Saturday 4th December 2010.
Crack of dawn finds Morné and Pierre set off into the mist from Pretoria and 130km later they arrived in Witbank with bleeding knees and sore shoulders. In many ways, I think it was comforting to know that first blood was nothing too serious. We caught up with them at Angelica's dad's house to find Morné asleep on the driveway long after the sun had laid to rest.
Saturday night scrapes its way into the early hours of Sunday morning. The Nine that set off in a few hours settle down into a rhythm of personal distraction while they prepare themselves for the next few months. Nervous excitement steadily streaming adrenalin into their veins that prevents them from falling asleep. There is a spirit of Machtub tonight- that promise of adventure and revelation that has called each one of them to something amazing. A calling that has ignited a passion to fulfill a formidable destiny and discover themselves in God in the purest form that is influenced only by their responses to the elements that surround them.
There is no comfort zone to hang onto. I think that is what makes this journey so insane. The need to remove yourself completely from everything you have ever known and submerge yourself in your faith and your ability to spend hours on end with yourself and your thoughts. There is no noise out there, there is nothing to distract you and you find yourself becoming introspective. The need to clear out your mind and find true inner peace. To find yourself in a place where you appreciate the phenomenon of your body's ability to endure a challenge and yet allow yourself to make mistakes and be patient with the inevitable frustration of fatigue, hunger and African disorder.
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