The Ups and Downs of a Rim of Africa Traverse

That’s me – contemplating how far I just hiked! So I just got back from hiking Traverse 9 of Rim of Africa. Wow! So many thoughts buzzing around my head.

A few months ago I wrote up the Rim of Africa hiking guide for our website. An epic hike that I could only hope to ever get to! Then as fate would have it, two Rim of Africa guides moved to Hoedspruit! And the rest, as they say, was history…

A few weeks later I found myself heading to Cape Town to join Traverse 9 of Rim of Africa.

I knew it was going to be tough – but I’m pretty fit and I hike and exercise most days of the week so, how hard could it really be? Erm, well, little did I know, but flipping hard is the answer!

7 nights, 1 tent, a lot of meals, a jetboil, gas, snacks, clothes, sleeping gear – and all of that in 1 backpack on my poor little back!

Everyone met at Dwarsrivier (off the R327, more or less halfway between Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn) – Traverse 8 coming in off the mountains, and the rest of us driving in from Cape Town and George. There was a super handover that evening with a braai and a few drinks.

Each morning starts with some stretching, a review of the map and what the route is likely to entail, maybe a group photo and then a poem or reading. After that everyone starts the day’s hike in silence. I found this a wonderful time. On the steep uphills, it becomes a type of walking meditation. Breathe in. Step. Breathe Out. Step, step. Concentrated focus on where you’re putting your feet. You could call it extreme mindfulness!

It took a few days for the ‘noise’ in my head to dissipate. It is so seldom that we have genuine, uninterrupted periods of time to just think. By day 4 I was feeling a bit fitter and stronger, some of the more hectic uphills were past and I found that for the first time in a long time I was able to really think about things. Work, relationships, dreams for the future.

Tea breaks, rest stops, a languid lunch on the top of a mountain or in the shade of a pine forest. Biting cold rain, howling wind, a precarious passage along the ridges of a peak.

Swollen, throbbing feet. Scratches and bruises from thrashing through bracken, dead, burned proteas and fallen wattles. A camp that never seems nearer.

Warm coffee, buchu tea, frisky dips in mountain streams. The tired, happy ache of a well-worked body, jokes and Mexican waves around the evening meal.

And then a final evening check-in – highlights of the day, thoughts and laughs before tucking yourself away in your cosy little tent.

I have made it sound a little ideal – we were incredibly lucky with the weather and experienced only a tiny bit of rain. I imagine that hiking in freezing cold rain for hours or days on end can only be truly miserable. But again I am a firm believer that from every experience you take out what you put in and this is where your true colours show. Humour in the face of adversity.

My sleeping mat did deflate every night, and there was a night when I slept in almost every piece of clothing I took with me including my rain pants! And if you’d asked me halfway up Jurie se Berg whether this had been a clever undertaking and would I do it again? – I think you might have heard some fairly colourful language. But by day 6 I was wishing that there was another traverse ahead of me so that I could really get to grips with my thoughts and start to perhaps flesh out these nascent thinkings.

Another aspect of Rim of Africa that needs mentioning is the people. The sense of community and camaraderie that builds with both your fellow hikers and the guides is something quite special. Shared, often difficult, experiences do a lot to bring people together. The people that I met on Rim of Africa are special, real people and I count myself richer for having shared this time and experience with them.

On the final evening’s check-in the only through-hiker to make it this year had some truly beautiful words to say that I would like to try and share.

He said that over his 9 weeks of hiking many fellow hikers had talked about their ‘love of the mountains’ and that he found this a faintly ludicrous statement. How can you love something inanimate that can’t love you back? Well actually there was a slightly more colourful description involving a cactus – but unfortunately (or fortunately), I can’t include that here 😉

“These Rim of Africa mountain guides – they surely aren’t guiding Rim of Africa for financial gain. They are well known in the mountain guiding fraternity but are unlikely to ever gain any amount of personal fame for this. And so, truly the reason for their dedication can only be their love for the mountains, and their desire to share this love with others.”

And I concur – Rim of Africa is an epic journey, put together by incredible, dedicated people – and we are the lucky ones getting to share in and explore these spectacular places that few others get the chance to see. So yes, sign me up for next year – Traverses 1 and 2 – here I come!

So – what wise and enlightened thoughts could I impart to someone wanting to do RoA?

From a more contemplative perspective I found that so many of the thoughts I had really did correspond to metaphors for life.

• Don’t give up.
• Sometimes it’s good to just stop and look back at how far you’ve come.
• It’s okay to go slowly.
• Keep your eye on the prize, but break your journey into smaller, more manageable chunks.
• It’s okay to accept help and advice.
• Don’t take yourself, or life, too seriously.

And from a practical perspective here are my top takeaways

• Get hiking fit – mountains (or BIG hills) with a pack
  • I really did underestimate this and found the first few days extremely tough.
• You need way fewer clothes than you think
  • 1 pair of hiking trousers with zip legs so that they can convert to shorts
  • 1 lightweight long-sleeve hiking shirt (I promise you – don’t worry – everyone smells the same!)
• Boots – definitely hike in boots for ankle support
• Weight – go as light as possible
  • Take a look at Ninon Roos’ amazing spreadsheet that helps you calculate the weight of your pack
• Hiking Pole(s)
  • I tried a hiking pole on an earlier hike and hadn’t really liked it, but when you’re hiking off-path – particularly with steep descents – it makes a huge difference.
• And finally – take a little treat to share with the group one night!

I hope I see you out there – and if you have any questions I will do my best to answer them – or guide you to the real experts!

A huge thank you to all of my fellow hikers and the guides – for everything from chocolate, to advice and hiking poles, to moral support and photos! Anne Wilson, Craig & Heidi Carter, Jess Tyrell, Johan October, Laurent Chauvet, Jurgen Wohlfarter, Colin Frost and the amazing through-hiker…Johannes Suikkanen.

And last, but not least, an even bigger thank you to my husband, parents and children for supporting me in all my epic adventures! Without you – none of this would be possible.