I headed up to Nairobi to meet our new guides and crew. Summits Africa opened satellite operations in Nairobi to facilitate Mt Kenya climbs and safaris. The first couple of days were going over systems and detail-oriented administrative procedures. Also, we talked about menus and the logistics of shopping, getting fixed rates from suppliers. Having a consistent product on all the peaks is important for the company and our standards. One of our Tanzanian head guides would be on board for the climb to ensure that our Kenyan guides were up to par on acute mountain sickness scorecard health monitoring all the way to the summit. Using pulse oximeters and bringing supplemental oxygen are standard on all high altitude climbs. The Kenyan crews are extremely knowledgeable and their hospitality true to the East African spirit...
The morning of the climb, we picked up some of our clients and headed out of Nairobi around 8am. The drive towards the Sirimon gate is a couple of hours and a landscape full of various farms, ranging from citrus to flowers. The small town of Nare Moru is where most of our crew lives and an old mountain base town from the early explorer days. It is from this junction that we first caught a glimpse of Mt Kenya of what is known as the dry side. From this vantage point there is no snow, except on the top of the peaks, however, the peaks were covered by clouds. Eventually we hit the turnoff for Mt Kenya National Park and headed up towards Sirimon gate.
Mt Kenya National Park is a World UNESCO Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, containing a global atmosphere monitoring station. The national park was created to help local communities with tourism, preserve the biosphere, and protect the water catchment in the surrounding area. The area combined with volcanic soil and abundant water make it favorable for agriculture. Wild animals still inhabit the area such as monkeys, buffalo, gazelle, and elephants. In fact, once we got to the gate and finished formalities, we saw an elephant on the trail. We ate some lunch in the meantime and let the elephant pass. Our hike started in the afternoon and we walked through an afromontane forest. As we ascended, the sides would drop off into gorges and the trees would contain the familiar Spanish Moss seen on Meru and Kilimanjaro. Soon the fauna changed and we would reach the heath zone with more rolling hills and short grasses. From this vantage point, we could see the towns below. The afternoon was fairly easy and we made it to Old Moses camp (3300m) within 3 hours. We set up a private camp in the bush and the evening revealed the first sightings of Nelion and Batian peaks, as the clouds parted. We decided to walk up a hill and catch a better angle and then drop back into camp for dinner. As the sun went down, the temperature in the air began to drop and we had some hot drinks. Dinner was butternut squash soup, chicken stew with rice and side dish of zucchini and peas. We went to bed early as standard.
I awoke early to see the sunrise and the sky was clear, again revealing the peaks in the distance. The evening was quite cold, the camp is exposed to wind passing, thus creating a chill factor. The crew had made a french press with Dorman's, a Kenyan coffee. While I had cut out caffeine two weeks prior to climbing, now on the mountain it was nice for its diuretic effect, to get the heart rate up and inhale higher levels of oxygen, and sometimes help cure high-altitude headaches - overall a helpful stimulant to help in the acclimatization process. Breakfast was porridge and cereal, eggs, sausage, pancakes, and toast. Enough to get a good start and burn calories hiking. The sun was out and the rays were felt warmly, the weather was nice. We began our day, going pole pole - slowly slowly, drinking lots of water from the camelpak (I really advocate these for climbing). We continued in the heath and hagenia zones and traversed a valley with endemic fauna. Lobelias began to be seen, a common equatorial mountain plant. Mt Kenya has giant senecio or groundsel that only bloom every 99 years. These plants are beautiful and get water from the precipitation clouds that come in during the day and layer the mountain. On our valley traverse, these clouds came in and made the temperature drop a bit while hiking.
We reached the top of a hill and found ourselves starring down into Likki Valley. Lobelias and groundsels covering the hillside. From here, we could see Nelion and Batian and the valley's simple beauty was stunning. Below we could see Likki North camp (3950m) and there was no one else around. Most people skip this camp and go straight to Shiptons, however, we believe that this break in the route and overnight is key to acclimatization. While we only ascended 650m, the pace was great and we avoided the 1000m ascent and long day that the other traditional route follows. This place is a definite worthwhile stopover. As we descended into the valley, streams were running on our path and the ground in some places was soft and moss-like. We came into camp and had some pepper steak sandwiches. We took some short naps and had dinner, mushroom soup and spaghetti bolognese. There were more stars in the sky this night and Venus was making a bright presence in the sky.
I awoke early as standard, and the night had been really cold, impressive chill factor. For some reason this camp has a reputation of being cold. I hiked back out the way we came in so that I could get some nicely lit shots of the valley with the exposed peaks. The morning tends to have really nice lighting and this valley was worth the extra work. Again, all the breakfast amenities and we began another day climbing a ridge pole pole. Eventually we would get to the top of the hill and descend into Mackinders valley. We could see the other route below our traversed route that other hikers take when walking from Old Moses to Shiptons camp near the Nanyuki river. This was our first sighting of other people on the mountain. The hillside was covered with lobelias and groundsels and the views of Nelion and Batian were even more impressive, they were getting closer. Mackinders valley has spectacular views, much bigger than Likki valley.
The valley was a nice walk and we would traverse the valley most of the day, other peaks revealing themselves to us on the left. The day would bring us to rest by a big river crossing, big enough for a bridge to be built. Mt Kenya has the unique feature of a lot of moving water, often with nice sounds. We went up our last hill and then saw Shiptons camp in the distance. It was here that we got a wonderful view of Thomson, Nelion, and Batian peaks covered in snow overshadowing the sunny valley. The photo opportunities were amazing and I took advantage of the clear weather, clouds were coming in, the natural afternoon phenomenon of precipitation.
We ascended 250m this day and got into Shiptons camp (4200m) where the peaks were literally over our heads. It was this afternoon that the first signs of headaches occurred. We were at 13,800 ft, so altitude gain had happened and now we would rest to acclimatize. Lunch was chicken and chips and then a siesta to get adjusted to altitude - we took a bit of ibuprofen (headache medicine) which did the trick and relieved some pressure. The late afternoon we could hear the sounds of rock hyrax and there was a bit of mist on the peaks. Dinner was beef stroganoff with macaroni. The night sky reflected bright behind the dark shadows of Batian.
The next day we awoke early and caught the first rays of light starting to shine on Batian. After breakfast, the light was shining on all the peaks and we began our steepest ascent. Our first rest stop was a nice tarn in a small valley. The guides told a story that when the first hikers came up to this spot, they saw lions and were in shock that they would come so high up on the mountain. As we reached a bit further on the hill, we saw Point Lenana the third tallest peak on Mt Kenya and the non-technical summit. At the top of the hill, we now would see our descent route Chogoria. The Gorges valley has picturesque escarpments and deep valleys with many tarns on the way. Unlike other mountains, Mt Kenya has many tarns that are made from the water runoff of the snow and ice on the peaks. The tarns and running water makes Mt Kenya truly beautiful.
After a couple more hills, we began to traverse towards Austrian Hut camp. We were walking below Pt Lenana and traversing below rocky formations. We would ascend 500m and arrive at Austrian Hut (4790m) for lunch. Austrian Hut is quiet and most climbers doing the technical ascents use it as a base camp. Coming to Austrian allowed extra acclimatization and a chance to stay at a beautiful place. The grandeur of Nelion is overwhelming, from here you can see the long vertical face. In between Pt Lenana and Nelion is Lewis Glacier, the largest glacier on Mt Kenya shining bright and feeding two rivers below it. Scientists believe with the rate of erosion that in the next 30 years there will be no more ice on Mt Kenya, a sad thought. The routes used to need crampons more often because of ice, but now they are needed less and less.
From Austrian Hut Pt Lenana is an hour away - we could see the summit. We had some meatballs with roast potatoes and vegetables discussing the idea of going up to the summit and doing a day time ascent. We decided to take a quick 30 minute nap and then regroup. When we awoke, the quick power nap gave us enough energy to go for the summit. We looked up at the weather and the clouds did not seem too dense. As a group we decided that if the weather was bad, then we would make a safe decision to turn back and then go for it in the morning again. We put on small summit packs with water and an energy bar. We started going up pole pole at 330pm. The afternoon clouds began to part and daytime views were great, I took pictures that perhaps most don't get to see of Nelion and Lewis Glacier.
At 420pm we summited Pt Lenana (4985m) 16,355 ft and the weather was clear and the temperature comfortable, in fact no wind. We were delighted to be at the top and the 360 degree views were fantastic - picture perfect. After some time we would descend back into camp in time for afternoon tea and then have dinner. At 4am we awoke and had some tea and bisquits. We organized our water and gear and headed out at 430am with our headlamps walking pole pole. The early morning was cold, the wind had picked up during the night and its chill made your body fight for warmth. Half way up the Pt Lenana summit trail, the first light was on the horizon, deep reds, yellows, orange, and blues. The group once again made it to the top and watched the sunrise. This time of day on the top of the mountain is known as God's hour. The body feels the warmth of the sun's rays shining and the world is waking up - simple moments of life. The early light on Nelion created a deep red on the peak and the reflections on the sky purples. The sky was clear enough to see Mt Kilimanjaro and Mawenzi peak in the far distance. The wind continued and the summit was cold, complete opposite of the day prior. Everyone got some photos and footage and then we began our descent using a different trail.
We were going down the Chogoria route down to Mintos camp to have some breakfast. We devoured food after hiking and waking up early. Today was a long day, however, mostly descending down rolling hills, the Gorges valley, and to the forest. At one point, unique to the Chogoria route, is an incredible view of Vivian falls and the peaks above - a shot so immense that photos cannot capture it. We would continue our descent and have lunch at Roadhead, the beginning of a road leading to Meru Mt Kenya Lodge. After another three hours we made it to Meru Mt Kenya Lodge, cabins in the forest with showers and fire places - a real luxury after camping for a couple of days. Buffalo and elephant frequent the lodge and the hot showers we had were amazing. Dinner was leek soup and chicken, cheeese, and cauliflower cannelonis topped with marinara sauce. We would cheers and sleep in comfortable cots.
The next day after breakfast we would take a 4x4 vehicle down the bamboo forest to Chogoria town and connect with our transfer vehicle taking us to Sosian Ranch in Laikipia: http://www.offbeatsafaris.com/sosian.htmlComing from Chogoria, we would circumvent the mountain passing where we initially started at Sirimon gate. Our route would give us great circumnavigation of the peaks and the mountain - extremely picturesque. We would pass Nare Moru and get into Nanyuki town. From Nanayuki about an hour away is Sosian, located on the Laikipia plateau. Laikipia is divided into an enormous patch of ranches. With the help of the owners, these farms became game reserves and contain some of the most exclusive lodges in the remotest parts of Kenya. Laikipia Wildlife Forum was born and is a stronghold that believes in the preservation of this special area containing some of the most endangered species in East Africa. The area is scenic with wooded gorges and riverine thickets, a place seldom visited by normal tourists because accommodation is on private land.
We spent the next consecutive days at Sosian including Christmas Eve. Sosian offers game drives, bush walks, camel rides, and horseback riding. After hiking for almost a week, I gladly participated in game drives running into cheetah, elephant, grevy's zebra, hartebeest and nocturnal animals during our night game drives. Christmas Eve we had a beautiful bush dinner and a nice champagne toast. On Christmas Day, I left and headed to Ol Pejeta Conservancy to visit Kicheche Laikipia Camp: http://www.kicheche.com/camps-laikipia.shtm Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 90,000 acre uncrowded wilderness area and is the largest Black Rhino sanctuary in East Africa. Just 30 minutes from Nanyuki is a beautiful luxury tented camp that offers day and night game drives able to see the Big Five and plentiful plains game. I had a nice lunch al fresco and made my way back to Nairobi. All in all a nice Christmas vacation..
For more info on Mt Kenya departures, itineraries, and pricing:
http://www.summits-africa.com/kenya/Mt%20Kenya/Mt-Kenya-6-days-Sirimon-Chogoria-luxury.htm
You can watch our Mt Kenya climb on Youtube at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_qAsg7OO9I
