Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Mount Kenya!!!
Day One:
6am start at Braeburn car park. Rain, hopefully not a sign for things to come. Leaving the early morning rain behind we set off on our mammoth journey to Mount Kenya region! 5 hour drive ahead. Braeburn buses arent the most reliable and true to form broke down on the way!! A cracking start to the trip!! After the unplanned pit-stop we made it to the national park and began the climb to Old Moses, Camp 1. Baboons followed our trail but soon gave up on the hunt to play in the trees (too afraid of the 26 11 & 12 year olds!!). We reached Old Moses in time for hot drinks and dinner.
Day Two:
An early start, alarms set for 6am!! Much to the students delight! Breakfast and hydration drink!!! The dreaded hydration that Miss Maguire forced upon the students each day!!! Not convinced that the stuff even works (more pyschological!) Ahead was what we thought and were told would be a 6 hour day... Try doubling that!!! 11 hour hike to Shiptons, Camp 2. Walking at high altitude and gfor so long was a struggle for everyone, I felt like a Porter for day carrying bags of students that were too tired/ill to carry their own! We really pushed through the mental and physical boundaries of these kids!! Sean was the same, loaded with bags for much of the journey! We walked through the valley of Mount Kenya and had lunch down by the river, food and energy which we all appreciated! Finally we made it to Camp 2!!! All the students were exhausted so it wasnt hard to get them off to bed early!! A few were showing signs of altitude sickness, so we kept watch throughout the night to see signs of either recovery or worsening (if thats a word!!) By morning everything looked positive and it seemed that everyone would attempt the summit....
Day Three: SUMMIT DAY
Unfortunately it became clear that one student would not be able to attempt the climb as their health had deteriorated. The decision was made that Sean would head back down to Old Moses in order for the student to recover. This also meant that he was un able to summit. Everyone else got themselves wrapped up for the attempt. All in high spirits set off at 8.30am. The climb was great, the landscape amazing, the air getting thinner. The students were making great progress however for some it was just too high, they were for their own health and safety set backto Shiptons for recovery. This meant again that another member of staff was sacrificed. The rest of the group plodded on, students were being led by porters, who were doing a fantastic job of keeping them moving! Without their help the 18 who summitted would never have made it! The flag was in sight, bouyed by this the students kept on gonig. Summit was reached, everyone elated!!!! Time for photos and a peanut butter and jam sandwich!!! The views were stunning!!! After a good rest, 45 minutes, the students were asking when the helicopter was coming for them!!??? Good one, time to descend! This was the fun part and took half the time! Once back at Shiptons the stuidents were high on their successes!! And rightly so, what an acheivement!!! Those who were sent down from the mountain were recovering well, and soon join the celebrations. Another early night as we had a long trek ahead of us to come!
Day Four:
Journey back to Old Moses... Flew by! The kids were awesome they just kept on going. 6 and a half hours later we arrived. In the knowledge that tomorrow we would be heading home, the students had found some energy from somewhere and it was harder to keep them entertained. Tug of War and Jump Rope were a hit...
Day Five:
Home time!!! A downhill walk, avoiding Elephants and Buffalo!! The animals sometimes use the road in the mornings... Unfortunately or fortunately there were no animals this morning... We made it back to Nairobi for 4.30pm. Another long day.
A successful trip and an enjoyable one. The climb was tough but no comparison to Kilimanjaro. I still had energy left over.... We were all in need of a good wash!!!! A bath was first on the to do list!!!
- comments