Up Mt. Kenya

Breathtaking.

I have described many sceneries as breathtaking, but none is as deserving as the view atop Mt Kenya. The sunrise feels like the first one at creation, magnificently surreal. Everything is dwarfed at that height. Forests resemble mowed grass and hills are like pimples. Worries and fears are not spared either. You see, getting to the peak is not a casual stroll and if you can do it, all else is trivial. The clouds are like cotton pillows, and boy! don’t they look different on the other side. You are closer to God too, and if you listen keenly, you can hear Him in the wind. Maybe that’s just the thin air, or the high of the grandeur beheld. To find out, you must get there yourself.

I was walking up the road to a Rotary fellowship one Monday evening in late November when I got a call from a friend. We hadn’t spoken in a while and this had come as quite the surprise. Something had come up, they said, so they couldn’t climb Mt Kenya as they had hoped. Could I take their slot? Usually, when one gets such an invitation, they ask for an allowance of time to consider. I didn’t.

The journey up a mountain starts with a hill then a couple of hills. You must prepare your body and psyche. You also meet fellows like yourself with lofty ambitions of climbing mountains. You sit together on a bus and talk about your clubs’ projects, and how it’s a great thing to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation while doing things you enjoy. You build camaraderie and share snacks. You help each other carry bags after you realize that you over-packed. You experience many emotions during hikes, let’s not mention the aches that follow. In the end, you are ready to begin the ascent.

I went for two hikes, both in the Aberdare Ranges. Like everything else, their timing couldn’t have been better. Elephant Hill in early January was heavy. The odds had been stacked against me. I was unfit, did not have the right hiking gear and didn’t know what to carry. All I had was the resolve to get to the summit. The trek up is the hardest thing I’ve done yet. It is also the most spiritual I have gotten. Despite cursing all the way to the top, my highlight was getting rained on the way down. I fell in the mud multiple times. To top it off, I had no change of clothing and had to ride all the way back cold and muddy. Rurimeria Hill in early February caught me prepared. I had learned to dress right and pack right. Moreover, I didn’t exert myself much – having a “picnic” with friends halfway. The two hills were my bittersweet preparation.

What do you imagine the experience of climbing a mountain is like? Long, and unending; rough and uncomfortable; lonely and spiritual; cold but sweaty…? At the beginning, we all thought so but the experience proved different. The organizers, led by Gathua Muhia – Rotaract District 9212 Director, The Rotary Foundation – made it as pleasant as a holiday hotel stay. Originally intended for couples to enjoy a valentine’s day getaway, the event was largely attended by single ladies and gentlemen – who, interestingly, made marvelous company. The preparation hikes, seven in total held over several months, ensured we were more than ready to summit the second highest mountain in Africa. And being the valentine’s weekend, the mood played a role, bringing excitement and setting.

We departed for the mountain on 12th February. We got forms to sign on the way, and it was then that it dawned on me that knocking things off bucket lists could carry the risk of kicking the bucket altogether. The ride to Nanyuki was full of fun and laughter, and we barely noticed the five hours go by. We arrived at Sirimon Gate well in the afternoon, where, to our rude shock, the buses would leave us. We’d have to walk, with our bags, to the first camp – 9 km away. It was a lovely stroll despite our original scare of rain. We were like primary school children off to camp. We got to Judmaier camp at 6 P.M. to find out tents already pitched and tea ready. As we waited for supper, we played games of Risk and cards. Mountain weather treated us to its finest too. The temperature dropped rapidly and the winds made sure we noticed.

The second day started early. After breaking fast and camp, and bottling water at a stream, we set off to cover the 14 km to Shipton Camp. The change in vegetation was just what geography classes had promised. We hopped over streams and trod over swamps. We stopped periodically to catch our breaths and take the sights in. We took selfies. Lunch was served, picnic-style, by a bubbling brook. A light drizzle couldn’t dampen our spirits. I made two friends that day.

Shipton rests at the base of the peaks, surrounded by snow-covered tops and bare rock cliffs. It is beautiful. It is art. We would nap here until 2 A.M. and begin the last stretch to the tip of Lenana. The shroud of darkness is ingenious for no one would climb by light. Step by step, barely seeing beyond a meter or two, did we go up in a single file. It got as cold as -5° and toes and fingers froze solid. We hiked on. The 3 km from Shipton to peak felt much longer. All would be forgotten once we summitted that morning. Never has a single valentine’s felt as good.

Climbing mountains has many metaphors about life. My greatest lesson was on the Rotary spirit. People from different places and of varied ages came together with a common goal and made friends to keep. I went home with memories and new friends, having touched a life through my donation to the Rotary Foundation (TRF). To read more about TRF click HERE.

By Elvis Karaya – President, Rotaract Club of University of Nairobi.

Never before have Rotaractors hiked Mt. Kenya to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation. We thought, we should be the first. 15 energetic youth of legal age accepted the challenge, took months getting fit and spent the 2020 Valentines weekend up Africa’s second highest mountain. Funds raised from this Rotaract Mt. Kenya Hike shall be donated to the Polio Fund. To read more about the Polio Fund click HERE.