Last week I spent 5 days hiking on the Mulanje Massif, a huge group of mountains in southern Malawi. These mountains are made mostly of granite, a rock that is very resistant to erosion. Over thousands of years, the softer rocks around the granite have eroded, leaving the granite rising up dramatically from the plain. The massif has been called an island in the sky--and that's exactly what it's like. The forest service has built huts in various places on the mountain. Their fireplaces are a source of welcome warmth once the sun goes down at 6 pm. Even in Malawi, it gets very cold at 9,000 feet of elevation!
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| This is the view of the massif from the town of Likubula, where we started our hike. Elevation: 200 m |
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| My hiking companions, Laura and James. They are super excited to get started! |
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| The first day was the hardest--we gained 6,000 feet of elevation in 5 hours. The views, however, were gorgeous. |
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| Our guide Robert and me on the Chambe Plateau. |
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| Approaching our first hut, Chambe Hut. |
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| The hut had a great view of Chambe Peak, the hardest peak to ascend in the whole massif. |
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| The huts were complete with bath houses... |
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| ...with lovely views! |
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| On the third day we summitted the highest peak, Sapitwa. At 10,000 ft of elevation it was not easy, but the trail was well marked with many red arrows. In ChiChewa, Sapitwa means "don't go there." |
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| Very exciting: ice in Malawi! |
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| I hadn't seen ice on the ground for over a year...very exciting! |
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| We made it to the summit! |
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