5 December 2007
I arrived into Nairobi with Suze to complete a reconnaissance on Mt Kenya so we can start to operate expeditions to climb the second highest peak in Africa. We were met at the airport by Lusega who kindly took us into town to the Herron Court Hotel which is close to downtown Nairobi. Later, after a swim in the pool, we took a cab to Carnivores restaurant, apparently one of the 50 best restaurants in the world which I gather is because of its exotic nature. As the name suggests they specialize in meat and a large fire pit fills the entrance hall where sweating cooks prepare all sorts of meat on long shishkabarbs. I never thought I’d be eating crocodile meat (the natural order is usually the other way round!) and there were other weird and wonderful treats to try out. Jet lag set in and we returned through the city to the hotel.
6 December
Today we drove to the base of Mt Kenya and it was really interesting to travel from the dry and scrubby plains of Nairobi up through the vegetation band and onto the high savannah on which Mt Kenya sits. We arrived at the Naru Moro river lodge for the night which is a sweet
7 December
We haven’t actually seen the mountain as yet. As volcanos in equatorial regions tend to do there is a lot of cloud on the lower reaches, the moisture feeding the rain forest below. So it was up into the cloud we went to the park ‘gate’, or
A well organized camp site at Met station (3000m) is the site of our first night on the mountain. After a good feed we sit around at sunset watching the antelopes and blue monkeys roaming around the forest.
8 December
The sun shines brightly after the overnight rain clears so everything has that fresh look in the morning. We trekked further up the track through the dense forest that is not too dissimilar to the forests in New Zealand’s west coast. However, as we climbed higher we left the forest and entered into a section called ‘the vertical bog’ which is a wetland swampy area that
After a long uphill ascent we arrived into Mackinder’s camp at 4,200m. It’s more than a camp, it’s a large stone hut with multiple bunk rooms and it’s set up to cater to the large trekking groups that come through here. Out the window there are great views of our objective, the magical twin peaks of Mt Kenya! I used to read books about world climbing that showed pictures of the Diamond Couloir on Mt Kenya and here it was right in front of me! I love that feeling of getting to know of a mountain, or a route on a mountain, and then actually getting to go there and see it in person. It always seems so much better in real life yet
9 December
A nice trail in perfect weather leads us up and around the right side of the mountain until we are beneath the base of Nelion peak and close to Lenana, the easy trekking peak sold as an ascent of Mt Kenya to
10 December
Awake at 4am and away by 5am in the dark. In a few minutes we don the crampons and shoot across the glacier then hike up the hill for 30 minutes to the base of the route. As we rack up the climbing gear the dawn breaks and we can see endless sheets of orange rock glowing beautifully above us. It’s chilly, I’ve got all my layers on but I soon warm up as I run the rope out for the first pitch. Suze follows swiftly and soon we are sharing the belay and looking at the next section. This is a route first climbed By Eric Shipton and Wyn Harris in 1929 and they skillfully interpreted the complicated rock formations to reveal a route that whilst convoluted, is mostly straightforward on the lower sections. Pitch after pitch follows and in a couple of hours we are at Baille’s biv – a sheet of roofing iron formed into a small shelter on the steep face. We stop for a snack and look over the ridge where the route
11 December
A nice stroll up to Lenana Peak works the lactic acid out of the system after yesterday’s exploits. We are met by massive views in every direction and we can see down the Sirimon Valley to the east with its big walls and interesting looking forests. If only we had the time to explore it all! We descend around to the north side of the mountain and down into Mackinder’s valley, passing the climbing routes on that side and making plans to
12 December
We return to Nairobi and visit the animal orphanage that is akin to a small zoo. Surprisingly we are invited into a cage where three Cheetahs are feeding and the zoo keeper encouraged us to pat the big cats, something I never thought in my wildest dreams that I’d ever do. The following day we are to leave Kenya which seems all too soon. There’s so much to see and do here that I guess we’ll just have to come back. It really has been a nice adventure on the mountain and in the country itself. Mt Kenya has such unique plant life and the backdrop of the twin peaks of Kenya make it all the more dramatic and exotic. I can see why Eric Shipton was drawn to the area in the early days, before it had become known, but for me going there this time, I’m sure I felt at least some small portion of personal discovery that Shipton must have felt. I don’t think we need a specific reason to travel across the world to climb mountains, see new sights and meet new people but for me at least, it makes me appreciate life and increases my understanding of the world we live in.
Guy Cotter
