Ray 👣

A short Cederberg chronicle. Fragments of moments held in the quiet between wind and stone.

I’ll see you somewhere between the headlamps and the shadows 🦇⛰️📸 @batrunct

“Lowo unyuka intaba ubona kude.” - African proverb. “The one who climbs the mountain sees far” Perspective comes from effort and elevation. The higher you climb, the wider the world reveals itself. From the valley the path feels tangled and uncertain, but from the summit the lines begin to make sense. Understanding comes from rising above. From the willingness to push higher. Breathe deeper. See beyond where you once stood. The mountains are always speaking. The question is whether we are quiet enough to listen. 📸 @_angus_mackinnon_ ⛰️

2026. Another year in relentless pursuit of passion and purpose chasing the horizon. Let’s get after it ⛰️ 📸 @damienschumann

What started as a small pulse, soon became a heavy thump of feet hitting trail, hearts syncing to the rhythm of the mountain 🐍🪘 The first strike of the Cape Cobra. We didn’t plan every move. We didn’t force the story. We just ran with it. No idea too wild. No dream too small. And the response? Electric. This is not just a race. This is the Cape Cobra. 📸 @barry_socks - Full drop coming soon 👀 #CapeCobraTrailMarathon #WildlyBeautifulRelentlesslyTough #BecomeTheCobra

Perspective. Nature shapes her own frames, showing us that there’s always another way to see the world. What feels unyielding can, with time and patience, be transformed into an opening. Obstacles can become pathways, challenges can reveal new horizons. It’s a quiet reminder that the hardest things often carry the greatest lessons, and sometimes, all it takes is shifting where we stand to see possibilities where we once saw only walls. Mother nature is our greatest teacher.

Sometimes the summit doesn’t reveal sweeping views, but something quieter. Clouds parting just enough for sunlight to paint the mountainside in fleeting detail. Beauty, not in what you expected to see, but in what the mountain chooses to show you.

PUFFER 2025 | @puffer_ultra From my perch on Platteklip Gorge I watched runners hurl themselves down the mountain with everything they had - fearless, raw, and alive in the chase. There’s something primitive we tend to love in that moment of racing: chase or be chased. Congratulations to every runner who took on the challenge, and a shout-out to the organisers and everyone who made it happen. What a thing to witness. And for me… it sparked that old fire. I can’t wait to be back out there racing. You can download the images from the link in my bio 📸

There’s something quietly profound about @ultratraildrakensberg . It’s not just the mountains - though they are majestic, humbling, and unforgettable. It’s the people. The spirit. The way the early morning light spills across the escarpment, and how complete strangers become comrades out there on the trails. It wasn’t just about kilometers or finish lines. It was about presence. About moving through ancient landscapes with intention and awe. About the laughter at aid stations, the quiet encouragement on climbs, the deep, personal battles fought and won or simply endured on the course. After racing the GCU65 last year, this year, I found myself on the other side of the tape woven into the back end of the race, working with the Summit Events family and a crew of wildly talented creatives bringing the race to life through imagery and storytelling. From behind the lens, through the radio chatter, and deep in the rhythm of logistics and live updates - I got to witness the soul of this event in a whole new light. The quiet work of volunteers at remote aid stations, the relentless energy of crew who never sleep, the generosity of Underberg locals who make everyone feel like they’ve come home. The sponsors and partners who help turn this mountain-sized dream into reality. Grateful to have played a small part in telling their story and still soaking it all in a month later. #ultratraildrakensberg

Keeping it Wild was just that… WILD. The wind howled, tents flapped, and the rain came down sideways. But none of that really mattered. The Cederberg has a way of pulling the right people together - the kind who’ll sit through storms for a good story, plant trees in the mud, and hike into the clouds just to pick up trash. So that’s what we did. Over the weekend of 9 - 11 May, we packed our camping gear and headed through to the annual Keeping It Wild hosted by @love_our_trails @sustainableceder Fridays welcoming weather took a slight turn. It was wet, cold, and honestly, kind of magical. We talked with incredible guest speakers about trails and life, about ecosystems, about cedars and leopards, about sandfish and ants and ancient ridgelines, and were reminded why we keep coming back to this place. It’s not just about running out here or spending time outdoors. It’s about showing up - for the land, for the communities, for each other, and for something that matters. Big thanks to Keeping it Wild @love_our_trails , the speakers, the farmers, the fire-stokers, and every muddy-booted soul who made this weekend what it was. 📸 Images by @barry_socks #CBU #cederbergbackyardultra

Today I’m really missing being out on the mountain. The feeling of watching the sun set from a peak way up high. It has almost been 6 weeks of no mountain time. 6 long weeks… 📸 @_angus_mackinnon_

The dawn of a new day and an exciting start to a new chapter 🙌⛰️ 📸 @by.jaims #ultratrailrunning #trailrunning #trailcommunity