I have climbed so many mountains that I cannot count. In Kenya, I have reached the top of all the mountains that I know of, and repeated several. My hiking addiction started in 2019, with climbing two mountains every month.
Then I fell in love with what the mountains offer; relaxation, mental rest, and solitude at the top. It is also a way to stay fit and test my endurance. I started with Sleeping Warriors, Ugali, and Saucer, all at Lake Elementaita. So far, I have done repeat hikes to the Aberdare ranges, including doing traverses, where we hike two peaks in a day.
There is a time I did Rurimueria Hill, Seven Ponds, and Table Mountain in a day. We started at 7am, reached the peak of Rurimueria Hill at midday, crossed over to Seven Ponds, and then Table Mountain, then back to the foot of the mountain. It was an 11-hour hike.
The most hectic hike for me has been Mt Meru in Tanzania. It was steep and rocky and very cold. The trail meanders, and you reach huge peaks before you get to the main peak. Every time you think you have reached, you find you haven’t.
A few things that I appreciate learning early from my guide is having the correct gear, especially the shoes; not to rush up the mountain but listen to my body because the body behaves differently atop a mountain; and I don’t have to reach the peak. The mountain will always be there, you do not have to die summitting, you can always come back.
One of the most memorable hikes has been to Lake Ellis. It is one of the five glacial lakes located along Mt Kenya route. My best friend Sue and I decided to visit the stunning Lake Ellis in 2019. When we reached, we had to leave our bus 21 kilometres from the start point because the road was impassable. We trekked and hired a Landrover midway.
Immediately we got to the trail, we were greeted with swampy, slippery moorland and bogs that if you do not watch your step, you fall. The trail had several small groups of hikers either going to or coming from Mt Kenya and porters carrying heavy luggage.
A few kilometres into the steep and slippery stretch, a Landcruiser rolled. It slammed into a tree, broke it into half. Yet it emerged with a small dent, two cracks, and no one was hurt. We continued with the chilly and shaded forest walk until we were spat out into another long stony trail with breathtaking views of the hills surrounding the mountain like the volcano-shaped Mugi hill, valleys, winding roads, and forest flowers.
At this point in the hike, the air changed, it became harder to breathe as our bodies began to adjust to the change in altitude. Our steps slowed. The wild weather swings, one minute the sun is up and the next it is so cold you struggle to feel your fingers, it made it hard for us to shed the warm clothes we had layered and gloves.
The last two kilometres were the toughest. We finally made it to the lake, ate, took pictures, interacted with the campers on their way up Mt Kenya, and started descending before nightfall. One group spotted buffaloes on their way back. After the hike, our second phase of the adventure began.
Remember, we had left our bus 21 kilometres away, so we had to rely on one rickety Landrover to drive 29 of us back. We were split into two groups. Nightfall found us waiting for the jalopy to return from the first trip. It got so cold and foggy. We huddled around a smoky bonfire in shifts to keep warm while wondering if the wild animals joined the party.
There was no phone signal so we could not communicate with family or ask the driver of the jalopy of his whereabouts. He finally came back at 8.30 pm. Sue sat near a faulty door that if pushed gently, she would have found herself in the forest “chilling” with wild animals. Forest darkness and fog is indescribable.
The driver could not see clearly, his hands got too cold to hold the steering wheel properly, and the vehicle developed mechanical issues… But finally, we made it home at 2.30 am, exhausted, and just like all hiking addicts, ticked off the Lake Ellis exhilarating experience off our bucket list and started thinking of another.
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