Ultrapedestrian Takes on the Drakensberg Grand Traverse
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ต.ค. 2024
- This film tells the story of Ras of Team Ultrapedestrian. Starting at Sentinel Car Park in the Northern Drakensberg, South Africa, and ending at Bushmans Nek in the Southern Drakensberg, this 142-mile trek climbs over 24,000’.
Directed by: Joel Christian Ballezza
Production: The Wild Ones
Year: 2018
My son Mike did this GT as a 14 year old in 2015 ,with partner Jonathan Newman.
I think youngest ever.
They did a back to back Double GT the following year.
Long way from the Giants Cup with Dad as a 11 year old!
What joy!!!
All of my mountain experience has been in the Drakensberg and there is one cardinal rule when entering this area...always have a partner with you. Once you are on the escarpment there are only about 6 exit points in the plus-minus 110km traverse to Sani Pass, and any injury such as a broken ankle can prove to be fatal. The weather can be extreme as well with snowfalls having fallen on virtually every day, even in mid-summer. Then you have the Basotho herdsmen to contend with as well. They will wait for their opportunity and attack at any time, robbing you of everything. A beautiful, harsh mountain environment that can be very unforgiving. Read "Dragons Wrath" by James Byrom and RO Pearce before considering this most worthwhile of adventures.
If you don't have a gun while hiking In a remote place in South Africa you are being a idiot.
Well done, sentinel peak side is my hood! Its a nice trail there
I know you didn’t complete what you set out to do but doing the grand traverse solo like you did is a massive achievement in itself! You can never look at the Drakensberg and know what it has in store for you. Congratulations 👏
A really interesting look at an epic adventure! I still hope to do the Drakensberg Grand Traverse one day, but I will definitely do it with at least 2 other people. The unsupported idea intrigues me: it would be more to carry, but less to organize (in terms of re-supply teams). Thanks for the video!
I and my partner are doing it next year ending 2022. Maybe we could plan it together.🙂
Greetings from another mountain in South Africa 🇿🇦
Well done on an epic hike.
Great effort. Hopefully, you get to do it again. You're a champion in my books. Great adventures and thanks for sharing this with us.
Hope you come back and try it again
But well done on doing a grand traverse ,don't feel bad if the weather in drakensberg doesn't play ball your trip can become incredibly difficult
Dont know if anyone gives a damn but if you guys are bored like me during the covid times you can stream all the new movies on InstaFlixxer. Have been streaming with my brother for the last few days =)
@Pierce Edwin Yea, been watching on instaflixxer for months myself =)
Such a true and awesome video. Greetings from SA
Thanks brother!
Excellent video!
Thank you for sharing this incredible video with us. I am hopeful that you may try again when/if you are ready and able. Looks like an amazing trail and your spirit is so beautiful. Safe travels/hiking/running!
Greetings from Kwa zulu Natal region here next to the Drakensberg mountains, i been living here for 53 years and those mountains can be very dangerous, weather wise, one minute sunshine, next minute , cloudy rainy weather and lightning, thats summer, fall, spring and winter months can get snow, frost, sleat you name it, towards the end of winter, veld fires or bush fires, easy to fall of a cliff in the mist! lol so could be dangerous!
Thanks for this great video. Please tell me which month you completed this amazing hike?
April is normally a good time?
But any month in the Berg can be varying , weatherwise!!
Greetings. I found your video interesting from the point that I also want to do a similar hike. I live in South Africa but I have traveled to other countries including the USA. What always surprises me is how unprepared people are coming to Africa. There is a reason it is called the Dark continent! It is dangerous and predictable both from the point of view of the wild animals/land and people. I urge people coming to South Africa or Africa in general to do your research. It's not a first world continent. Most of us live behind barbed wire/ electr fences for our protection
How did you get to sentinel car park from joberg?
I took the Baz Bus from Joberg to the Amphitheatre Backpackers near Bergville in KZN. I was able to make arrangements with the folks at the hostel to be dropped off and picked up, except that the pickup plans fell apart when I sought shelter in Bushmans Nek, so I had to make my own way back. The various Backpackers hostels are great places to meet people and potentially work out rides.
Time for a new route hiker trash 🤘