Put foot, take flight: The vulture trail

Sweat and stale sunscreen stung my eyes. The day pack weighed on my shoulders and dug into my back. I had been battling the altitude with heavy breaths, moving steadily upward, the promised reward at the top my silent motivation. My expectations had been set very high: as a keen birder, the opportunity to visit a little-known colony of the Endangered Cape Vulture is a powerful incentive.