9th March 2008 : Memories & Mount Kenya
Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 05:23PM The glorious rocky silhouette of Mount Kenya formed the backdrop to the Memorial Service for our dear friend who passed away in February, and whose life we united to celebrate last week at his daughter’s home bordering the spectacular Solio Ranch (home to one of Kenya’s finest rhino sanctuaries) near Nanyuki in central Kenya. Seated on straw bales in a grove of shady acacias, we remembered him, joined the Samburu tribesmen in their haunting prayers to Ngai – their God who symbolizes Nature and all her bounty – and we reminisced over the rich life of our friend, beneath the gaze of that benevolent, water-of-life-giving mountain.
It’s impossible for me to see the looming bulk of Mt Kenya, with her daunting rock and ice peaks, without casting my mind back to the two times I have climbed that mountain, and witnessed snow on the equator.
What an incredible experience that was…you start off by walking up through the rain forest, and then as the climate changes and the altitude rises, you break out into the moorlands, with their huge grass tussocks and ice-resistant lobelia plants (which have “anti-freeze” in their leaves to prevent them being destroyed by frost).
We spent the first night sleeping in a cave, a natural shelter in a rocky outcrop, and the next day we headed for the "moonscape" of Teleki Valley, and Mackinders, which at 14,000 feet is the base camp where we rested pending our bid for the summit. Being part of a group some of whom were not technical climbers (myself included), we headed for Lenana Peak (16,355ft), which - unlike its sister peaks of Batian and Nelion - you can reach without having to ice-climb – you just need to have the stubborn determination to overcome mountain sickness and a long climb up the scree slope (two steps forward, one step back), followed by a “knife-edge scrabble” over the final rocky outcrops until you finally reach the summit, and see the whole of Africa spread out before you. A feeling of triumph and awe overcomes you, rendering you totally oblivious to the fact that you look quite ridiculous, wrapped up like Eskimos against the cold.
With Ian in front of a perfect mountain lake, and
in the background, our goal: the peaks
On the first occasion that I climbed Mt Kenya, we were incredibly lucky to reach the summit on a crystal clear day and, in the distance, we were able to make out the iconic shape of Mount Kilimanjaro, the only mountain in Africa higher than the one we were standing on. The second time I climbed Mt Kenya, Kilimanjaro was hidden in haze, and I was suffering so badly from mountain sickness, I just wanted to get to the summit and back down again as quickly as I possibly could!
On the way up: posing with Giant Lobelias, and our destination: Mt Kenya's glorious peaks in the background
Click any image to enlarge
Our camp at Mackinders, in the Teleki Valley
Looking ridiculous but feeling triumphant: with Ian on the summit
But, I digress from the present…we are now back at Kulafumbi after spending a week in Nairobi where the politicians have signed a peace deal which we all hope will bring some sanity back to politics in this country, and allow the private sector to carry on forging ahead and taking this country forwards – for truth be told, it is private enterprise which really drives change and progress in Kenya.
Upon returning to Kulafumbi, we found the river to be lower than ever and the heat quite searing. I was greeted by the sight of a new lizard which I had never noticed before…It was very skink-like in appearance, but with a very long tail. Having gone through my Reptile Book, and googled a few lizards on the net, I think it must be a Long-tailed Lizard, latastia longicauda, but I stand to be corrected if any of my readers are more expert than me in the lizard department...until then, it shall be entered as a Long-tailed Lizard in my Kulafumbi Reptile List…
More photos of our Mt Kenya climbs, alongside other adventures...
Reader Comments (4)
I've never climbed Mt Kenya but always feel I should do, at some point, when I get the chance... It does make a beautiful setting though - some friends had a wedding near there. The most lovely clear day with lovely views, right up to the mountain.
Hi Imogen -
I promise you it's worth it! Strangely enough, I never had any inclination to climb Mt Kenya at all, but then some friends of ours were planning to climb the mountain and my husband (who climbed it many times back in his Army days) said we'd love to join in - without even asking me first! So, without even volunteering, the next thing I knew I was hauling my feet up the mountain...and I never regretted it for one moment - how fantastically beautiful it was, with the terrain and vegetation changing as we ascended, and the views just becoming more and more spectacular - I loved every minute of it - and could not wait to get back up there for my second climb less than a year later...
A wonderful read. I don't think I could climb a mountain like that. I envy those who can! I love the scenery, and that's a cute lizard, too.
I didn't think I could either - or more to the point, I didn't think I would enjoy it - but once I got started, I discovered that I could and I did! :)