Mt Kenya is a 5199m giant, the highest mountain in Kenya. The mountain is crowned by several rocky summits, many of which can only be reached by technical climbers. However, Point Lenana at 4985m is a relatively easy climb and by far the most popular summit on the mountain. I decided to give it a crack.
After some initial problems finding a reliable local guide, I finally found a good one at the Mt Kenya Guides and Porters Safari Club. His name was John Mike, a nuggety guy at least 50 years old and one of the original founders of the club. Despite his age and gear that was almost as old as he was, he set a pretty smart pace. We spent the first night at 3000m. The highlight (actually a lowlight) of the second day was the so-called ‘vertical bog’, a miserable climb through endless mud and slime from which no pair of boots emerges unscathed. We finally reached Mackinder’s Camp at 4200m and there I pitched my tent. We were both in bed by 8 pm as we wanted to be on Pt Lenana for sunrise the following morning.
Me and the Boss
We set off still half-asleep and in darkness at 3.30 am, plodding with torches and small backpacks up a seemingly endless scree slope. I was wearing every item of clothing in my backpack, a total of 8 different layers, and was still frozen. Fortunately I didn’t feel the altitude too much. John Mike was suffering a bit though, and 150m below the summit, he had to stop. The horizon was already a spectrum of colour, with a few stars still visible up above – day was breaking. I was not about to stop this close to the summit, so I pushed on by myself, running on adrenaline. With every minute, it got lighter and the spectacular view revealed itself. With a final scramble over the rock and ice, I hauled myself up to the summit and immediately collapsed huffing and puffing. The sun crept over the horizon and started casting long shadows over the plains far below. I’d made it!
Just before sunrise
That's where I was
After some initial problems finding a reliable local guide, I finally found a good one at the Mt Kenya Guides and Porters Safari Club. His name was John Mike, a nuggety guy at least 50 years old and one of the original founders of the club. Despite his age and gear that was almost as old as he was, he set a pretty smart pace. We spent the first night at 3000m. The highlight (actually a lowlight) of the second day was the so-called ‘vertical bog’, a miserable climb through endless mud and slime from which no pair of boots emerges unscathed. We finally reached Mackinder’s Camp at 4200m and there I pitched my tent. We were both in bed by 8 pm as we wanted to be on Pt Lenana for sunrise the following morning.
Me and the Boss
We set off still half-asleep and in darkness at 3.30 am, plodding with torches and small backpacks up a seemingly endless scree slope. I was wearing every item of clothing in my backpack, a total of 8 different layers, and was still frozen. Fortunately I didn’t feel the altitude too much. John Mike was suffering a bit though, and 150m below the summit, he had to stop. The horizon was already a spectrum of colour, with a few stars still visible up above – day was breaking. I was not about to stop this close to the summit, so I pushed on by myself, running on adrenaline. With every minute, it got lighter and the spectacular view revealed itself. With a final scramble over the rock and ice, I hauled myself up to the summit and immediately collapsed huffing and puffing. The sun crept over the horizon and started casting long shadows over the plains far below. I’d made it!
Just before sunrise
That's where I was
No comments:
Post a Comment