Mafadi: Highest Point in South Africa Recci

a five hour dive and Injisuthi was on the horizon. we needed to make the gate by sunset.

the land and fields go on for ever

beautiful cloud formations abound!

the locals going about their business

daylight was starting to fade we just made it and found Dave waiting for us at the camp site.

spectacular shadows as the sun gets ready to sleep!!

Mafadi is the highest peak in South Africa, standing proud at 3451m. It is breathtakingly beautiful, it is brutal and takes no prisoners. The weather, so unpredictable. It can be sunny in one instance then the mist comes over and suddenly engulfs you, making navigation too and back down the summit daunting, but exciting!

spectacular and breathtaking Drakensberg Sunsets - my favorite!!

Sorting out our bags and getting ready to settle down and sleep after a long drive and a hot shower.

Jordan and I along with awesome mountain man Kobus Bresler and new hiking mate Dave went down on our own steam to take a look at Mafadi and what treasures it would reveal to us.

the morning brought a spectacular sunrise!!

We had several goals the first prize of course was to summit Mafadi, the others were to test out our ability to carry heavy packs up a mountain known for taking you out 6 love, a bit of a recci to make some final adjustments to this years 9 Peaks Charity Challenge, to get the Meals on Wheels flag and 9 Peaks flag finally on the summit, and for the most part have a great time exploring the Berg and learning the ropes with fantastic and fun company.

Lots of lessons and skills were learnt, brushed up on map reading and navigation skills (Kobus is a genius and a fantastic teacher).

We did a few river crossings, one a bit challenging which saw me on my butt in the river on the way back down much the the shrieks of laughter from the peanut gallery!. The water was flowing fairly strongly after the rain, but no unpassable

. Many areas were overgrown and at times the grass and brush was shoulder height or higher. The paths were really slippery and many tumbles and laughs ensued. My trekking poles came in super handy or I would have landing on my butt many more times.

We came across a little chameleon, how Kobus spotted it in the thick brush was amazing. What a privilege it was to see this little guy in his natural habitat.

Was a super special moment. Kobus then surprised us and took us a little off track through some really thick bush up onto a rocky "mushroom" rock overhang. Wow we walked back into time as we checked out some breathtakingly beautiful bushman paintings. It was such a surreal feeling standing under this massive great rock and overhang and see where the bushman would lie in wait to ambush the game that would be chased by the rest of the team up into the overhang. Knowing that so long ago these amazing people stood here and painted these incredible stories onto the walls, you almost feel as though you are intruding into a secret past hidden away deep in the mountains.

This was Jordan's first encounter with our incredible "Bushman Paintings" what a privilege the classroom came to us!!

We then set off again and stopped for lunch at a spot that we now call " Dave's spot". On the cliffs many baboons, some a bit too large for comfort. were watching us. We then made our way up the steep hills known as "the burns" and boy did the legs burn and now Jordan and I were taking strain going up the mountain with the heavy packs.

We managed to make up to the Sentry hut before dark. Sadly the hut has been vandalized and the water supply to the hut and flushing toilets are no longer working. Most of the window panes are broken. Such a pity. Jordan and Kobus went back down the mountain about 100 metres from the hut to fetch water. Then the fun started. we bunked down on the metal bunkbeds after a fantastic meal of tuna, smash, cheese and biscuits chocolate and coffee. it was chilly though with the icy draft and mist that drifted into our hut. So we disappeared under the sleeping bags and the balaclavas came in handy.

Our sleeping arrangements and the boys are off to collect water

The mist had come in really thick and it had rained the whole night. The weather did not look too promising in the morning and some decisions had to be make. I was taking a bit of strain with the heavy back pack. I was really worried that once we had made the hectic scramble and crawl up the very steep Judges pass (about 8 hours for me) that my legs would be broken and we would still need to trek a further 12 km (6 to the summit and 6 back to the top of Judges pass) and we would need to do this all in one day and certainly before dark. it was misty and it had started to rain. The reality was that the summit was only half way and would I be able to climb back down the very step Judges safely for several hours with a huge back pack in bad weather (or even good weather for that matter) so after many cups of coffee and lingering in our sleeping bags in the freezing hut we decided it would be a responsible decision to make this our final stop and head back down. the mist was thick and it was raining making navigation a challenge.

The boys were off in the morning mist and rain to fill the water bottles

By the time we got back down several hours later the mist was lifting and the rain had slowed down we stopped again at our awesome Bushman cave which provided much needed shelter and enjoyed a lunch. We were also able to dry out a bit

We made it back to our base camp just before dark and Kobus managed to track down a very helpful lady working at the shop and she opened for us to get some firewood and some fresh trout , milk stout and spices. The boys then got a great camp fire going and with coffee and fantastic company, we were in heaven. The hot showers were fantastic and we crept into our tents for a great last night under the stars.

The next day the weather had started to clear up which was not what the weather man had said!!

After a great breakfast and more conversation we made our way back slowly to Jozi stopping off for awesome steaks in the berg and arrived safely back in Jozi.

So am I a little disappointed not to have stood on the top of Mafadi, absolutely - did we reach our main goals absolutely, did we have a fantastic and fun time absolutely. The mountains will always dictate to you you never dictate to them and this was so true. But if your goal is to only summit you will miss out on the real treasures of spending time in the mountains, exploring the wonders of nature and quality time with your own thoughts. Mafadi you beast - we will be back and I will stand on your summit - probably stuffed but with a huge broad smile on my face. You won this time

Adventure with a purpose!™

The Team Zodwa Project ™

Photo Credits: Kim Williams Copyright
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