There is nothing glamorous about the life of a photographer! I am learning that it involves a lot of early mornings, late nights and a lot of sitting around waiting for the light to change so you can get that perfect shot!
We wake up at 4 in the morning on Day 1 to get ready for our 4 day trip to the Drakensberg Mountains. We are all excited to be going on this journey. The ‘Berg’ is another of South Africa’s World Heritage sites. The mountains are quite majestic and are at high altitude which means the weather is very changeable and can alter quite suddenly which makes hiking here quite challenging.
Emil, the professional photographer we worked with during our first week will lead this hiking & photography tour. All but one of the photography volunteers have signed up for this optional gig. Hayles, who has already been on the road for 6 months has opted to stay behind. We are joined by Natalie and Siphewe, 2 of the African Impact staff who will share the driving with Emil and help co-ordinate this trip.
It is a 5 hour drive and we reach the park in time for a picnic lunch before we have our first lecture on water photography. We learn the technique of using a slow shutter speed to capture that feeling of romance in a small stream or waterfall.
We then set off on a short hike to practice what we have learnt. The best time to shoot a waterfall is when it is overcast. Unfortunately, the sun is shining quite brightly and I have to manoeuvre myself into various contortions to get the right angle and avoid the bright sunlight. We hike bare foot in freezing water and climb rocks to shoot these pictures!
We are staying at a lovely lodge and Nat and Siphewe cook us an amazing South African Braai to end our first day in the mountains.
Day 2 starts by catching the sunrise at the Royal Natal National Park. We have come armed with tripods so we can get the best shots of the amphitheatre, an 8km stretch of rock that changes colour with the rising sun. 
It is a beautiful sight and I try and catch a bit of reflection in a stream mostly devoid of water. 
We go back to base for breakfast before driving to the start of our 14km hike. It is a glorious day with blue, cloudless skies and great weather. It is time to try some of our class room theory and get some great landscape shots. Here I have used the theory of ‘near/far’, and captured some of the foreground to create a sense of depth in this picture.
Our hike ends by clambering over the rock bed of a stream to reach a tunnel caused by the erosive effects of water. We eat the remains of our braai from the night before and take more pictures of this amazing landscape. 
We are exhausted when we complete the 14km hike but it is only a warm up for the next day where we will be hiking at a much higher altitude under far more challenging conditions. We drive for 2 hours to reach the chalets we will sleep in for the next 2 days. That night we have a warm fire and a slap up meal at the pub that serves the chalets we are staying at.
I lie in bed on the morning of Day 3 listening to the sounds of the wind whistling outside. It is much colder than the previous day and I find it difficult to find the motivation to get out of bed to be ready for our 5 am start. We have over an hour’s hike, at altitude in the dark to reach our view point for sunrise. My chest feels constricted and I feel the effects of the altitude restricting my breathing. It is dark and we are hiking with the light of our head torches. The path is strewn with boulders and we are attempting to reach the viewpoint at 2800m before the sun rises above the horizon.
Often, when I am in the middle of such challenging hikes I wonder what drives me to attempt it. Then I finally make the view point and watch the amazing change of colour in this breathtaking sunrise and realise it is my passion for the beauty of the outdoors that keeps bringing me back!
The wind is picking up as we continue our hike. We are attempting another 14km hike and our aim is to reach the top of Sentinel, the second highest single standing peak south of Kilimanjaro. I am reminded of a pact I made with a girlfriend back home that I would climb Killi for my 50th birthday. As I struggle up this mountain, I wonder at the sanity of such a rash statement.
The wind is howling and gusting at speeds that exceed 70 kmh. We are hiking on narrow mountain ledges and periodically turn and grab on to the side of the mountain to ensure we don’t get blown off the edge. 
We get to a point known as the neck and stop to talk to a couple of who have decided to turn back. The guy tells us it is much worse further on and that he had almost been blown off the trail. Emil asks us to stay put while he hikes to the ‘neck’ to take a look. It is blowing a gale and we huddle together in the hope the wind will calm down. It doesn’t and Emil makes the call for us to turn back. We are disappointed but the last bit of the trail involves climbing steel ladders which will not be safe in these conditions.
As we turn back, we see in the distance that the couple we chatted to have climbed another peak. It seems a little more sheltered and and we decide to explore this peak and have an early lunch. There isn’t a marked trail but we make it to the top. If you look closely, you can see my fellow hikers on the top of this mountain.
If you look even closer, you can see where I hiked up to, to take this picture….
It is only half past ten but we are hungry and we have lunch on the ridge of this majestic mountain. The vistas from up here are amazing and the howling winds have driven the haze away. We are able to get some incredible views that are not always possible at this time of year. There is always a silver lining to every cloud, or is that every wind gust? The trail we took in the darkness of pre-dawn now lies spread out before us. If you look closely, you will see the car park where we started out from. I think going back down should be a lot easier… 
This hike reminds me that we don’t always attain all of the goals we set for ourselves in life. It also reminds me that it is during those time of struggle & challenge that we truly grow and realise our capabilities. The pitfalls in our lives also enable us to discover the people who truly care.
We have had an amazing day and we have learnt to survive and hike under very difficult conditions. Perhaps this is the most challenging hike I have yet attempted. I am glad when I reach the bottom and as the wind continues to pick up speed and howl around me, I realise the importance of knowing when to turn back. Not every goal is meant to be reached, not every mountain is meant to be climbed!
Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. ~St. Augustine
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