Riky Rick

People process grief differently. For Louisa Zondo, grief has taken her through many states and places.

On the day of the funeral, however, I just knew that I would continue with the trek and that I would be trekking with Riky. The times of feeling joy and holding Riky's presence in a place of equanimity get frozen by a sense that I miss my son and just want to see him, touch him and hear his voice here and now. When asked why she chose to continue with trekking after Riky Rick passed, Zondo responded: “Between the day of Riky's passing and the day of his funeral, I was not trying to decide whether or not I would continue with the trek. “On a regular basis, I also walked on road surfaces and covered distances of 5 to 16 kilometres, depending on the opportunity. For the Mount Everest expedition, I started my training in earnest at the end of December/beginning of January. I allowed myself to feel comfortable with doing the Westcliff stairs twice a week and completing 10 rounds of the stairs on each visit. I felt myself standing with so many who were engaging with the loss of loved ones in their lives and with devastating events in their lives, and my body felt the power of this presence in ways that I still cannot set out in words. “As I went on to lay a memorial for MaRiky at the Base Camp rock, it all was in the quiet of song: "Ndinik 'Amehlo Ndikhangele, Phezulu Ezulwini, Ndibone Khona Abangcwele, Bevuya Enkosini..." (Let Me Look Up, Up In Heaven, And See There Saints, Rejoicing In The Lord) The peace and quiet stayed with me. This was my approach to preparing for Mount Kilimanjaro in 2018 and Mafadi the Drakensburg in 2019. “So, I do a lot of visualisation in preparation for a major mountain expedition. This has, in turn, exposed me to contemplative ways and meditative practices, the cultivation of which I find very useful in the ongoing process of opening up to the unfolding of life.” I don't have words for the flooding of sensation and emotion that came with realising that I stood with MaRiky. I stood with family and loved ones who are still alive and those who have departed. Fortunately, I had the opportunity to take everything in, in solitude.