A group of teens set off on an epic adventure when they finished their Matric finals in 2023; this is how they faired on the hike of a lifetime.
South Africa (18 January 2024) – Six KZN Matrics celebrated the end of their exams by doing the rigorous 120km hike along the Wild Coast, from Port St John’s to Port Edward.
Konstantino Giokos, Michael Farrell, Mitchell Hamilton and Sam Hodes completed their Matric at Treverton College whilst Dylan Jarrett finished his Matric at Waterfall College and Warren Rossouw at Scottburgh High.
Mitchell Hamilton (18) says the dream of doing this particular hike came about in May when he was at the Wild Coast on holiday.
“I wanted to do something really epic and different straight after Matric, and upon returning to boarding school, I planned it with Sam, Konstantino and Michael. It was truly a life-changing experience.”
Sam Hodes (18) says
“The hike was incredible, such an adventure! The route was very technical and took many hours to plan with us having to study the tides in-depth. The river crossings were tricky owing to the currents, the tides as well as the sharks. We floated our backpacks in waterproof bags while we swam across.”
The adventurous six caught a local taxi to Port St John’s, and after many delays, they finally arrived at the first leg of their hike at midnight on Friday, 24 November 2023.
They then proceeded with their expedition, which consisted of crossing high mountain passes, hiking along untouched pristine beaches and having to cross 5 shark-infested rivers before arriving at Port Edward a week later.
The boys experienced many adventures such as meeting villagers along the way and being invited into their homes to spend the night. This happened on more than one occasion.
Dylan Jarrett (18) says “We got lost many times but the local people we met along the way were amazing and were always ready to assist us. We took along a satellite navigation device, which assisted in helping us keep in contact with our families who were very concerned as there was little cell phone service along the route.” The device also had a SOS option should there have been any injuries or emergencies.
“The hike was an extraordinary adventure that really challenged me as a person both physically and mentally. I really didn’t realise how remote we were going to be until day 2 where we met a guy who had never tasted biltong nor spoke any English which was a challenge to communicate with, to help show us which way we had to go. The hike took hours to plan, around studying for finals, but was well worth it.” says Michael Farrel (18).
Konstantino Giokos (19) said that going to school at Treverton College really prepared them for the trip, as the school arranges lots of hiking, kayaking and other adventures. Giokos, during his Matric year, completed the Grand Traverse Drakensberg hike, a rigorous 250km hike along the Drakensberg Escarpment, in South Africa.
“The views and being without any signal and contact with the outside world made the experience both incredible and humbling.” says Warren Rossouw (18).
The boys completed the hike in good time and arrived back sunburnt and many kilograms slimmer from their rigorous hike, ready to take the world by storm after finishing their Matric exams.
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