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29th Blantyre Three Peaks Walk, Malawi. Saturday, 22nd June 2013
The Three Peaks
Walk in Blantyre started in 1983- this year is our 27th and my 14th
time of leading the event. At 4.30 a.m.
we already had a large group in the car park of Blantyre Sports Club. I am always amazed at the Guards; you turn up
in the dark at 4.25 a.m. and they just open the gate, no questions asked. This year we were missing some stalwarts;
those who I usually see every year; Yvonne Robb springs to mind, but Willie
Tafatata was back! This was a truly
international event this year and although we thought we had 49 names down it
did not take long to discover Rita Latif’s name down three times (what’s
new?). I need to apologise to Rita, who
recently has added the Sapitwa Sleepover to her triumphs, as I thought she was
a minibus 3 peaker, when in fact she did the whole thing in 2010. There were,
in fact 44 walkers.
Let me go back to
international. Apart from the Usual
Suspects, that is, me, Saulo and some of the scouts from Makwawa Scout Camp,
Songani, Zomba (who by the way have a great place for weekends at Domasi
Mission, 15 minutes from Zomba), there was two lovely ladies from Latvia and
one from Japan, a whole host of Italian and French walkers, South Africans,
Canadians, Dutch, and Malawians. We also
had a string cohort of students from the best school around, SAIntS (did I
mention I was the Head?), and some intruders from SAIPS in the guise of an
Italian tourist Fab Conti, and his compatriot Dave Marriot, who have been in
training with two SAIntS teachers, Ben and Alistair, for the event.
This year there
were 44 walkers; 28 finished the whole 42 kilometres. We really do need to GPS this walk
properly. Last year we were told that it
GPS’d at 44 kilometres. This year it was a grand
total of 48.6 kilometres on Mr. Wittig’s GPS– if that is accurate no wonder
we are always tired.
As the recipient
of a arthroscopy some weeks before and a badly swollen joint after the Sapitwa
Sleepover I really was doubtful to take the 3 peaks on, but as usual I turned
up with Saulo and Fanwell under no doubt that they had to lead the walk if I
could not get past Michiru.
Trusty Phil Pile
as usual was my back-up
Onto the walk – as usual off at 5 a.m. on the dot. Everyone was fit and walking well – shining
my torch at any passing cars keeps us alive at this time of the morning. It really is a great feeling as we turn the
corner to Chilamoni and the sun is beginning to rise. As usual I led everyone the wrong way just as
I was saying to David Marriott ‘for some reason I always go wrong here’ and
someone duly shouts out ‘you’ve missed the turn off’.
I waited at the
back as we entered the Forestry area but almost everyone was within ten minutes
of each other. The short cut makes the
path so much easier and nicer to walk and we hit Michiru peak at 6.55 a.m. This really is a wonderful walk, the light is
amazing, the sun shining – the 360° views are superb – of Ndirande, Soche,
Mulanje and the escarpment. As we flew
down the path to the breakfast stop I thought about the section that Fanwell
has said could cause problems. Sure
enough I saw a few people who seemed to be going the wrong way – so… I joined
them for about 5 minutes until I was sure we were walking back along the
ridge. An extra 10 minutes to catch up
and we made the breakfast spot before the last ones arrived. Everyone was in good spirits and all seemed
up for it.
The walk to
Chirimba is a microcosm of Malawi; young kids playing, small shops, charcoal
sellers, hairdressers, people walking, cycling, talking. Chirimba market was as full of life, colour,
smell, and sound as always. I am always
amazed that they just watch a group of raggle taggle walkers hike through as if
it happens every day. We hit the railway
line and dodgy bridge and finally relaxed at Maria and Frank’s place. Whilst
they were not at home we were thankful that the house worker opened up, gave us
hot water and let us use their toilets.
People changed
socks, shirts, drank tea and revitalized themselves for the well known NN,
(K)nackering Ndirande!
As you leave
Maria’s place behind and noon is approaching, the dusty fields ahead, the heat
and the steady uphill grind really wear the walkers down. As we hit the old road and followed towards
Ndirande gully I knew that this time it was not going to be a bush bash (my
gardener, Fanwell and two others had cleared a path to the gully). The gully was as tricky as ever to some of us
but it generally was an easier scramble to the summit of Ndirande and its
glorious 360° of the township of the same name, Machinjiri behind, across to
Chiradzulu, and of course the peak we had left, Michiru, and the one yet to
come, Soche. Down to a deserted lunch
spot as Phil and I had decided that the road was not good enough for Phil to
risk his vehicle. A 15-minute stop and
we were off down the almost scree slope to the path through to Nkolokoti. Here we met Phil, and several walkers decided
that this was it – or they took a lift to Soche (yes, Saulo).
It was at this
point that for the first time in my life I started to suffer from blood
blisters, and by the time I was at Soche I had four bad ones. I had always been a bit blasé about people
who had blisters BUT the agony I suffered from there to BSC has brought home to
me how painful blisters are and how great it is that people can finish with
blisters. I even had to force Maggie to
go ahead and leave me behind on Soche; it was that painful. The traditional great photos on Soche summit
happened – the sun is going down, Ndirande looks superb, and it seems that we
had made it; we had but it still takes a long walk down to Chimwankunda and
finally to BSC.
It was a great
crowd this year as always. Thanks,
Willie for helping support a few people who were struggling; always great to
see the evergreen Maggie on the 3 Peaks.
The scouts don’t say much but they are super walkers; The boys from
SAInts did well and all made it unlike last year when no-one did; and many
thanks to those who never finished but made it such an international
event. All those left duly made it back
to BSC between 6 and 6.30 p.m. and a well earned beer.
Thanks once more
to my back-up team, Phil Pile for all his help and encouragement. We cannot do this trip without back up. It really is appreciated by all. This year I spent 72000 MKw minimum, buying
food, drink and clearing paths, and Phil about 20,000 on fuel. At 1000 MKw pp, and the scouts being given a
freebie, that gave us about 40,000 income.
We have to rely on MCM for the deficit (52000), which we appreciate. See you next year if you set the alarm.
Gordon Benbow
© WDYFO, 2013