but they create situations that compromise safety. I do not think poaching is a domestic problem, but maybe. All i encountered were basothos - even in SA. basothos kill everything wild even in south Africa, the wildlife is all hunted by basothos and basothos have turned the top of the berg into a commons ranch with way too many domestic animals and no control. ezemvelo's commitment to conservation and wildlife is a joke. There is very little wildlife.

Would like feedback on:
1. anyone actually been in Hlatimba cave N? I doubt now that this cave exists, failed to find it three times, searched for hours this time.
2. the Xeni-Xeno cave thing, and why no one publishes GPS of Xeni cave or has recognized there are two caves 200m apart.
3. How to find the way up to Ships Prow. I missed it completely.
4. lack of trails on the ground that are on the maps and are really important for both adventure and safety, why the trails are not being maintained, and why the maps are not being maintained.
5. the abandonment of the Drakensberg world park and what can be salvaged at this point
6. my prediction of the coming diseases - ticks, fleas, mosquitoes, and other parasites from domestic animals and animal and human feces in rivers
7. a mountain range of the stature of the drakensberg is both ignored (by the world for sure, by South Africans for most part) and allowed to be an unmaintained unregulated Basotho commons, were it anywhere else, it would be a sought after and well organized adventure locale with a well maintained trail system, users generating funds for conservation and wildlife, and for Basothos.
8. I don't mind hearing support for Ezemvelo, I like the workers well enough, it is the management I have issue with. Criticism is issued for the purpose of cajoling them to get with the program. I also don't mind hearing criticism of Ezemvelo. Someone needs to do it. They have lost their way.

Good grief, more swearing in one article than in all of VE put together. Not really a feature on this forum... Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Most of us would also not quite share your views, but there are valuable lessons in your GT report. Maybe go try the Rim of Africa trail next time...
Peace broer...

Great comic relief this!

bbharim - methinks you're safer in Utah.....

Please give me a detailed method of finding Hlatimba N cave!