Climbing Mount Kenya

It took us two weeks after descending Mt. Kilimanjaro to make a decision on whether we wanted to do another high altitude hike.  In the end, we again felt that if we were that close we needed to do it.  The highest peak reachable without technical climbing is Point Lenana, which is almost 1000 meters (3280 ft) lower than Kilimanjaro.  

We were dropped off by the previous tour in Nanyuki as we didn’t want to drive to Nairobi just to turn around and drive back North.  Since we had the time, we went ahead and rented our warm clothes as we’d have cold night with the altitude.  Everything was set for the following day so we grabbed dinner before resting up.

Day 1

David, our guide, would be driving up from Nairobi and was scheduled to pick us up at 10:30 am.  We grabbed breakfast from a nearby shop and walked to the equator to play with water.  At our last crossing of the imaginary line that circles the center of the Earth there was a man asking for money in exchange for showing us how the water drains differently.  We kindly declined, but now wanted to try our own science experiment. 

 

With a cut-up bottle and extra water, we went to the sign.  After several attempts and getting more water on our shoes than on the ground, we learned firsthand that it all depends on how you pour the water in.  While we played, we got a call from David saying he was already in town.

Back at the hotel, we paid what remained of our fee and then finished packing as much as we could into 1 of our big backpacks.  We’d decided to not carry our own things and opted for one bag to have fewer porters.  After an hour, David was back and we drove to Sirimon Gate (2650 m, 8694 ft) where the rest of our crew was waiting for us.  They prepared us lunch, we paid our park fees and were off.  Most of the guys caught a ride to camp as the road would take you almost the whole way there, but we walked the 8.5 kms (5.3 miles) to our campsite.

 

 

We had been given the option of sleeping in huts, but requested to use a tent.  The hut was further up the mountain and we were joined by a few other campers.  We were given tea and popcorn while we played cards and chatted with other couple.  Before we knew it, dinner was served and it was time to crawl in.  It almost instantly got colder once the sun went down so we didn’t mind getting into our sleeping bags for warmth.

 

 

Day 2

We woke up to the sounds of birds chirping directly outside of our tent well before our alarm went off.  Tico stuck his head out and spotted the little guys in the bush next to us as they were eyeing our crew’s tent while they prepared breakfast.  The sun was out and it was starting to warm up.  Once we had everything packed back up, we sat down for breakfast and managed to spot a couple eland in the distance near the path we’d be taking. 

We set off in the general direction of the peaks that were now visible as the clouds had lifted.  It wasn’t possible to see Point Lenana, the peak we’d be summiting, but we had an idea of where we were headed.   We walked through fields of heather and crossed several streams.  The ground got wetter as we walked and we spent most of the day jumping over puddles or using rocks to get through them.  The higher we got the colder the wind was.  

 

 

We stopped for breaks every hour or so and enjoyed the fact that the sun was out for most of the morning.  Although we didn’t realize this when booking the climb, we were in rainy season and we’d be very lucky if we made it the whole way without rain.  Around lunchtime, the clouds started to come in.  They moved fast so we had hopes that they wouldn’t drop their load on us.  It drizzled on and off, but nothing that warranted us using our rain jackets or ponchos.  We stopped for a quick picnic lunch and then carried on.  

 

 

 

The trail led us through fields of giant and ostrich lobelia plants.  The clouds cleared and we could see the 3 peaks.  David pointed at which one we’d be going to and then we saw the hut not far in the distance.  Again, we’d set up our tent nearby instead of staying inside.  The drizzle started to pick up and we decided that even though we were close, it was time to gear up.  As we were pulling out our ponchos, Tico realized that small pieces of ice were actually coming down with the rain.  We continued on and the sleet stopped only to be replaced by snow flurries.  Even though it was cold, we were surprised that as it didn’t feel that cold.  

 

 

 

 

After 14 kms (8.7 miles) in 6.5 hours, we reached Shipton’s hut (4200 m; 13,780 ft) and went in for hot noodle soup and cover from the rain.  Our tent was already set up in the field in front.  It was all alone as everyone else would be sleeping in the hut.  We chatted with other hikers and heard about other people’s trips while continually drinking hot water or tea.  The rain/snow stopped just before dinner and the sky opened up completely.  We could see the snow that had accumulated just beneath the peak and the path we’d take to the top.  

 

Dinner was served and we reserved a backup plan for sleeping in the event that it was too cold in the tent.  There were empty beds in the hut, but would require extra payment if we decided to use them.  So we finally made our way out to the tent to bundle up in every piece of clothing we had  with and cocooned ourselves into our sleeping bags.

 

Day 3

Surprisingly enough, both of us got hot during the night considering how many layers we had on.  It dropped down to 2°C (36°F) inside the tent, but it helped that the tent was much smaller this time.  We heard the sounds of a helicopter doing laps before we emerged from the tent, but didn’t think much of it.  

 

 

As we sat down for breakfast, we caught up with other groups and those who hiked to the summit that morning.  The girl that had just come down told us about her accomplishment and then the news of other hikers started to trickle in.  One guy got altitude sickness during the night and went down to the camp we’d come from the night before.  Another man who was doing the technical climbing to Point Baitan didn’t make it back.  We’d seen a headlamp coming down in the evening, but just assumed that they’d been delayed by the snowstorm.  The story was different from each person we asked, but the somber ending was always the same.  The guide tried to do what he could, but he came back alone.  

 

We ate breakfast while getting bits of more information and saying goodbye to one of our porters as he had a family emergency.  The day would be a simple hike with the purpose of acclimatizing better for our summit the next day.  The sky was clear blue and we walked up until we reached rocks and no vegetation.  We stopped for breaks and enjoyed the views around us.  The highest point was 4700 m (13,780 ft) and we watched as two guys from camp abseiled down a nearby peak.  The clouds started to come in and with them came a cold wind.  We decided it was time to come down and slid with the loose rocks to make the descent much faster than the ascent.  

 

 

 

Lunch was served almost immediately and then we had the rest of the afternoon to relax.  We played cards, wandered around and chatted with others.  As it had the day before, the sleet/rain started in the early afternoon and sounded much worse on the tin roof than it actually was.  It didn’t stop us from walking to the nearby stream to check out the small waterfall.  This time it lasted longer than the previous day and we wondered if it’d clear up at night.  

 

 

 

 

Nightfall came while we were eating dinner and there were still clouds in the sky.  It was clearing, but it wasn’t a sky full of stars as it had been the night before.  We were tucked into our sleeping bags early and hoped for the best as the alarm would go off at 2:30 am and we needed the weather on our side to get to the top.  

Day 4

It was pitch black when the alarm went off and moments later David came to make sure we were up.  The outline of the peaks was clear as was the sky had cleared so we had hopes of a good hike.  We had slept in all of our clothes so getting ready was easy before gulping down a tea with a few biscuits.  

We set out along the trail and almost immediately started climbing.  The ground was covered in frost and the parts of the path that would have been wet from the rain were now thin sheets of ice.  Regardless, it was hot and we stopped to peel layers off a couple times.  A cold wind would blow occasionally and as we moved up the mountain, it got colder.  The outline of the peak was getting closer, but it still seemed far away.  David asked for the time a couple times and we were always ahead of schedule. 

We stopped for a break when we reached a small clearing where another group was also waiting.  It was -4°C (25°F) by then and time to put back on the layers we’d removed earlier.  The sky was starting to brighten and an orange line had appeared along the horizon.  Not long after, we turned off our lights and made the final ascent with the brightness of the sky.  Batian, Mount Kenya’s highest peak, was on our right with a glacier in the valley and Point Lenana, our destination, stood before us.  

 

 

 

 

The final climb was literally just that as we used the world’s highest ferrata (metal ladder) to reach the summit.  We were there just in time to watch as the perfectly-round red sun appeared over the horizon.  It almost immediately started to get warmer, which helped to thaw out our fingers and toes.  We spent about 20 minutes on the peak taking pictures and taking in the views around us.  

 

 

 

We worked our way down the same path and could see the lake that David had pointed out in the darkness before.  The hut we’d come from was far below and we turned right off our previous path to follow the trail to Mintos Hut.  There were several lakes in the valleys between peaks and some were partially covered with a thin layer of ice.  We worked our way down out of the rocky terrain and back into vegetation.  The lobelia plants reappeared and we were descending rapidly towards the lakes.  

 

 

 

 

The sun was heating us up and we made several stops to remove layers.  We had breakfast at a picnic site by several lakes and were ready for food by the time we arrived.  It also gave us the opportunity to get rid of all of our layers by putting them back in our big bag.  Once we were done eating, the path led us down through a few craters that were the leftovers of volcanoes from millions of years before.  Then, we walked along the edge of Gorges Valley.  It’s named appropriately as it is a massive green valley with a large lake at the bottom.  The lake runs off into a river that created a waterfall between the sheer drops of the gorge.  

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped again and again to take in the view.  The clouds were starting to form and would blow in to cover the valley, but it only added to the experience.  If the valley on one side wasn’t enough, we began to walk along a ridge that let us see down towards the largest lake in the region.  We found a group stopped and they were waiting for the clouds to clear as they had spotted elephants on the other side of the valley.  Although we struggled to find them, we finally saw the small brown specs that were the grazing animals in the distance. 

 

The landscape changed once again and we were walking through protea shrubs.  The path was cut into the ground so the plants were taller than us.  We turned off the ridge and crossed a stream, which we used to refill our water bottles.  There were voices in the distance and we assumed our lunch break was coming.  We arrived to find a clearing with our crew preparing food nearby.  

 

The sun was out in full force and we wished we had some of the cloud cover from before to keep us cool.  The universe must of heard us because as we put our packs back on the clouds came in and with them a few drops started to fall.  We hoped that it would be similar to the drizzle days before, but as we continued on it only got harder.  Our porters used their umbrellas and we put on our ponchos.  We walked along what looked like may have been a road in the past.  The group walked in a single-file line swerving from side to side depending on which tire track had less water.  

The last section before reaching camp was through a forest that looked as if an animal would be hiding in it.  We saw buffalo and elephant prints in the mud, but no other sign of the animals.  Our home for the night would be at the Chogoria bandas, which was at the gate of the park.  After almost exactly 12 hours, we reached the green field and hung our wet things under an overhang to dry.   

 

Our tent was set up near the buildings and we wandered around to explore.  We found waterbuck in the field behind us and evidence of buffalos around the camp.  Our cards kept us occupied until the sun set and it got chillier.  Jackson, one of our porters, offered to dry our shoes by the fire and shortly after we joined him to heat ourselves up.  Once we felt like things were dry enough, we climbed into our tent one last time.

 

Day 5

Around midnight, there was a chomping sound outside of our tent.  Tico slowly opened the tent to confirm our suspicion of there being a buffalo.  The minute the light hit its eyes he retreated back into the bush.  The next morning we heard that there were around 20 buffalo near the building our crew slept in.  There were still a few waterbuck in the field across the way, but they quickly moved away as more people walked around camp.  

The peak could be seen far off in the distance, but around sunrise clouds started to hover over the summit.  We realized how lucky we’d been to have a clear view out while we were up there the previous day and that we didn’t get wet while we were cold.  We packed our things and ate breakfast as we waited for our ride.  The original plan was to hike part of the way to the town of Chogoria, but as we’d be following a road we opted for a ride out.  

With our bags strapped to the roof and the driver forcing the automatic door shut, we left the park behind us.  The road led us through the forest where the chirping of the birds echoed through the canopy.  There were siek monkeys in the road and evidence of elephants nearby.  We reached Chogoria and said goodbye to most of our crew.  David would come back to Nairobi with us, but the rest would head back towards Nanyuki.  

 

We boarded a matatu shuttle and then went in search of more passengers.  Once we were full, we continued downhill through fields of tea plantations and banana trees.  The scenery then changed to rice farming before there were plots of tree plantations and pineapples.  All the while, slowing returning to more and more civilization.

While the hike was nowhere near as difficult as climbing Kilimanjaro, the hike was definitely worth it.  The variety of landscapes added a special something to the high altitude hike.  The views of the nearby peaks and the vegetation made us glad that we’d made the decision to climb Mount Kenya.

Helpful tips:

• We highly recommend using David with Mount Kenya Peak Tours.  
• If you want to climb to the highest peak, Batian, be aware that it will require technical climbing with ropes.
• While very different from Kilimanjaro, the views and landscapes were more beautiful on Mount Kenya.