The Wilderness Foundation is delighted to present what we hope will be the first in a series of Guest Blog posts, bringing our followers and supporters first hand experience of our wilderness programmes, together with useful information and tips on the equipment you may need for your own Wilderness Journey.
Our first guest blogger is Ellice Wray, who has recently returned from one of our Overseas Expedition Programmes with Brentwood School.  Here, Ellice tells us in her own words why this experience was so special.
I’m sitting by the warmth of the fire during my turn at night watch. Our campsite for the night is on the rocks overlooking the Umfolozi River. As the rest of my group sleeps all is quiet apart from the sound of the reed frogs in the bush. I suddenly heard the roar of a lion, and another calling back to it. The sound echoed in every direction, surprisingly more powerful and bigger than I had expected. The lions could have been a mere 10 feet away; it was amazing to be able to be so close to these wild animals in their own natural environment. I felt very privileged to be able to have this rare experience. The next morning I awoke to find that I had heard two lionesses, which had crossed the river during the night watch after mine.

What was so special about this trip was that every day was action packed and we always did something new and different. There was never a dull moment and the more activities we did, the closer we came together as a group. I think this was one of the most important lessons I learned while on trail, when you are thrown into the wilderness with only the bare necessities needed to survive, your relationship between your group members becomes stronger.

If you are looking for a life changing adventure that will stay with you forever, sign up for a trail. I am so glad that I was able to stay in the heart of the Isimangaliso wetland park and the Umfolozi game reserve, trekking through the vast wilderness full of wildlife and exciting scenery. It was completely breathtaking to each night watch the beautiful South African sunset and to be up in time to watch the sunrise. I think everyone in my group saw at least one shooting star during the trip, with Venus, the Southern Cross and the constellation of Scorpio making up just some of the hundreds of stars visible in the sky every night.

It was amazing to walk along the white sand beaches of the Wild Coast with the Indian Ocean on one side and the tremendous greenery on the other. The Ocean never calmed as we walked across the hills and along the never ending beaches. It was magical to see many dolphin and whale surfacing in the water and occasionally jumping as they fished. We finished our trail by taking a four night stay with local Xhosa families; working with the community to build a climbing frame for the preschool and teaching a lesson for the older children. Every minute here was exceptional and really showed me a different life style completely different to my own. Not many people can say they have stayed with these local families, had dinner with them and spent every evening communicating with the many ages and great personalities. It was fantastic to teach the kids some words in English and have them teach them back in Xhosa.

Occasionally in the evenings of our trail we would take part in what is called Indaba, where we shared our thoughts and feelings about the trip. It was the perfect time to look back on what we have accomplished since beginning, and realise how different the trip had been to how we expected. Everybody that I spoke to agreed that you cannot understand wilderness until you have experienced it yourself. Before I came to South Africa I thought it would be a more safari type experience, on foot. I did not think I would become so emotionally attached to the place. After trail I wish more to protect it and pass on the message to help conserve these precious areas because they are important. The leave no trace system really helps for everyone to have their own unique experience.

This would not have been the same if it was not for the support we had from our guides and everyone at the Wilderness Leadership School. Their knowledge about the animals was incredible. They taught us so much, from tracking the animals to how they behave. Our guides (Mandla M and Mandla B) were very inspiring with their stories about their time in the bush and life stories in general. I cannot thank them enough for their constant energy and passion throughout.
 
Ellice Wray