We chat to teen Peter Calcott, who hiked the Waterberg barefoot

The matriculant walked 110 km across the Waterberg – barefoot! As a sixth-generation Waterberger, he wanted to get to know the landscape his family has called home for so many years.

Tell us about the walk.

After I finished matric last year in Pretoria, I decided I wanted to traverse the Waterberg massif and plateau. The first thing I needed to do was figure out a route. I went to see Richard Wadley, who wrote Waterberg Echoes, and we plotted a course together using his maps. He knows so much about the history of the area. Ken Maud, the founding director of Waterberg Tourism, and local artist Elizabeth Hunter helped me organise my overnight spots. It was a team effort.