When I look back at the whole adventure, I still can't pinpoint who pulled me into the crazy idea of climbing Mount Kenya. It is the highest mountain in Kenya, rising to an altitude of 17,000 feet.
Mount Kenya is an extinct volcano that lies astride the equator. It is not only the second highest peak in Africa, it also gives you the experience of going through all the ecological zones of the world as you do your climb—from the tropical mountain forests at the base, to bamboo forests, heath and moorland, rock and scree, and ultimately snow and ice at the peak.
I also need to mention that it is a UNESCO World Heritage site because it is the only place in the world where you can find lobelia telekii. This flowering plant is native to the high mountains of tropical eastern Africa and inhabits dry, rocky slopes between an astonishing 9,000- to 12,000-feet elevation.
Photo courtesy of the family
Canute Waswa and his family grab some well-earned rest during their climb up Mount Kenya, the second-highest peak in Africa.
Prior to that, we had done a community service work camp in a Children’s Home. The purpose of the work camp was not only to get us to bond and gel as a team, but also to instill in us a culture of giving to the needy in our society.
Facing a Challenge
Even after committing to the expedition, I was still scared. I've heard stories of folks who never made it back on their two feet—or even with their life. So I smiled on the outside, but I was blaming myself for falling for the bait.
When departure day came, we woke up before the sun was out, gathered our stuff, and boarded the bus.
I started feeling homesick when I thought we were quite a distance from Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Except that we weren't moving. The bus broke down barely one hour out of the city. I thought to myself, “Maybe this is an omen of utter importance. Something really bad is going to happen to us on this trip.”
We waited a few hours before the replacement bus arrived and we could go on with our journey.
I must've fallen asleep, because when I woke up, we had just reached Nanyuki—the town that was going to be the base camp of our mountain ascent. Nanyuki lies on the leeward side of the mountain, so its climate is sort of dusty and dry: perfect for ranches and nomads, and anyone who doesn't mind being burned by the sun on a regular basis.
The service providers we engaged were called Batian’s View. They received us warmly.
Team Effort
As we stretched our sore legs and admired their oasis in the middle of nowhere, I noted that we were the only group at the facility. I later learned that mountain tourism had been hit very hard by COVID-19, hence the lack of clients. After I filled myself with delicious food, we were given a small briefing about the mountain and what we needed to carry and when. By the time we were leaving to go to the gate of Mount Kenya National Park, the atmosphere was expectant—almost tense—like the dark in the cinema before the movie starts.
I'm not going to mention all the porters, guides, cooks, and staff who helped our expedition succeed. I'll also not try and describe all that I saw and heard on the mountain because I wouldn’t even scratch the surface. The only justice you can do to the mountain is to go and visit it, and there are many opportunities to.
If you're wondering whether I made it to the top, I did.
Let's just leave it there.