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28th Blantyre Three Peaks Walk, Malawi. Saturday, 23rd June 2012

Brief Write-Up

At 4.30 a.m. there were a few souls around, not least the six scouts that camped in my garden on Friday night. Shy Busman, the scout leader, had walked the Three Peaks before BUT…this time it was not to be – Ndirande, as with so many walkers, proved too tough.

Back to the start – as usual at 4.59 a.m. cars were rushing into the car park at Blantyre Sports Club, whose guards have no problem letting in so many strangers before 5 a.m. – no explanation needed. Some long standing 3 peakers were there like Yvonne Robb, who knows the Michiru Mountain better than anyone, but has an aversion to going up to the summit of Ndirande – and always walks to Kamuzu View.

5 00 a.m. I take no prisoners – as the second hand passes, we are OFF, and the latecomers, of which there were several, have to catch up.

I made a mistake of not having too many paper directions so the game plan was to extend the breaks if we needed to.

Walking in the night/twilight/dawn through Blantyre is not too bad for a road walk. Torches make early morning traffic detour take notice of us, and as we head into Chilimoni the sun is coming up with a great first view of Michiru peak. This time we made no mistakes in the short cut Chilimoni township. It is the third turn on the left – yes the third turn that takes us through small house and lanes and out onto the main road 100 metres from the Way of the Cross Sign. The secret is to have as many people as possible at this point, whilst keeping everyone walking like there was smoke coming from their soles.

Going up Michiru was simply wonderful. The many paths that were overgrown meant that the only path open was the shortcut I had chopped through a few weeks ago (shame I did not do the same on Ndirande L) – the views over to Chikwawa were stupendous and the 360 degree views were amazing. We made the top at 6.50 a.m. 10 minutes ahead of schedule. Everyone was going well – yes we had 10-15 stragglers but they were not too far behind. No back marker this year – as Saulo had cried off injured – so we stayed an extra 15 minutes at the breakfast stop at Michiru Conservation Area. I cannot do the Three Peaks without someone to drive around, collect the bags, make the tea and support is when we walk. Phil Pile is that man and has done it for many years now. Phil is brilliant and this year even more so as he broke his femur 6 weeks and YET was driving around and trying to get tea and biscuits out whilst moving round on crutches. That makes breakfast so special – a hot cuppa tea, biscuits, a chance to change socks and have a toilet stop.

As we set off again as one big group I thought that no-one would miss the arrows at the Swiya turn off across the river and onto Chirimba. As I looked back there I saw the two young lads, Tom and Reece (or was it Tayne?) walk straight past. One super whistle later and the boys were with me – that is when I realized their adult was not around and that they had to stay with me. Luckily one lovely young man, whose name deserts me, looked after the boys until the Johnson’s House. The route to Frank and Maria Johnson’s place takes us through Chirimba market, onto the railway line and through a great driveway to their house. It is always great to see a vibrant market – colourful and manic, and surprised faces as 50 hikers walk through in determined way.

The Johnson’s were away but Jurgen had opened up for us and helped us with hot water, tea, and toilets. Many thanks to him. A few people were dropping out here – It is always the best idea to stay together here as the route goes through the back of the Johnson’s house and through some forest to join an old path. This lower path though is not the want we want and so we have to walk through a field or two to find another narrow but worn path to hit the old road – now just a path – which appears on the OS map. We then walked along the road – I am not sure you can call it a road anymore – up to a point we choose to hike up to the gully to Ndirande peak.

Two decisions were made for next year at this point.

1. There is no way a car can make it next year unless something is done about the road. I am amazed that Phil managed to get his car to the top, a Herculean task if ever I saw one.

2. I will get a path cut through to the gully because we were all tattered and torn by bush bashing what used to be fields to get to the gully. What a monster!

For those who did make it – well done. Gordon, who joined us at Johnson’s just to do Ndirande – looked like he had just come back from a guerrilla war somewhere – he was bloodied and bruised.

Because I had increased the rest stops by 20 minutes at Breakfast and Johnson’s we were about an hour behind, I cut the lunch right down and the remaining bunch of toughies including young Tom, scarpered down the face of Ndirande following the electricity lines, around a nice little hill, on the way to Nkolokoti and straight through to the Hynde Dam, where we used to have a tea stop.

As you over the dam, amazingly you pop out and cross the Zomba road. We cut straight across, over the roundabout at Speedy’s and down past Nyasa School turning right past Admarc houses, and then left towards Soche School. We go past the old Young Pioneers place – now a police station, and take a short cut through to Soche school for a well-earned last cuppa. It really is a draining walk at this point. Young Tom and several others dropped out with only one peak to go. Well done Tom on your effort. To my knowledge –in my time – Aaron Hanson in 2005 was the youngest at 11 years 4 months, or it was Joyce Tafatata in 2010, who I believe was also 11.

Soche was a breeze although I did get a little lost – luckily I had people like Neil who had done the walk before with me. Everyone loved the top of Soche – it really is a fabulous view – as is Ndirande and Michiru. At Michiru it is the sunrise peak, Ndirande, the glaring heat peak, and Soche the sunset peak. We became a bit of a knackered looking group entering Blantyre Sports Club at the usual 6.30 mark. What a brilliant effort. Many thanks to Phil Pile for the back-up without which we would not survive.

People were charged 1000 MKw. This was split between Phil and me for the goodies and petrol, and for the 20,000 MKw to cut the trail through to Michiru peak. It does not cover costs but MCM always make sure I don’t lose out. I apologise if I get the emails wrong so please pass onto people you know may have the wrong address, and let me know as well. You deserve your certificates – I am happy to endorse them. I do believe that is my 13^th time leading the Three Peaks – straight from 2000. See you next year!

Gordon Benbow

3 Peaks Walk Leader June 2012

No.	Name	Michiru Summit	Michiru conservation	Johnson’s House	Ndirande Gully	Kamuzu View	Hynde Dam	Pioneer Drive	Soche Sec. School	Blantyre Sports Club	Distance travelled
1	Gordon Benbow	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
2	Daud Busman	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
3	Joseph Busman	ü	ü	ü	x	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
4	Flocy Dmali	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
5	Mariam Umali	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
6	Jayesh Patel	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
7	Emma Ormerod	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
8	Neil Kennedy	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
9	Ben Kennedy	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
10	Sean Mitchell	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
11	Kat Parmer	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
12	Rish Parmer	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
13	Kirsty Abraham	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
14	Matt Prime	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
15	Piero Valentini	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
16	Patrick Valentine	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
17	Amela Holme	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
18	Ruth Hitighe	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
19	Suzaan Van der Harn	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
20	Zac Brown	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
21	Abri Coetzer	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
22	Elfriede Coetzer	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	44 km
23	Fiona Greenhalgh	ü	ü	ü	x	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	43 km
24	Claire Jennings	ü	ü	ü	x	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	43 km
25	Youjoung Kim	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	x	37 km
26	Antonia Lowe	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	x	37 km
27	Tom Van Oosterhuit	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	x	37 km
28	Yvonne Robb	ü	ü	ü	x	ü	ü	ü	ü	x	36 km
29	Kate Mathias	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	x	x	x	29 Km
30	Maggie O’Toole	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	x	x	x	29 Km
31	Axel Fielvard	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	24 km
32	Carmen Fcil	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	24 km
33	Christopher Kasprzyk	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	24 km
34	Phil Harvey	ü	ü	ü	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	24 km
35	Jessica Costa	ü	ü	ü	x	ü	x	x	x	x	23 Km
36	Shy Busman	ü	ü	ü	x	ü	x	x	x	x	24 km
37	Kaushal Shah	ü	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	x	x	19 km
38	Fanny Busman	ü	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	x	x	19 km
39	Yaseen Mukadam	ü	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	x	x	19 km
40	Tayne Barlow	ü	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	x	x	19 km
41	Mike Mathias	x	x	x	x	x	x	ü	ü	ü	15 km
42	Reece Barlow	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	12.5 km
43	Grant Bramsen	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	12.5 km
44	Towela Mvula	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	12.5 km
45	Julia Mvula	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	12.5 km
46	Alan Peters	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	ü	ü	8 km
47	Kirsty Ferguson	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	ü	ü	8 km
48	Mark Hutchinson	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	ü	ü	8 km
49	Aileen McDonald	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	ü	ü	8 km
50	Gordon Stinson	x	x	ü	ü	ü	x	x	x	x	4.5 km
51	Bhavim Kotecha	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	2 km
52	Sarah Manda	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	x	2 km

1. BSC to Michiru Summit 0-9.5 Km 1Hr 55 minutes

2 Michiru summit to conservation office 9.5 - 12.5 Km 50 minutes

3. Conservation Office to Swiya Turnoff - 12.5 - 15.0 Km 25 minutes

4. Swiya turn off to Chirimba. 15.0 - 18.0 Km 40 minutes

5. Chirimba. Johnston House 18.5 - 20.5 Km 15 minutes

6. Jhouse to Ndirande Gully Route - 20.5 - 22.5 Km 55 minutes

7. Gully to Ndirande Summit 22.5 - 23.5 Km 45 minutes

8 Ndirande Summit to Kamuzu View 23.5 - 25.0 Km 30 minutes

9. Kamuzu View to Hynde Dam 25 - 29 Km 1 hour

10 Hynde Dam to foot of Soche 29 - 35 Km 45 minutes

11 Soche to Summit 35 - 37 Km 45 minutes

12 Soche summit to BSC 37 - 44 Km 50 minutes

Snippet information:

….. means they got a lift somewhere. A x at Ndirande Gully means that they walked to the lunch spot without doing the peak

I have increased the distance to 44 Km as we had someone with a GPS last year who measured the route we are now taking – as opposed to the route taken back in 2000 when I first led it. I am using a slightly different route on Ndirande.

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