10.5 Kilometers, show us the way.

As you have learned via this blog (and other resources) there is much to see, do and experience here in South Africa. Ben and I have decided that we want to make hiking one of our joint hobbies, and so, we invested in a pair of "beginner's" hiking shoes for each of us. With various trips approaching in the near future; (Cape Town for one!) we thought this necessary due to the fact that Ben's ratty sneakers and my trendy day shoes might not cut it in the long run.

Anyway, we decided to break in our new shoes on a nearby hiking trail. A 10.5 Kilometer hiking trail. Ehh, that's nothing! (We thought.) Fortunately, we did bring along 2 Nalgenes of water and we drank these throughout the hike. As we got going, we realized how out of shape we are. (even WITH my running, goodness! I blame it on the air quality!) The sun was also quite intense, although there was a slight breeze...so I didn't notice my skin burning to a bright red crisp until AFTER the hike. Bugs? Rampant. And there were bees. In those moments, with bees buzzing around my head, I found the extra strength to run along a hot rocky trail for a good distance. (Bees and I simply do not get along. I haven't been stung and don't intend to change that anytime soon.)

There were positives. We saw some wildlife right along the trail, and sometimes on the trail with us. Mostly zebras, which was cool. I brought along some "Biltong" and Ben ate some dried fruit he selected at the grocery store. Plus, it was just a good activity for Ben and I to do together.

In reality, the hike really wasn't that bad. It was mainly difficult because we never knew how far we had gone or how far we had left to go. The maps they provide were not detailed and there weren't really markers along the way. That in and of itself, can make a hungry, tired, hot person go a little mad when on a trail.

I forgot to mention, as any wise woman would do, I located the restroom before and after the hike. It was a single stall with no toilet paper. No worries, I had Kleenex. At the end of the hike, I went to this stall again. When I found Ben, he was exiting another restroom. A large, CLEAN toilet with TOILET paper and a sink. Goodness. I should have looked harder. Lesson? Learned.

In case you are wondering about our shoes, they did well. And were covered in red dirt!