I have no idea how to describe this adventure, other than by saying it was the most difficult run I have ever done.
On 16 December, Bradley Claase and I completed the Magaliessburg Major Traverse FKT - self navigated, unsupported from the Hartbeesport Dam wall, over the Magaliessburg mountain range, to the Olifantsnek Dam wall.
We had spent weeks studying Google Earth to try find the easiest route between the 15 trig beacons but soon found that the biggest challenge was not the altitude, elevation gain or the distance, but rather the terrain. Rocks, boulders, trees and bushes were our biggest obstacles - making most of the route in-runnable.
Taking a couple of wrong turns, we completed 85km in 22hours - no paths, no lights, no other humans.
There were a few very low, lows, like when we couldn’t find water after trekking for 8 hours, only to find a little rock crevice, holding just enough water for us to both to fill our hydration packs - pure Heaven! And the last 1km descent off the mountain, in complete darkness, where we were falling more than the were walking. But the highs outweighed them - the views, the sunrise, the vultures and the joy of completing this ridiculous challenge.