Brandon Finn has just completed an amazing feat using his feet.
The 24-year-old recently completed the 400km journey from Johannesburg to Hattingspruit, on foot, in ten days.
His expedition was inspired by the real-life trek made by mineworkers and their families during the Anglo Boer War. In 1899, 7000 workers and their families made the trek from the Johannesburg mines to Hattingspruit to escape the conflict.
From there they took a train to Pietermaritzburg. The incident, though unheard of by many, was documented in Elsabe Brink’s book, ‘The Long March Home’.
In 2013, while busy with an expedition on the River Kei, Brandon heard of the tale and read the book. Inspired, he decided he too would make the journey,recreating the historical feat and so ‘Expedition Imashi’ was born.
But tragedy soon struck and Brandon suffered a calf injury which meant he had to put his adventure on hold. However, he completed the feat at the beginning of this year, raising funds for a good cause in the process.
On January 3, Brandon embarked on the 10-day journey from Johannesburg to Hattingspruit. On day 3 he picked up a knee injury which made the going harder but Brandon persevered. The hardest days, however, were days 5, 6 and 7, which proved to be mentally and physically challenging.
“You see how far you’ve gone and then realise how much farther you have to go still,” he said.
The scenery, which Brandon found quite beautiful, made up for the hardships and pushed him forward.
He found the rolling hills just past the Dannhauser turnoff very scenic, a sight many locals tend to neglect. Every morning Brandon started his day between 5:30am and 6am, eager to beat the blazing sun. Drinking 7 litres of water a day, he stayed hydrated and was lucky not to get caught in the rain.
In the evenings he would mark the spot where he stopped for the day, before being taken to the nearest BnB’s to rest for the night.
In the mornings he would be taken to the spot where he last stopped and continue from there.
So far Brandon has raised R18 000 for the Big Issue, a non-profit organisation that creates employment for adults through a developmental employment programme. Donations can still be made to the cause and details can be found on Brandon’s website, www.expedition-imashi.com.
