No Sugar Added: Coastal trails and kindred souls

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LIFESTYLE NEWS AND VIDEO - Last weekend, I stepped out of my high-octane comfort zone and tried something new - an outer adventure that turned out to be a life-changing inner journey.

Slowing things down and embarking on a three-day 40km (or roughly 56 000 steps) slackpacking adventure in Wilderness, I had two goals in mind - actually, three: have fun, make a judgement call on the merits of walking instead of running, and reconnect with an old friend who life, in its curious way of circling people back to where they belong, brought back into my path.

DAY 1 - After a good night's rest, an early start at local surf legend David Pfaff's place - tucked away in the forest atop a very steep hill - saw us exploring 17km of the most spectacular Garden Route coastline imaginable, one step at a time. Starting at Buffels Bay and finishing at Pili Pili in Sedgefield, where a few well-deserved wetties and lunch awaited us, we experienced moments that can only be had on foot. Timing was everything, and our daily walks were planned around the low tide, as some sections - especially around Gericke's Point - are only accessible then.

On the stretch of beach between Buffels Bay and Sedgefield, we traversed rocky sections in the intertidal zone, draped in a velvety green cloak of algae.

Against the vast expanse of blue sky and reflections in undisturbed rock pools, it was a true visual delight. A small cave around the halfway mark provided shelter from the wind while we tucked into some snacks. With the headwind steadily increasing as the sun climbed, we cut inland at the 13km mark, which offered unexpected but breathtaking views of Green Lake and a closer look at the little wonders one tends to miss from behind the wheel.

A section of fossilised dune at Gericke's Point.

Day 2's 14km route from Sedgefield to Kleinkrantz started with a surprise splash-and-dash around Gericke's Point. Though it was spring low tide, a big swell and building onshore wind pushed the water further up the beach than anticipated, meaning those not ready to embrace their inner crab and scramble across steep rocks got wet. The pressure was on to complete the first half of the day's route before the combination of incoming tide, high seas and onshore wind pushed waves right up to the sweeping fossilised dunes hugging that coastline.

Fortunately, there was more than enough time to marvel at the treasures nature offered in unexpected places: sea stars, a stranded puffer fish, eagles swooping down onto the beach, and a seagull catching and feasting on a barbell matching it in size.

An unfathomably massive log - the size of a bus - washed up in the middle of nowhere, reminding us of the ocean's power.

As the day progressed, the incoming tide forced us to walk higher up the beach on softer sand - a workout not to be underestimated. Never has an ice-cold G&T on the side of the road tasted so good!

The last few steps before a couple of well-deserved cold ones at Kleinkrantz.

Day 3 brought a change of pace and scenery along the 9km Half-collared Kingfisher Trail. On this forest walk, we traded sandy beaches for wooden boardwalks and plenty of stairs. Besides sweeping forest vistas teeming with birdlife, we enjoyed the novelty of a pontoon river crossing and breakfast at a gushing waterfall.

We also had the privilege of seeing a Knysna loerie pose for us and, incredibly, not one, but two elusive Narina trogons up close.

More than the amazing adventure of walking through these remarkable places and experiencing moments only possible on foot, it was the countless little chats with different people along the way - bonding and getting to know them better - that made it special.

Jacqueline Herbst inventing a new version of standing bow pose on top of a massive log. Photo: Anette Grobler.

Breaking away from the daily grind and rediscovering my inner happy self was truly invigorating. But the best part of all was reuniting with an old friend, whom I had crossed paths with purely by chance while writing an inspirational Women's Day article for the newspaper. That one small act - casting a line without knowing if I'd get a bite - set in motion a chain of events that led to reuniting with my 'big sister'.

This trip was life by a thousand blessings - the antithesis of death by a thousand paper cuts.

The multitude of small, cumulative joys made for a resounding verdict in favour of slackpacking. I would definitely want to experience each of Anette's Silent Steps adventures at least once, with the ultimate bucket list walk being the extreme five-day 100km Death Acre Dash in Angola.

Bring on the Land of Diamonds 2027!