Boundaries; for some people they are seen as a challenge and for others they create stability. In life, most boundaries are there to test your restraint, not your perseverance, but this is not a typical boundary. In this boundary you are challenged mentally and physically and in doing so, cement the stability of a team, where it is only perseverance that will lead to your success. This is the 43km Sabi Sabi Boundary Walk.

In days gone past it was compulsory, it is now seen as tradition and although one typically endures the Boundary Walk during their probationary period, it is not limited to this. However, ensuring you complete at least one during your time at Sabi Sabi is important to the claim of being a Sabi Sabi ranger. Earlier this cycle, I decided it was now or never and started to plan towards organising the event for a rare quiet day at the lodges. The memo went out and contemplations began amongst the team as to who would partake. A short distance sprinter in all of my sporting codes at school, a long distance challenge was an exciting endeavour and I was eager to test my will and do it in the company of my fine teammates. Having said that, unless you have done such a momentous distance challenge, I think it sounds a lot easier than it is.

It is a common misconception that rangers are very fit and active people. Now whilst there are always exceptions, I might be so bold as to say that this is unfortunately not the norm. Sitting in a vehicle for a minimum of seven hours per day and in my case sitting behind a computer for the remainder, eating five meals per day with at least one of them consisting of five courses, and on occasion only doing a leisurely 1.5hour bush walk, the time to exercise is difficult to come by, or perhaps where there is the time, one would rather relax. With the mammoth task at hand and partly daunting realisation that summer is only a month away, I trained almost every day for three weeks prior to the venture. Making a 600m circuit around the back of house, I repeated it approximately 8 times before moving on to conditioning. By the end of the 3 weeks, I had a power walk that would be the envy of most retirement-home fitness fanatics. I was super excited to take on the Great Boundary!

A few days prior to the walk, the bush received the first rains of the season. The relief to the barren starved earth was sensational, but it threw a spanner in the works. Talk of putting a cold burn through one of our farms once the rain had dried meant that all hands on deck were a necessity; the walk was put on hold. For the next few days we remained unsure of the likelihood of the walk and then finally at 4pm the afternoon before, we got the go-ahead; the walk was on! The excitement was infectious and everyone was abuzz with anticipation but dashing off to afternoon safari, I had little time to think about it. It was only when we got back to Bush Lodge that I started to think about preparations. Calling my boyfriend who works with conditioning athletes, I sought advice on what to eat for dinner – I wasn’t planning on running the distance but I wanted to make sure that I had done everything I could to complete it. I was recommended to eat carbs – a girls worst enemy - potatoes or pasta if it was available and try to take a few cold potatoes for the walk, start to drink rehydrates ASAP and pack some for the walk; much to my horror, the slab of chocolate that I had been saving for the event was not on the list. During dinner I forced down two baby potatoes but not a fan of them at the best of times when they are hot, I decided to take my chances without them on the walk, the chocolate was back in. I attempted a rehydrate with my Eland steak but when my guest offered up a glass of the infamous Chocolate Block red wine, the rehydrate got booted too, after all it’s rude to allow someone to drink alone. Walking back to my room afterwards, the guilt (or maybe it was nerves) started to kick in. “What are you thinking?! Maybe you should do the next one, none of the other girls are doing this one”. But I knew in my heart that there would not be another opportunity again in the next 5 months and so the preparations began; my 3 litre water bladder was filled and carefully stored in my fridge, plasters and all other foot-rescue remedies were stashed in my backpack along with spare shoes, spare socks, suncream, binoculars, fruit and the trusty slab of chocolate. I climbed into bed bewildered at my decision to volunteer to walk 43kms. I woke up three times over the course of the night, anxious and terrified at the realisation of what was to come but before I knew it 4.30am came around and I could hear the boys getting ready, time to step up.

At 5.30am six of us gathered just before the sunrise to set off, catching the first beams of morning sunlight and last breath of cool air; without a cloud in sight it was set to be an exquisite spring day but we knew the sun would be relentless. We left the lodge in high spirits, jokes flowing and at a surprising pace. We reached our first planned stop ahead of our breakfast delivery courtesy of our trusty trainees. It was at this time Kyle checked an application on his cellphone that had been monitoring our progress; according to the ‘app’ we had done 21km’s! With our muscles only just starting to really show signs of fatigue, we were elated that we were almost half way and still feeling so strong and had done it in such great time (it was just after 10am)! By this stage we had encountered two elephant bulls and our new dominant male lions – the Fourways males, who did very little to assert their dominance over us, perhaps we were more of an apparition than I thought. We decided to persist and meet the breakfast delivery further on. It was at this point however, that it became apparent that three of the boys, namely Franscois, Kosie and Bethuel, had the legs of gazelles whilst the remainder of us (Kyle, Mike Palmer and I) had the stumps of hippos and were taking slightly longer “to observe the scenery”. The group split into two only to meet up again at the breakfast delivery some 8km further on. Mike was now keen to see what his cellphone had managed to calibrate in terms of distance covered. Mike’s ‘app’ read 18.8km’s. Turning white and clammy, we frantically tried to figure out whose was correct and to our horror, it was Mike’s. Devastated at not even being half way through and already in pain, I devoured my cheesy egg sandwich watching the other group disappear into the distance. It was the last time we would see the other half of our renegade as I’m sure they ran the remaining 24km’s; they finished at 13.05pm breaking the previous boundary walk record by 1hr20min! Accompanied by some juice, fruit, more cold water and the smiling faces of our trainees our little band of three felt reenergised and pushed on.

After a buffalo encounter and just before 2pm Mike asked Kyle and I to pick up the pace but it was an impossible ask. With Kyle’s bad knees giving in and my feet just generally broken, we were already giving it our all. We decided to take a decent break. With news of the others returning to the lodge, one of the trainees came to bring us another rifle and Mike went on ahead. After stocking up with some more water we tried to get up and finish the last leg but it felt as though an evil rigamortis had started to seep into our limbs from the hip down. The distance to the vehicle only 3m away was absolute agony; the joints didn’t want to bend, and the sound of my dragging legs resembled something from the movie Paranormal Activity. Kyle’s knees had had it and he was out.

Officially now a lone ranger I stumbled on, one foot directly in front of the other as the curve in the road put pressure on the bruised muscles in the side of my feet and immediately sent them into a spasm. 200m later I stopped and had a small pity party, shedding a tear. With no cellphone signal and no one else around to participate in my emotional breakdown, I moved on. Eventually I discovered that by tip-toeing, I was using different muscles, relieved some of the pain and covered about 300m. Success! My imaginary high heels were less than supportive in the long term and eventually my snail pace returned but my mood was lifted by the rediscovery of my slab of chocolate. Content in some shade and munching on my prized Dairy Milk, I felt pleased to be alone for the first time, basking in knowledge of not having to share my remaining treasure. Wondering if I might stumble upon Mike in a similar state as myself, I felt guilty and decided to save half just in case he needed a boost. A few hundred meters on and I reach the main road – the last stretch to home!

Mentally I was still strong but with little left to ponder on, my attention all drawn to my throbbing feet and I was stopping every few hundred meters to rest and try again. Shortly after a break I saw the unmistakable gleaming faces of Brett, our trainee, and Kosie. Offering the option of a lift home I kindly declined and with that out jumped Kosie! Concerned about walking amongst dangerous game whilst fatigued, he offered to take the responsibility of the rifle off my shoulders and provide two hours of great company! Whilst this in itself speaks volumes for the camaraderie within our team, he had also just only completed the 43km two hours before – I was literally gobsmacked!! Starved of someone to chat to for the two hours prior to this, my silence didn’t last long and I babbled away whilst we made progress, still stopping here and there for a period of recovery. Remembering my chocolate, I offered it up to Kosie as there was surely no more deserving person.

In the last 200m of the walk I was greeted with a handful of encouraging messages from the remainder of the team who had left for safari and felt instantly lifted. Aniska, the other female at Bush Lodge, drove out to do the last leg of the walk with us and provide further encouragement. Eve, another female ranger from Selati Camp diverted her safari to swing past, insisting all her guests congratulate us and Mike hobbled to the edge of the lodge to give a final team hug. Back in the rangers village the braai was being prepared and drinks were piled in to the fridge. If there was ever a time to celebrate as a team, this was it.

My mother has always advocated that the word team is simply an acronym for “Together Everyone Achieves More”. The boundary I see, was not put there as an individual test, but as a test of team spirit and our want to be a part of its legacy. In spending more time with this group of people than I do with my own family, I think it is natural that one grows an affinity towards such an intimate team and as a result has such a desire to be a part of its history; in the bush, your team is your family. The walk was an opportunity to pick each other up where we least expected it and create memories together not to ever be forgotten. I truly feel that the pride and joy felt in accomplishing the walk would have been dwarfed without all the support of my colleagues. In the words of Lilo Pelekai “Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind.” - I am beyond doubt, that I am blessed to be a part of the Sabi Sabi family.