The beautiful torture of the pans
Mompoloki Rankgate | Monday July 24, 2023 06:00
The group included First National Bank Botswana representatives, known as First Walkers, the Botswana Telecommunications Corporation and other individual walkers.
Since its establishment, the trust has donated close to P5 million to different charities across the country, raising the funds through activities such as the walk in the Makgadikgadi Pans, that we found ourselves on.
After the Mahube Express bus dropped us at Mosu Kgotla we offloaded our luggage in a trailer, then walked two and a half kilometres to the pans, our base as well as our starting/finishing point. We sat by the campfire while waiting for our dinner as others took showers. A few instructions were stressed upon: Avoid remaining behind and walk as a group because it's easy to get lost in the pans. We set off for our first night of sleep in the endless flatness of the Makgadikgadi.
By 6am after breakfast, everyone formed a big circle to do warms up and stock water and other necessities to help navigate the pans. At 6:30am we left the beautiful Mosu Camp and walked deeper into the white empty pans. The first 12km seemed to be nothing but a warm-up trail as everyone did it with ease, though at some points it was a bit slippery as the pans are also a wetland.
The focus was now to reach the 30km point where we would have our lunch and attend to the now failing legs. The hike was starting to be a bit of a challenge as the legs were getting heavier and heavier but we fortunately got to our lunch point.
We snacked on a light meal as the medic attended to the blisters which were starting to show and soon set off bound for Lekhubu Island.
Fellow walker, William Wilson, became the Good Samaritan to those who were now finding the going difficult and would go back and walk alongside them with words of encouragement.
Despite the hardship and the torture, one simply couldn't ignore the beauty, the calm, and the breathtaking nature of the Makgadikgadi Pans. This is one area where you can detox your mind by connecting to nature. We soldiered on and by now everyone was starting to feel the gruesome side of the beauty around us.
Fellow walkers, Skwatta and Onks found the solution to 'eat' some kilometres by singing gospel music and encouraging the group to join in.
Before sunset, we reached our destination, legs tired and bodies fatigued. Everyone rushed for a natural massage of their legs by soaking in hot water with salt which works for some of us who had developed blisters.
Later, we sat by the campfire where walkers shared lively conversations about their struggles to complete the gruesome walk during the day and through the serenity of the pans.
Day Two was a little stretch to Little Kubu Island. It was nothing much more than a walk on a flat space. Upon arrival, it was time for our guides to share a bit of information about the pans. Interestingly, the wind blows mostly from east to west, tree branches grow on the west side mostly cause of the wind and even the termite hills that grow there, lean towards the west. The Makgadikgadi Pans are 200km long and 70km across.
At lunch, we massaged our feet and sat in the shade playing games to pass the time while waiting for the sun to set. Later, we walked to the best spots from which to view the scintillating sunset, another beautiful aspect of the pans as you can see the whole curvature of the Earth from the ground. Adrenaline junkies could not be left as they spun around with their quad bikes. By night we sat by the campfire, everyone glued to the sky, a serene canvas of black dazzling with countless galaxies.
Day Three was the final lap. The limping warriors had to brace themselves for a challenging 43km return leg. A few who couldn't make it had to ask for a ride from the support team. About 12km into the walk, I had to seek attention for my exhausted foot and its blisters. The medic patched me up nicely and I set off again feeling much better. Hallucinations were part of the experience all along the way. When you’re out on the pans, you can see an object appearing huge from afar, shrinking into a small nothing once you reach it.
With finishing in mind, we arrived at Mosu Camp chanting, “We are walkers”. We finally went through the finishing point barrier ending a three-day 100km walk through the breathtaking Makgadikgadi Pans.
In the end, it appears YCare selected a strong team as all the walkers made it to the finish line. The support team and the medic had very little to do. The walk was planned with refreshments galore for hydration during the entire walk not forgetting the meals.
The following morning, a few speeches were made by the organisers and sponsors, underlining the fact that we had conquered and persevered through the 100km YCare Charitable Trust Walk.
The crowning moment is always overwhelming, as you receive your medal of accomplishment, that says, “You did it!" For me, this has been the toughest most exciting, torturing, and most beautiful walk I have ever done locally.
Despite that, as I say, no matter the hardship, the pain and the heat, I would do it all over again. And again.