East Coast

 

At the end of 2013, I ended my long life as a school boy. With my last exam papers still in front of me, I wondered what to do with my life. Weirdly enough I decided to take a different road than my classmates. A road of hardship, boredom, pain, loneliness, hysteria and madness... This was the single best choice I have made.

 

I decided to climb on a bus and head down to the Eastern Cape to hike down the coast. My plan was very simple and easy to follow; get down there and walk till I can't walk any more. And that's what I did, I climbed on a bus 2 days after my last exam and headed to Port Elizabeth. I was young, stupid, extremely unfit mentally and physically, but I had one thing and that was the will power to keep on going.

 

This drive is still the only real thing that keeps me going. The power of will power is much stronger than most people will believe. Over the next month I hiked south-west from Port Elizabeth, discovering the beauty of long distance hiking. I learned a lot on that trip, and I made every mistake in the now written book. I had my fair share of close calls and miserable days. My lifestyle was one of a homeless man. Old bread, pasta, peanut butter and bad cheese was my food with a small one man tent as a home. A home that moved from beach to beach, bridge to bridge.

 

Very slowly I moved down the coast, hating almost every day. My discovery of the outside world was dramatic to say the least.  From school to homeless, I quickly had to grow up while discovering the dangers of solo missions. Dehidration, snakes, heatstroke, river crossings and crime was some of the challenges I had to accept. My mind  slowly got used to my own company and my fitness increased daily.

 

With my cash flow trickliin gto an end, I ended my hike at Mosselbay.

On my last day I looked back on my trip and decided that I loved every moment of it! I was by then still soaking wet from walking in rain for two long days and was busy eating my celebratory food which was a beer and Spar Pizza! But I knew then I wanted to up the anti...