Lesotho Diary - Day 6

DAY 6: HA MASHILI TREK

The drums went off at 6am and walk started at 7am with our group to leave first after the warm up exercises. The target today was to achieve an elevation of ~1100m (7.5km steep walk up) by lunchtime. For the past couple of days I had been asked to walk right at the front with our guide to set the pace for rest of the group which was made up of people with varied speed. It was tough going up especially when we started hitting the altitude so Jess and Chris took my jacket and fleece off me to reduce the weight in my daypack. Gillian’s “small steps tip” and Volker’s “runners breathing technique” made a big difference and helped us throughout the day. We walked pass the triple waterfall once again from a different angle, simply beautiful! The path that we used today was under construction by the locals working hard and it completely disappeared as we got closer to the top, when it became just a matter of finding your way up. When we got to the top (3109mts) the views were amazing, and we had a view which I feel truly describes “The kingdom of mountains”! A feeling of jubilation prevailed through out the group to have made it to the top with no serious issues.

[Photo: Richard Storey]

After a quick lunch break we embarked on our next stage walk which was to cross the plateau (7km). This was done mainly in hailstorm which lasted an hour leaving quite an impact. As the walk was tough today, we had to carry extra water, food and extra layers of clothing so I had taken out all the other things from my day pack. Unfortunately, this was also the only day when waterproof trousers, hand gloves and head torch were needed big time! Soon the sun was out and so was the rainbow. We stopped for another short break before heading down on a vehicle track (not in use) for ~ 5km walk.

[Photo: Richard Storey]

Soon we discovered why no vehicles used this route that was full of rocks ranging from a size of green pea to a baby rhino! (well, felt like it :) This route was tough on knees and ankles and as a result my knee pain worsened, and I limped for the next 3/4 hrs going down carefully stepping on rocks, escaping few falls thanks to Dave and Richard (co-trekkers) helping me at numerous tricky points.

[Photo: Richard Storey]

Four of us got left behind because of me and when we finally caught up with the rest of our group, we had a small hurdle to clear. The group had discovered the river (now dry) had washed away our road so needed to drop 8ft down in to the actual river bed to cross to the other side. Last hour or so of the walk was done in the dark and I am grateful to Dave, Richard and Narinder for helping me and ensuring I had enough light to see where I was stepping.

[Photo: Richard Storey]

By now I just wanted to sit down, but we had no choice and had to keep going as it was getting very dark and the second group was behind us another 20 min away. At that point, it was a great relief to see the campsite only minutes away. We were roughly 300yds away of the campsite when we came across a group of madly barking wild dogs. At this point it got very amusing as we had to group together and run, and guess what? I DID! The fear of a wild dog jumping on me was worst then the pain in my knee. That was just too funny and a perfect way to end a very long adventurous day, with a laugh!

Our group seemed to have stayed together, looking after each other, maintaining a positive outlook throughout the day, through some tough and good times. Our guides Gillian and Volker were great, offering tips to make walks easier and managed the team well ensuring we stayed together most of the times. While the whole group discussed today’s events around the fire, I escaped to enjoy some space in my tent and rest my knee. I didn’t really expect any issues with getting a good night sleep tonight as for the last 2 days we had just walked and walked until we simply dropped! There was a massive cheer when we were given one extra hour lie in the next day and the route sounded lot less strenuous.

[Photo: Richard Storey]

On these challenges I always go in with an attitude to “expect the unexpected” within a roughly set parameter and deal with the situation when it arises. Although very hard on my knees and at times pain reaching an unbearable point, I truly enjoyed the day which had all the ingredients of a real adventure – climbing steep mountains requiring us often to use hands and feet at times, steep descend sometimes requiring to slide on our bottoms, jumping a 8ft drop in the river bed, crossing a number of rivers, walking in the dark, crossing a river in the dark with ropes for safety, etc. This day especially tested my physical as well as mental strength (esp. my determination to deal with my fears) but more importantly it left me with an amazing feeling of satisfaction and truly having earned the sponsorship!