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I just returned from a weekend of climbing Mt. Kenya with my friends Lily and Emily. It was AWESOME to say the least!! We started from Naro Moru on Friday afternoon and spent the night at 10,000 ft. after around 4 hours of hiking (up hill). It reached below freezing that night so we knew we were in for a treat the next night. Please don't make fun...I know below 32 degrees doesn't seem bad to all of you but for somebody who's been in Kenya for the past two months, 32 degrees seems pretty cold. The next morning we hiked for about 6 hours and went up another 4,000 feet. to camp at the base of the mountain at 14,300 ft. We went to be early Saturday night, because Sunday morning at 3 am we would be leaving to summit Pt. Lanana at sunrise. The night was cold and I was thankful to have my winter sleeping bag, wool socks, and long johns. Thankfully the long johns had a zippered crotch so that made the trip to the outhouse a little bit better. 3 am came very fast. We had a quick breakfast of candybars, cookies, and tea and then headed up the mountain with our head lamps. The going was slow and I am so happy I didn't have to see how far we had to go. We just concentrated on the few feet ahead of us and took it slow. It's crazy how difficult a few steps can be when the air gets thin. We reached the summit, Pt. Lanana, at 16,355 ft. a little after 6 am and saw a beautiful sunrise. It was a little more difficult than any of us expected, even the guide, because the glacier that was typically there had gone down and there was a lot of loose stone making it difficult to keep our footing plus ALOT of wind, but we eventually made it. By the time we reached the top, our water bottles were frozen, but thankfully none of us had altitude sickness too bad since we were quite acclimated to the altitude living in the Mount Kenya region. We spent as long as we could stand on the top and then headed back down to camp for a much anticipated breakfast. Breakfast never tasted better and the air felt so thick!! We were allowed to take about a 2 hour break then we had back down the mountain to Naro Moru. We hitched a ride down from the first camp at 10,000 ft to Naro Moru where we spent the night. It wasn't until we reached the hotel that our guide started telling us how dangerous our route was and how many people have died, etc. I guess it was good he waited because I don't know if we would've continued all the way to the top if we knew everything he was telling us! :) But I'm so happy we did because it was one of the most breath-taking (not just because of the lack of oxygen) views I have ever seen. We have some bruised butts from slipping and sliding down the scree and sore muscles and joints, but it is well worth it.
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