Epic hike for matriculants
Six teens went on an incredible hike to celebrate finishing matric.
Six KZN matriculants celebrated the end of their exams by tackling a rigorous 120km hike along the Wild Coast, from Port St Johns to Port Edward.
Warren Rossouw (Scottburgh High), together with Dylan Jarrett (Waterfall College) and Konstantino Giokos, Michael Farrell, Mitchell Hamilton and Sam Hodes (all from Treverton College) were part of this incredible hike.
The idea of doing this hike came about when Mitchell was on holiday in the Wild Coast during May last year.
“I wanted to do something really epic and different straight after matric and upon returning to boarding school I planned it with Sam, Konstantino and Michael. It was truly a life changing experience.”
The boys caught a local taxi to Port St Johns and after many delays they finally arrived at the first leg of their hike at midnight on Friday, November 24.
They then proceeded with their expedition which consisted of crossing high mountain passes, hiking along untouched pristine beaches and having to cross five shark infested rivers before arriving at Port Edward a week later.
The boys experienced many adventures such as meeting villagers along the way and being invited into their homes to spend the night. This happened on more than one occasion.
The route was described by one of the boys as ‘very technical’. The river crossings were tricky owing to the currents, the tides as well as the sharks. They floated their backpacks in waterproof bags while they swam across.
They did get lost a couple of times, but the locals were always there to assist them in getting back on track. They were also in possession of a satellite navigation device to keep in contact with families (although there was poor cellphone service) and the device had an SOS option, should there have been an emergency or injuries.
“The views and being without any signal and contact with the outside world made the experience both incredible and humbling,” added Warren.
The hike made a great impact on all the boys mentally and physically, and surely will be something they cherish for a lifetime. They completed the hike in good time and arrived back home sunburnt (and slimmer).
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