Northfield climbers conquer Free State

Burns Maclear (68) and his two long-time friends, Dave Inggs (65) and Koos Bouwer (66), reached the summit of Namahadi Peak, in the Free State, on April 18.

Maclear, a Morehill resident, initiated the Nine Peaks for Northfield fund-raiser last year, to raise funds for the Northfield Methodist Church.

They were originally a group of six, but injuries and the tough nature of the task lead to three of the men dropping out of the challenge.

Maclear said it was a tough task for the trio to summit Namahadi Peak, which stands at 3 275m above sea level.

He said it was his toughest climb.

“It was very long, very tedious and very tough to get up there,” said Maclear.

“We were suffering from a lack of oxygen.

“We battled to get up, we were very tired.

“Your legs don’t want to go – you just force yourself up and pray a lot.”

The 68-year-old said he and his friends started their climb at 6am, on April 18, and reached the top almost six hours later.

According to Maclear, they were the first three mountaineers to reach the summit of Namahadi Peak this year.

During the night, the men slept in a cave on the mountain, in temperatures of -2 degrees celsius.

“I didn’t sleep at all – I don’t think any of us slept it was so cold,” said Maclear.

Maclear and his two friends are confident they can summit the remaining peaks.

“We were motivated after Namahadi Peak because it was just so tough,” he said.

“The end is now in sight.”

They will attempt the following summits:

Western Cape, Seweweekspoort, May 2, 2 325m

KwaZulu-Natal, Mafadi, May 14 to 18, 3 451m

The group will have climbed a total height of 22 401m at the end of the journey.

The public is asked to get involved by pledging a minimum of one cent for each metre summitted at the end of all the climbs.

To support this cause, contact Leoni Anthony, at the Northfield Methodist Church office, on 010 140 0210.