Last weekend before self-quarantine
COVID-19 arrived late to Kenya. I cannot complain about that, do not get me wrong. Thanks to this virus delay, I was able to keep socializing until March 16th, Monday. Quarantine is still not forced here, there is no lock-down. The curfew from 7 pm to 5 am started only on March 27th. The government is taking all the precautions to prevent the fast spread of the disease. So, just before the start of my self-quarantine, I had an amazing hiking weekend, which is the purpose of this writing.
We, as a group of 9 friends, decided to do this hike with a tourist agency, since that would provide us a minivan with a driver and guides who know the route by heart. For security reasons in wildlife, we also had a ranger who escorted us along the journey.
Program:
March 14th, Saturday
06.00 – Leaving Nairobi
09.00 – Arrival at the Njabini Forest Gate
10.00 – Starting the Elephant Hill hike
* Camping at the Elephant Hill
March 15th, Sunday
05.00 – Starting the hike to Mount Kinangop
Reaching the summit, short rest and going back to the Elephant Hill
12.00 – Reaching the Elephant Hill
Short break, packing the camp and starting the way back to the forest gate
15.00 – Arriving at the Njabini Forest Gate and driving back to Nairobi
That program meant that
We will walk around 9 km to Elephant Hill and the elevation of this walk is about 1,050 meters Njabini Forest Gate altitude: 2,550 meters Elephant Hill altitude: 3,600 meters
From Elephant Hill to Mount Kinangop, the walking distance is around 5 km and the route is very challenging with high plants. This 5 km journey meant 200 meters downhill and 500 meters uphill from Elephant Hill to Kinangop and vice versa on the way back.
Oh and I should remember to mention that each one of us had to carry his bag, which is on average 10 kg containing tent, sleeping bag, water, food, spare clothes, and all the other necessary belongings.
Waking up in dark on a Saturday morning is not very tempting unless there is a good reason behind it! And to me, this hike was a good enough reason. We were already at the meeting point by 6 am sharp and we hit the road without a big delay.
We reach the Njabini Forest Gate around 9 am. The tickets are paid at the gate, the ranger joined us. And all of the group members made sure to put some sunscreen to protect themselves from the burning Africa sun! Generally speaking, we were very lucky with the weather this weekend. It only rained on Saturday night, when we were in our tents.
The Elephant Hill hike offers a variety of different sceneries. The first few kilometers are a forest walk, not too steep and it is an enjoyable walk. After this “nice walk” part of the hike, the bamboo forest starts. It was my first time in a bamboo forest. The views are incredible. The bamboos are very tall and strong. The bamboo forest is uphill, but it was not the killer. The only trouble passing the forest was that it was just a little muddy.
After the forest, the real pain started. Finally, we reached to “Desperado” – the point of despair as it is explained. That point is in the 7th kilometer of the hike, and the altitude is about 3,255 meters. Knowing that a short distance to achieve is left, but with another 250-meter climbing does not relieve one’s mind. But again, the weather was great, and we were happy to do this hike. The landscape is amazing, it is silent, great weather conditions not cold, not rainy. No reason to complain.
The last 2 km of the hike was a real challenge. It was very steep and tiring. And breathing got more difficult with the changing altitude. To me, for sure the steepness was a reason to slow down, but my main problem was having short breaths. That tires me a lot. But sure, we made it to the summit! It was almost 3 pm when we reached the peak.
After taking all these “We made it!” photos, we set the tents and prepared the early dinner. It was very windy, and cold; therefore dinner was quick and we ended up going into our tents around 7 pm. It rained cats and dogs for some hours during the night. Still, I could sleep even though I woke up many times during the night.
(A short record from the first kms of the hike)
I like to divide this hike into three parts. Downhill, flat and terrifying uphill.
The first downhill part from the top was a cliff-like stage, from which I was afraid to fall. No joke, if you fall, I think that it might be quiet big damage… Having a good headlamp and a hiking stick is very crucial for this part of the hike. Without a lamp, it must be very annoying, but without a stick, it is manageable. This overall 200 meters of the downhill journey was very muddy for me. I fell at least 5 times because I stepped in the wrong place. And once you fall a couple of times, you just get used to falling and you end up falling more. This is what happens to me at least. And more things to keep in mind, I had light hiking shoes, which were not waterproof. So, after stepping on mud and water plenty of times, my feet were completely soaked. It was still dark, and I was already freezing when we completed the downhill part of the journey. The flat part was very okay. Still freezing but at least flat, you just keep walking. That part is where the buffalos live, so it is important not to be far from your group, this is what the guides and the ranger say.
The sun started to rise at 6 am, it was very beautiful. We hoped to be at the summit fort he sunrise, but it seemed impossible to make it on time. I was cold, tired and nervous from being cold. One thing I already knew about myself is that I hate cold. The only time I enjoy it is that if I am in front of a chimney with a soft blanket and a glass of red. And in this situation, there was none of the above. And we had a high mountain to climb up. It was around 7 am that I wanted to give up. I was frozen, tired and not motivated to see the view from the top. Looking at the summit, and not feeling like we are getting closer did not help either. So, I suggested that I stop and the rest continues. But of course, that was not feasible. If I had stopped, I would get even more frozen. My option was to take one guide and walk back to the Elephant Hill, which did not feel very safe either, because in that case, we would not have a ranger. So, I had to keep my mouth shut and keep walking. And I felt the pain in every step. But I stopped complaining and that I believe made it less annoying for the rest of the group.
Voila, we reached the top, I was still grumpy. I took my shoes off and tried to dry my socks a bit. The sun was shining and the Mount Kenya was smiling at us amongst the fluffy white clouds. After enjoying the summit for some time, we walked back to Elephant Hill. The way back was a lot easier and better because the sun was shining on my back and I was not cold anymore.
Going back to the Elephant Hill felt like I am home again, our tents were there in the end! There we rest again, ate again and packed to head back to the gate, to go back to our real homes.
The journey back to the gate felt a lot longer than going up to Elephant Hill. I was tired and willing to go back home soonest possible. My feet were hurting a lot, therefore reaching the car felt very good. I was happy to have completed the full program, even though I failed myself in between, for a short while.
It was a unique weekend, and that was my first real hiking weekend, carrying my bag and all. Ideally, this hike is a pre-hike, a preparation for Mount Kenya, which we were hoping to do for the weekend after. But on Sunday evening, we realized that it is not a very good idea to plan such an adventurous weekend until the COVID-19 situation dissolves in Kenya. So today, April 2nd, I wrote about this joyful weekend sitting at my desk at home and remembering how much I suffered on my last weekend out of my home.
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