TRAIL RUNNING
the river a little bit up-and-downstream to try and find another potential crossing , to no avail . The Njesuthi was simply too strong , so we had no choice but to head back via the alternative route , whereafter we broke the news to the fisherman . Their reply was , “ No man , we will teach Johardt how to cross that river .” They couldn ’ t . prepared . We sat down for some warm pasta and a final coffee before I left the three Lowvelders on their own . As I reached cellphone reception again , I relayed some messages to Johardt ’ s wife and told her that he had decided to do the FKT attempt the following morning . She was glad to hear that everyone was still safe . Well , perhaps I didn ’ t include all of the details . in the afternoon to phone his beloved wife . I left a message on his phone and then at half past three in the afternoon , a message came through . “ Louis , we are on our way to Winterton to have some coffee . I started the attempt but couldn ’ t get through the river . I will try again tomorrow , but will have to take the long way around .”
Images : Louis Le Grange
Plans Still on Hold
Back under the gazebo , Johardt borrowed my other gadget-light to get some power back into his watch , while Arlo and Sven were sorting out their flies with no worries at all . Unfortunately , I had to get back to civilisation and started packing while lunch was being
Back home , Saturday morning was quiet as I kept an eye on the clock . I knew that Johardt would probably start his FKT attempt as early as possible to try and utilise the early morning weather window . I also knew that he would go and search for reception
By this time , Johardt had missed both the good weather windows that were originally on the cards , the river was still in flood , and a bit of panic started setting in . He only had two more days left in the Drakensberg and then a flight back to Cape Town on
Hiking Mafadi
Ascents of Mafadi , attempted from the South African side , are normally made from the Njesuthi Campsite . The Njesuthi escarpment of the Drakensberg is one of the more remote hiking regions , and it normally takes two days to reach the escarpment . The route involves about an 8km hike to Marble Baths . This is followed by continuing up the river with a combination of short paths and boulder hopping . This ends at the bottom of the ridge , which leads to the Molar , with another campsite .
The subsequent path up the ridge to the top of the mountains is known as Leslie ’ s Pass . This path follows the ridge until below a rocky band , where it traverses to the southern side . The way continues up a short scree section , followed by more hiking up a quite steep gradient , until the final 20 metres are made up a grassy slope . From here , the top of Leslie ’ s Pass follows , and a spectacular hike up the ridge connecting Lithobolong and Mafadi .
A route referred to as the Corner-Leslie ’ s Loop is becoming a popular way of reaching Mafadi . It entails hiking to Centenary Hut in Injisuthi Nature Reserve on day one , ascending Corner Pass and climbing Mafadi on day two , then descending Leslie ’ s Pass to Marble Baths on day three , and returning to the Njesuthi Campsite on day four .
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