Having based our planning on a 13 day schedule, which we planned to do in 12 days, we needed to
make up some ground. Previous traverse teams allowed for 2-3 days of acclimatisation with
limited distances being covered during those days.
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Our plan allowed for approximately 20km per day. We covered the guideline schedules Day
1and Day 2 in one day, camping just short of Madonna. Our second day we covered Day 3
and part of Day 4 of our guideline schedule meaning that we had some insurance against bad
weather if needed.
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We reached Bannermans at 11h00 on our sixth day allowing us to do some rest and recovery,
dry out tents, and do washing before our re-supply team joined us.
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We gained distance on our seventh day giving us insurance for the leg to Sani. This was
useful as the day before Sani it rained late in the afternoon and the day to Sani where we
summitted Thabana Ntanyana. The ice landscapes and frozen vegetation were a sight to
behold. We were slowed by the climb, continuous sleet and snow. We reached Sani top in
the snow by 15h00. Sani could not have been better placed for a welcome break from the cold
and the raw elements.
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The final leg to Bushmans was easily covered. We again made up time due to the fair weather
from Sani and left ourselves a short final day getting down Thomatu Pass to Bushmans Nek
border control by 11h45.
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All in all, probably due to fair weather and a disciplined team, we had little difficulty in covering
the distance required each day. By ensuring we kept to our planned stops and breaks and
were all ready to leave on time, we were able to go at a pace comfortable to the slowest in
the team, myself, and reach our daily goals.
1. What is the Drakensberg Grand ...
