Leg 24; 7 Days, Nelspruit to Piet Retief It’s a fact - Mpumalanga is an endless succession of up and down hills. 43km South of Nelspruit, Barberton, the town where the Barberton Daisy was discovered in 1889, was reached. Wayne, owner of the caravan park accommodated HiM for the night. At the start of Day 2, whilst enjoying a cup of coffee, a gentleman approached to enquire about my doings. He then advised that a place by the name of Dawsons Game & Trout Lodge will be the only place en route to Badplaas which would be feasible for accommodation. With an in-between-towns destination set, the trek up Bothasnek and Nelshoogte commenced. Up, and up, and up, and up, and up, and finally a little down. After a harrowing day’s walking Dawsons was reached. Manager Roger and employee Sakhile welcomed HiM - it was clear that the venue offers magnificent accommodation, superb cuisine and impeccable service. Following my usual compendium I squinted as I expected the response to be a negative one in a walnut-in-the-jowl toff accent. But, instead HiM was offered to sleep in both the conference rooms, the use of one of the bathrooms, and even a cup of hot chocolate! Sakhile made a fire in one of the conference rooms and even brought a flask of hot water for soup, instant porridge or coffee. The hospitality, even to non-paying guests, like the interior design of the establishment, is unpretentious and chic. Day 3, following more hills, Badplaas was reached by lunchtime. Manager Diana organized accommodation and a venue for a video to be filmed. At 3am I woke up and realized that I fell asleep while editing the video, it was the exact time I also realized that my body is over tired and that I am suffering from fatigue. I made a decision to stay in Badplaas for another day to recover and phoned reception at 8am to confirm the arrangement. The following day was spent recuperating and pumping my body full of ‘good stuff’ in preparation for the next few days walk, mostly uphill. Day 4, feeling strong again, 16.6km from Badplaas, 3000km was clocked. I will share more regarding my mental state later, but this encounter is a great example of synchronicity. At the T junction at Lochiel, I saw a sign stating that a B&B could be found 4.6km further. Once there, I was faced with two signs; one stating that unauthorized access was strictly prohibited, since it was private property; and a sign saying BB (standing for the name of the farm). Baffled I stood there trying to figure out whether I truly could have mistaken B&B for that of a farm name, and what to do next. Just then a bakkie made a u turn and drove towards me. Gerhard is actually the owner of the B&B and saw me walking and was looking for me to offer accommodation. He explained that they are not allowed to advertise the B&B on the main road and therefore played with the farm name (BB) to still subtly notify people of their existence. Confirmed: I wasn’t completely losing it! Thank you to Gerhard and wife Colette for opening you hearts to HiM. Day 5 – more hills and more trees. Kilometers were clocked, and a safe place was found at a SAPPI village consisting of 10 houses. A young couple, and their 2 year old daughter, offered pitching space and had a braai with HiM. Day 6 – more hills and more trees took HiM to Reedbuck Forest Lake Retreat. Owners Peter and Gerty offered a chalet as well as a meal with the family (4 children and their friends). Audrey, one of the daughters gave me a pair of her old trainers for the remainder of the journey. Thank you Audrey, your contribution is much appreciated! Finally on Day 7 Piet Retief was reached. Obviously following more trees and more hills. Leg 24 – checked!!! More on my mental state: For the first time I felt tired and struggled to get up in the mornings. At first I tried to remind myself of why I am doing this long walk through our country. I imagined filling balloons with my answers and attaching them to me, making me lighter and carrying me over the hills. That only lasted so long… I tried to fill my mind with all sorts of positive things, consciously trying to trick myself into feeling better… I actually just wanted to curl up under a tree and stay there for a few days. The walk uphill was difficult, and an annoying ache in my left ankle did not make it any easier… It did not feel like I was going to make Piet Retief and that thought also weighed heavily on me. Due to my negative mindset, the scenery was not that great to me – rows of trees, death rows of trees, controlled fires left the surrounding areas black, and this combination left me feeling as if I was walking through a cemetery… Was I barking up the wrong tree? What new ache would appear out of the woodworks? (touch wood), and why was I feeling ‘deur die blare’ all the time? I tried to write a draft of this story in my head, but could not remember the previous days’ thoughts… And to hell with it in any way! Surely I was allowed to feel down too – I didn’t expect the whole journey to just be fun and games. And then there was light at the tunnel – Piet Retief, the end of leg 24! Many wonderful people were met, Lana, manager of Town Lodge in Nelspruit being one such splendid individual. I did find a safe and comfortable place to sleep each night, and I did have food to eat. When things get tough, simply trust life, put your head down and continue. And thank heavens for great friends and family who are willing to support through words of encouragement. What goes up must come down and what is down must go up, as proven by the endless loop of hills in Mpumalanga. I am happy to report that I am ready for the journey to Stanger, starting tomorrow, and am looking forward to entering province number 8. More hills – bring it on!!! PS I forgot to mention the weather - it was crap too: either too hot, too cold, too windy or no wind at all
Posted on: Wed, 24 Jul 2013 16:04:51 +0000
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