To be very honest, the hike on Magaliesburg Mountains was brutal although we had loads of fun. Throughout the duration of this 40km hike, you will truly understand exactly what survival is. Awful weather and terrain to a dense forest, then from walking along small streams to full-sized rivers. All of this however is what you sacrifice for the wonderful natural rock pools and views that you have access to.

This is a challenge
One can easily get lost in these mountains. A small mistake could lead to an hour of backtracking. The time wasted there is not gone to waste, you might just be lucky and hear some rare birds or see some interesting little creatures such as lizards. There were lots of monkeys and we noticed in the dust girafe footprints. Various challenges appear and can take you by surprise such as collapsing or dehydration. First aid incidents are common as scouts begin to lose focus and can lead to massive time loses such as sudden storms late at night when scouts are setting up tents or even just cooking for that matter!

Do you need a shower?
Activities along the adventure can be a little challenging. Scaling down and all the way back up a Kloof just to get to a single location can be a tiring experience. After experiencing all of this multiple times over the course of the adventure, you begin to understand what you have signed up for. These mountains are unforgiving to scouts no matter how skilled they are. At times you have no motivation to continue, more so when others are unable to help you in dire situations. Out there you only have access to items that are being carried along with your patrol. Bathrooms don’t exist out there, you cannot use any toilets or showers or event taps for water. Showers are to be carried out in the greatest cold natural pools that you can imagine, fresh water is collected at designated streams or rivers.


A warm plate of food
There are also various water activities such as fishing, canoeing, rafting or even just swimming. This can also be difficult in its own way as many people have not done these activities before. At the end of the day all you would hope for is a delicious plate of food and a good night’s rest, however unfortunately for all scouts taking part, this is an impossible request!
Nicholas Viviers
Kingfisher Patrol Leader