It was the strongest I have ever been, running 5 kilometres
in 19 minutes. I was able to keep up with Rory for most of the training run,
but as usual, he pulled away as we started to climb the 45 degree hill.
This was going to be our third shot at Injasuti pass, and we
were going to make sure of success this time.
As we started out from the camp site, our fitness was not
immediately evident – not that I was focused on it but rather the zigzags
plagued my mind, that climb to the top of the little berg had been difficult
the previous times, I was expecting no different.
I only realised how strong the group was when we passed marble
baths before mid-morning - this was usually a lunch time stop. For the first
time I also had very little cursing under my breath towards Rob for not waiting
for me or allowing me to rest for a moment every 100 meters. I was able to
focus on the enjoyment of the hike and the beauty of the most remote area of
the berg I had been too.
As the last gully approached and we had to do a bit of a
chimney climb in order to reach the final 100m slope… and a little while later,
that was it – the top of the Drakensberg via Injasuti Pass, it took three
attempts, but finally we made it. Even though it had been a fairly uneventful
day, to get warm dinner in, wind out and be snug in my sleeping bag was a
welcomed event.
Our descent was via Leslies pass (the same one we used to
reach the summit on the previous failed attempt). It took us 9 hours to get up
Leslies previously, but less than an hour to get down this time: we were
strong.
All in all, it was a great hike with great views. Had we
been less fit, I do think we would’ve still made the pass, but being that
prepared was certainly a help and made everything much easier. When we know
what awaits us, we can prepare better for it. We knew what we wanted to do and
we knew what we needed to do in order to get there.
The difficulty with Faith
is that you don’t always know where you’re going so you cannot prepare for it.
This means that you have to really put your trust in someone. It is this that people
struggle with – we always want to have the details, know everything
before-hand, every detail, every turn.
2 Timothy 2:13 tells us about something of the character of
God: “If we are faithless, He remains
faithful: He cannot deny Himself”. If we put our trust in Him, He will not
let us down. The first time I went to the berg with Rob, I had to trust him
that he wasn’t going to put me into a situation which was too much for me; and
he didn’t. How much more will God look after us when we put our trust in Him:
He is faithful and remains faithful – even if I am not.
Thanks to Rob and Kyle for some of the Pictures
