Mount Kenya - If its an assault then why do I feel battered?

We didn’t actually hike to the top of Mount Kenya at 5,199 metres above sea level. In order to reach the top of Africa’s second highest mountain you need to be a climber, use ropes and know what you’re doing. Instead, we reached the third highest peak, Point Lenana, which at 4,895 metres elevation is just slightly lower and provides great views. Putting these elevations into perspective, my previous highs were hiking in Nepal at 4,000 metres and driving over a pass in a minibus in Tibet at 5,200 metres. As far as I was concerned Point Lenana was high enough.

Another point of clarification - Although our Mount Kenya quest was a 5-day package we actually only hiked for the middle three days. Days 1 and 5 were spent in transit between the Nairobi and Mount Kenya National Park. As it turned out, the amount of hiking that we did over the middle 3 days would be more than sufficient.

Joining me on this expedition was my Dutch VSO friend Frank and his visiting girlfriend Ank. Support was provided by our guide Kambo (who’s business card slogan was “Its not over until we win”), our cook Monkey (he apparently got his nickname because his older brother, a former porter, was also named Monkey) and a nameless porter. We were told that in order to pronounce the porter’s name we would first need to learn to speak Kikuyu. I suspected that he lived in fear of being tagged with a name like Monkey. I referred to him as “the porter to be named later,” which was amusing to one-on but myself.

The morning that we started for Point Lenana from Shipton’s Camp began with a 2:30 a.m. wake-up call. (Note to file - I’ve got to find a pastime that doesn’t involve early starts.) It wasn’t hard to get-up because most of us hadn’t been able to sleep as we were coping with the adjustment of being at 4,200 metres plus the noise of others staying in the bunkhouse. Our hike started with 3 hours on a steep and slippery climb, mostly in darkness. I think it was the first time I had used my headlight for a reason other than finding an outhouse. The climb was definitely a slog, but we made it to the top in time for the first sight of the sun.

Before going on this expedition I had told my Kenyan work colleagues that as a Canadian I was really looking forward to being cold again. With a biting wind assaulting us on top of Point Lenana any nostalgia quickly disappeared. We had hiked for 3 days and were greeted with spectacular views. However, after about 15 minutes on top we had had enough of being really cold so we began our descent. We didn’t know it at the time, but our day of hiking wouldn’t be over until 4:00 p.m. Counting breaks it would be a 13 hour hike, involving elevation gains of 1,000 metres and drops of 2,000 metres. Yes, we were pretty tired by the end of the day.

That night we had the option to upgrade from tents to bandas (cabins) which came with a hot shower and a fireplace. We had no problem reaching a consensus. That evening we sat around the fire talking with Kambo about life as a guide (the first question he has when assigned a group is what their nationality is – Israelis have the worst reputation as they can complain so much you might get fired). The next day we had the option of hiking 32km on a dirt road to the nearest town or hiring a Landcruiser to come and get us. Our decision was very popular with our support crew.

After Mount Kenya we had one last night in Nairobi. Frank, Ank and myself joined fellow VSOers Astrid, Tom and Heidi for drinks and dinner. I first met Frank, Tom and Heidi back in January at pre-departure training in England. It was interesting to swap stories and hear about their great experiences and the challenges all are facing. The next day I was on the bus returning home to Kisumu. It had been a good holiday.