By the time the others arrived at Masakala the weather had changed. The wind had switched and strengthened and was blowing off the snow covered mountains of Lesotho. As the sun went down it became miserably cold.
I checked in with the others and to my relief they had no intention of riding on. We showered, had dinner and settled in to bed knowing that Tim would be along in the wee hours and in all likelihood he would be gone before we got up.
Sure enough, Tim rolled in at 00h45 and headed out again at 03h50. Even though he was as quiet as a mouse the main Rondawel accommodation at Masakala is such that even a mouse on tiptoes can be heard.
The remnant of our start batch were up and out the door at 05h00 and before long we were making our way through thick fog. Daniel, Axel and Nic pushed ahead and before long their taillights were swallowed by the mist.
Carlo, Pieter and I got to the turnoff that takes you off the main Queens Mercy gravel road and did well for the first 2 km. Passing the school we knew we had to take the next left turn. The road was in such poor condition that cars had made a track on the left bank of the road. Riding on that track in the fog we didn't realise that we had already taken the first left turn. Carlo concerned that we had overshot the the turn said we choice go back and take the small road we had just passed. We wove around for the next 15 minutes eventually getting to a point where the road ended at a donga. The resolution of the map, such that we could see no such feature on the map, we resorted to using a compass which worked out perfectly. Back on track, in spite of the road being smooth and potentially fast, we pedalled slowly so as not to chill ourselves to the bone. Arriving at the floodplain proper we stopped to put on warmer gloves. My hands were so cold that I couldn't release the buckle of my backpack. Fortunately Carlo still had useful fingers.
Crossing the floodplain toward the village of Malota we kept checking our compass bearing choosing paths that took us in the right direction. I sensed we were close when the gradient eased and a short while later we spotted the posts of a football field that is adjacent the village.
Threading through the centre of Malota we followed the path down the other side, using the graveyard as confirmation that we were on the right track. Skirting the graveyard we dropped to the expected donga and crossed over. The fog persisted as we set off to Springkana. Rounding the village we dropped down the other side. There are 2 dongas to cross. After the second one you need to go 100-200m where the path splits. The recommended route of to keep left. Crossing the second donga there was a feint path that looked disused so I kept right. Before long we saw a house emerge through the fog. It was obvious that we had missed the left turn. I've ridden that way once before so was worried. We probably wasted 5 mins through inefficient routing through the village. But, given the challenge of riding in fog we did okay.
Queens Mercy came up without any difficulty and before long we were in the outskirts of Mpharane. The Spaza shop called Mpharane Supermarket was open for business so we popped in. The shop was well stocked and neatly packed. A young man, of subcontinent descent, at the counter was boiling a kettle. We jokingly asked if there was coffee. After telling us he didn't sell coffee he offered to make us some. We declined his kind offer. The interesting fact we took away from there is that he sells a page from a telephone directory for R1. The locals use the paper to roll their own cigarettes. The shopkeeper showed us that he was down to his last 100 pages and then told us the new telephone directories were now of a much smaller format. Once his current stash was sold he'd have to resort to the less agreeable size.
Leaving the "Supermarket" we rolled down the road to the point where we would start making our way up on to the Mpharane ridge. As we approached the community hall at the base of the mountain a break in the clouds showed the huts above bathed in sunshine. We knew that the huts were a little over half the elevation we needed to gain to get on the ridge and from our perspective they looked very high.
Looping around the community hall we portaged up onto the next spur. In the 10 minutes it took us to do that the fog had completely dispersed. With the fog gone we stopped to shed a few layers of clothing and then had a good trundle across the top of the mountain before dropping down to Gladstone farm. I imagine the Gladstone farmhouse, consisting of a farm house and sandstone barn, were impressive in their prime. It's fair to say it's been a long time since they looked gorgeous. We made our way around the farmhouse and onto the next jeep track that heads up the ridge that overlooks the police station on one side and the Mariazell Mission Station on the other.
As we rode up the ridge we saw the silhouettes of 2 riders at the top. Given that Daniel is a Lone Ranger we assumed it was Axel and Nic. Sure enough it was. Nic had some tyre issues that needed attention and Axel had a wheel washout on the drag paths on the Mpharane ridge. He had taken a hard fall resulting in a shoulder injury which he had strapped up.
It was our intention to get to Tinana that evening so we had a quick turnaround at Malekgalonyane. Daniel, Axel and Nic headed out first with myself, Carlo and Pieter following 10 minutes later. Tim had been through earlier leaving just before we arrived so he was at least 35 minutes ahead of us.
Rolling down the cattle paths above the grassy field we'd have to cross I scanned to see if I could spot the other 3. To my surprise they were nowhere to be seen. I had a good idea of how long it would take to cover ground and knew that couldn't already be off the grassy section. The beginning of the grassy section starts where you cross a river. Once across the river I commented to the others that I could t see the other 3. It didn't take long before I heard, "There they are. Behind us." It was a reminder that even the smallest of navigational errors can waste time and effort.
As we got to the start of the cattle path that crosses the chasm between Thaba Chitja and Koebung we saw Tim at the bottom of the valley having just crossed the river and making his way up to Koebung. We pressed ahead with a little more urgency catching up with Tim just after the water tanks above the village.
Our group split up heading toward the settlement of Blackfountain. The settlement consists of half a dozen dwellings where the population swells in summers and shrinks in the winter months when the livestock are moved off the mountains. In winter I'd be surprised if there were as many as 10 people there. The tap was functional and we topped up our water bottles and headed off. At this stage our gang was myself, Tim, Pieter and Axel.
We made short work of the ride across from Blackfountain to Tinana arriving at the Kibi's house at 16h50. In the next few minutes the 4 of us agreed that it was still early and we'd push on to Vuvu school only 30 km and one challenging Vuvu valley away. While we were eating the other 3 arrived and told us they'd be staying at Tinana for the night. Tinana is a great place to spend a night but the challenge of navigation through the Vuvu valley by night with its 5 river crossings and interesting portages was too much to resist.
Half an hour after arriving in Tinana and darkness set we headed out for Vuvu. It'd be nice to write about how exhilarating it was but alas it was smooth sailing. At times when the path became indistinct we'd fan out until one of our number found it and be on our way without disruption.
4 hours after leaving Tinana we were at the school. We had food followed by a bucket wash—always a special experience—and settled for the night.

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