Mt. Kenya and back again

Day 1 – June 1st: So, we were expecting a 2 to 3 hour bus trip to meet up with our guide and porter, but instead were rewarded with a long matatu ride filled with rap and reggae. The speaker next to Laura’s ear blasted hits from Snoop Dog and classics such as “Get Your Freak On.” It was almost enough of a distraction that we did not notice our driver playing chicken with on coming traffic while trying to pass other vehicles on the road. After 3 hours we arrived safely in Nanyuki and met our guide (Paul), cook and two porters.

Another matatu ride took us to the gate, where we enjoyed lunch and prepped for the journey ahead, which ended up being a little wet! Paul informed us that the thunder we heard actually meant it would not rain (unfortunately thunder in Kenya means the same thing that it does in Oregon, you are going to get wet). After a few hours hiking we made it to our first camp at 11,000 feet just as the rain subsided. We ended the day with some great views and a peek at the mountain ahead.

Day 2 – June 2nd: We hiked approximately 8 hours, the morning rewarded us with clear skies and wonderful views of the area. We kept our eye out for jaguars, but all we saw were tracks. We passed through valleys filled with birds and lobelia (a plant that looks like it is straight out of a Dr. Seuss book and can be several hundreds of years old). We ended our day at camp Shipton (13,800 ft). As we rolled into camp we were both beginning to feel the effects of the altitude. Keith had a miserable night, partially due to the guides force feeding us massive amounts of food. Lucky he enjoyed the meal twice; once going down and the other coming up.

Day 3- June 3rd: The day started at 2 am as we prepped for our summit attempt. We were only allowed hot water or tea to start our day… We would later learn exactly why. The sky was huge and filled with stars as we were led out of camp. The next few hours were a blur as we just tried to put one foot in front of the other and not get sick… We were only successful with the first goal (Even one of our guides was feeling the effects of the altitude). It was all worth it when we reached the summit and enjoyed the sunrise.

However, the day was not over yet. We still had to descend several thousand feet before we were able to rest for the day. It was another 12 hours later before we could unpack our bags and rest.

Day 4 – June 4th: Our last day on the trail allowed us a gradual downhill to the Naro Muro gate. We enjoyed the last few kilometers through the forest and appreciated the chance to take our boots off!

We would like to say the rest of the ride back to Nairobi was uneventful, but where is the fun in that. Let’s just say at one point we ended up chasing our bags across a parking lot of matatus… Everyone else seemed to know what was going on but we were a little nervous. In the end, it all worked out and we made it back to Kim’s place for some well deserved rest before our next adventure.