A mountain in shadow

Like the athlete who just misses a place-getting medal, Mt. Kenya is a mountain quite literally over-shadowed. Despite being the second highest mountain in Africa, I’m yet to meet any other travellers in Tanzania who have trekked it. In fact, I only know one awesome (all-female) group who have. Hordes head up Mt Kilimanjaro annually, yet Mt Kenya, a much more spectacular mountain in many ways, sits like the younger sibling shunned by the crowd enjoying big brother’s party.

Despite this seeming disregard by wazungu (foreigners), the mountain has always been considered sacred by the tribal inhabitants of the region. Both the Kikuyu & Meru peoples considered Mt Kenya the realm of their particular “god”; it is still regarded a holy mountain.

I have to admit, “holiness” wasn’t on my pre-requisites list for the adventure I had planned for my boyfriend when he visited me in Tanzania. We’ve both led treks up Mt Kilimanjaro & Mt Meru (2nd highest mountain in Tanzania) several times. This holiday called for adventure somewhere other than Tanzania. Mt Kenya was the unanimous choice, followed by a short safari, mostly for the sheer novelty of doing a safari as a couple, rather than as a work job.

Mt. Kenya, indeed our entire adventure, far exceeded our expectations. Mt. Kenya surprised & delighted us in so many ways, & has completely endeared itself to us both.

We commenced & completed our trip with nights in The Rock House, on the outskirts of Nairobi. This house/guest accommodation is delightfully quirky. It is decorated inside & out with rock & rough wood, & even has a replica of Mt Kenya dominating the front garden; about as kitch as you can get, but it somehow works.

Our second surprise came after the four-hour drive to Chogoria township, where we met our crew & were transferred from a plush safari vehicle to the oldest, most dilapidated Land Rover I’ve ever seen, much less ridden in.

We rode up front beside the driver, inhaling engine fumes through the substantial gaps in the floor, whilst our crew squashed in the back with all the gear. Not at all reassured by our guide’s assurance our driver was “very good”, we exchanged nervous grins as we raised our eyebrows at each other & gigglingly whispered “Oh well, expect the unexpected.”

Whilst we’d been harbouring the secret concern that our trip had just taken a massive plunge in the quality department, & that our positive experience so far had been the polished veneer that’d just chipped off, the truth quickly became evident... the swish safari vehicle would’ve been completely destroyed by the drive to the Chogoria Track roadhead.

What we experienced over the next almost-two hours was a masterful rally driving display. At times the vehicle slid sideways into the walls of the track, with the vegetation almost tickling my boyfriend’s cheek through the window. Several times our crew disembarked & clung to the rear of the vehicle to weight down the back wheels, or push the vehicle forwards, or sideways, or to shove wood under all the tyres, upon which our driver would rock back & forth, getting up the momentum to get unstuck from the quagmire again. At one point we even lost 4WD in one of the wheels. Finally we reached a point at which our driver decreed he could go no further. There were handshakes & thanks all-round. As we sorted gear, donned our packs, & watched the "Warrior Rover" slide off down the track, we pondered the chances of our driver making it back to town that night without extra bodies to help un-stick him from the bogs.

Yipee! Finally we had our packs on & our boots doing what they were designed for. We strolled up the boggy track, appreciating why our vehicle could continue no further, & enjoyed the changing sky-show as dusk descended. We passed close by buffalo, a male bachelor herd, remembering the advice from Rangers on Mt Meru to “stick close together” to appear like a single organism, as bachelor buffalo are notoriously grumpy guys.

After a delightful night in our own little hut at Meru Mount Kenya Bandas (3,000m), complete with hot drinks in front of the fireplace, we awoke eager to tackle the next day. This day reminded me of nothing so much as walking in the “high country” of Australia; if it wasn’t for the five guys accompanying us chattering away in Kikuyu, I could’ve almost imagined myself in the Snowy Mountains.

We took a side trip from the usual route this day to camp at the delightful Lake Ellis (3,300m). Unlike the broad, well-signposted tracks of Mt Kilimanjaro, on this day we were following winding footpads through vegetation at times head-high & we were thankful for the extensive experience of our guide. In the far distance, brief glimpses of the jagged central peaks tantalizingly beckoned us. We reached the lake for lunch, & then with impeccable timing the rain arrived.  Snuggled in our strongly fish-smelling tent, a siesta beckoned. We dined that evening under a shy full moon, the sole residents of the lakeside camp, although we felt like the only folks on the entire mountain.

On Day 3 we learned why Chogoria Route is considered the most picturesque on the mountain. We crossed a steep valley, & then ascended a long rocky ridge, gaining altitude & ever-more expansive views of the lower foothills.

Late morning we crested a ridge & sensed we were about to come upon something truly spectacular. As indeed we were. Gorges Valley, the deepest valley on the mountain, is incredible! We gazed down in breathtaking awe upon Lake Michaelson far below us, nestled between craggy cliff-faces, the rivers filling & draining it visible as long silver ribbons down the valley floor.

Gorges Valley: a photo will never do it justice...

The bizarre senecio & lobelia made their appearance around this altitude, reminding us of Mt Kilimanjaro. Again the rain arrived with our lunch; just as we hot-footed it into Minto’s Camp (4200m) & dived into our tent. Later we caught brief glimpses of the pretty string of the glacial Hall Tarns before cloud enveloped our moonscape campsite, & the rain set in for the night.

We rose in the dead of night in immense excitement, ready for our summit attempt. The central summit area of Mt Kenya, the volcanic plug remnants of an ancient volcanic mountain, has been eroded into a complex of jagged peaks. The two highest main peaks, Batian (5199m) & Nelion (5188m), are technical mountaineering peaks tackled by a mere handful of hardy climbers a year. Our destination was Point Lenana (4985m), the trekking summit.

We set of at 3:20am, the rain providing a “positive thinking” excuse: to give our gear a good workout. Fortunately rain turned to snow shortly thereafter. Despite not being visible behind the dense cloud, the moon imparted an ethereal glow to the landscape. We grinned at each other like children surrounded by Easter chocolate.

Being well acclimatized & a small party of three, we travelled at a good pace. Our guide Cyrus had legs up to my armpits, so his casual stride ate up the ground rapidly. He was “breaking trail” all the way, as we were the only party ascending from Chogoria route that night. Despite Cyrus’ footprints being too far apart for comfort, as the slopes steepened & the snow cover increased, it was easier to stride out uncomfortably to step into his footprints than to slip & slide on the virgin snow.

There’s a fascinating time-warp effect when nightwalking which I love; hours can disappear, seemingly in minutes. And then there’s that strange dawn moment when you realise you don’t need your head-torch anymore, as you gaze in wonder at the spectacular panorama emerging from its night-time secret.

And this was the most incredible dawn vista that had ever greeted my eyes! We truly felt as though we were in an expansive mountain range, rather than on a single behemoth of a mountain. Trekkers joined us from the neighbouring Mackinder Valley, ascending from Sirimon Route, as we carefully zigged-zagged our way up the slippery slopes before eagerly tackling the rocky scramble to the summit.

Shortly after sunrise we summitted, taking turns with the other jubilant summiters in standing next to the flagpole for “happy snaps”. Our guide left after capturing our summit photo, missing the momentous happenings of the next minutes. Right on the summit, my boyfriend dropped to bended knee, asked the magic question, & placed a beautiful ring on my engagement-ring finger. Not a single other person present on the summit noticed, so it was a perfectly private, romantic moment. Which is just as it should be!

The only issue with a sunrise mountain-top marriage proposal is that it’s jolly cold. Well, extremely cold actually. Neither of us could feel our fingertips as we fumbled unsuccessfully to get our gloves back on properly; so we headed downhill with fingers folded awkwardly within the hands of our gloves. Lower down the mountain circulation, & hence feeling, returned & we “dressed” ourselves properly. Elated, we asked Cyrus “Do you know what happened up there?” He’d had no idea. A grin that mirrored our own spread across his face as he proclaimed he thought we’d make a great team.

Stratospheres above “cloud nine”, I was in no hurry to descend from the Point Lenana, eager to absorb every second; in sensory & emotional overload. I don’t think the Cheshire-cat grins left our faces for the rest of our trip.

The descent to breakfast at Shipton’s Hut was gorgeous; Mackinder Valley disappeared in the distance, appearing never-ending. We descended through senecio forest that puts Mt Kili’s Barranco Valley equivalent to shame. We were amused to watch our cook & porters at a dead-run down an adjacent wall of the valley, obviously keen to get to the hut in time to have breakfast awaiting us. A long but pleasant day’s walk ensued, the only day we walked in rain for several hours. That night, at the huts of Old Moses’ Camp, we once again had the place to ourselves.

In the morning we descended down an unpaved road, enjoying our last decent exercise of the trip. The forest & wildlife were a delight – the entire national park & surrounding forest reserve are a UNESCO-declared International World Heritage Site; many of the vegetation species here exist nowhere else on earth. During our trip we’d seen bush duikers & waterbuck (antelope species), rock hyrax, scaly francolins & an Abyssinian long-eared owl.

We truly felt we’d had an amazing adventure. We’d certainly experienced “the unexpected.” Mt Kenya is definitely now our favourite African mountain. With the exception of altitude, everything the ever-popular Mt Kilimanjaro has to offer; spectacular scenery, striking glaciers, sweeping views, plunging valleys, imposing peaks, bizarre landscapes; Mt Kenya does on a grander scale, or with greater style.

If you are a lover of mountains, Mt Kenya is a true gem. Mt Kilimanjaro is a diamond – sparkling enticingly across the globe, loved by the masses. Mt Kenya is a Tanzanite – a thousand times rarer than diamond, known of by few, a jewel of exceptional beauty.