Well, first the unplanned stop at the DPP rally put us behind schedule. Then, we had trouble finding a guide who would agree to our crazy itinerary -- 2 planned to run to every single hut on the mountain (about 30 miles of running total) as part of their training plan for the Comrades Race in South Africa this month and 2 of us planned to hike across the mountain with our packs to meet them (about 20 miles). By the time we found guides and got organized at the trailhead it was 3pm. The estimated distance to the hut was 5 hours, but we climbed quickly and arrived at 6:30.
Our mountain-crossing hike was beautiful and exhausting as we climbed steep slopes, crossed rivers, admired wildflowers, and traversed different vegetation zones. The water straight from the river was the purest water I’ve tasted in my life. It took us about 12 hours to reach Madzeko Hut and we arrived at the same time as the runners. We were a tired, dirty, and hungry crew that night!
The hike down Mulanje is not fun. I generally hate downhill hiking, and Mulanje is a sheer vertical drop. I was so happy to reach the tea estate at the bottom! We hitched a ride back to our car in the back of a pick-up, but got dropped about a kilometer away (“not enough fuel” to take us all the way to our vehicle) but hey, we made it eventually and after 6 large pizzas between the 4 of us made it back to Lilongwe just before dark.
Tea estates in the foothills of Mulanje
The steep climb up the slopes
We made it to the plateau just before the sun went down
Sunset from the top of the plateau
The runners starting out on their 30 mile adventure
Resting at one of the huts along the way
Rehydrating at the top of a steep pass
Mountain yoga
12 hours later
On the way down
The crazy cross-mountain crowd back down
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