Rhino Peak (known in isiZulu as Thaba Ngcobo) sits at just over 3000m above sea level in the beautiful Southern Drakensberg.

We set off from KZN Wildlife's Ezemvelo camp at 6am on my 36th birthday and headed first to Pillar Cave, an easy 3km walk. From there the path starts to steepen as you climb up the Mashai Pass.

Close to the top of the pass there is a key change in route from one side of the valley to the other, but it is poorly marked and we missed it, meaning the last few hundred meters were covered on hands and feet across slippery loose rocks and gravel. At one point we seriously considered turning back, but eventually we made it to the summit, from where it is another 2kms to the top of Rhino Peak.

As we stepped onto that high place, two, and later three lammergeiers soared up from below to inspect us. The views, and the sense of accomplishment were amazing.

I wouldn't have made it to the top (or all the way back down again) without Leigh, who even secretly carried candles and a snickers 'cake' for a summit celebration.

Finally back at Lake Naverone sinking a cold beer I thought that the hike served as a good metaphor for the year ahead challenging, scary at times, but ultimately rewarding when tackled with the right person.