This past summer,
I spent five weeks in Africa, visiting game parks and completing
a successful climb of Mt. Kenya, the second highest peak on the
continent. There were eight of us on the trip, and we made all
arrangements for safaris and the climb after arriving in Nairobi,
Kenya on 3 August, 1989.
After a successful five
day camping safari in the Masai Mara Game Reserve, we set our
sites on Mt. Kenya. To save time, we contracted with East African
Mountain Guides, headed by Mark Savage, to organize the logistics
of our trip. They provided transportation from Nairobi to Mt.
Kenya, transportation from the main highway to the trailhead,
porters, food, park entrance fees and some equipment. All of this
could have been arranged by us, but it would have taken a day
or two longer. In the interest of time, we took the easy way out.
There are three main
walking approaches to Mt. Kenya. The most popular is the Naro
Moru Route from the southwest. We chose the Chogoria Route from
the east and we exited via the Sirimon route on the north. The
two major peaks in the Mt. Kenya massif are Batian, the highest,
at 17,053 ft. and Nelion which is a few feet lower. To reach these
summits requires technical rock or snow climbing. A third peak,
Pt. Lenana at 16,350 ft., can be reached via non-technical means
and is a popular objective for travelers and people without mountaineering
experience.
One of the more interesting
parts of the trip was the approach from the town of Chogoria at
4920 ft. to our first campsite at Meru Mt. Kenya Lodge at 9895
ft. This 18 mile stretch of muddy road was done in a four-wheel
drive Land Rover which required chains as well as a winch. It
is quite an experience to be in a vehicle driving through mud
two feet deep! Our second night was spent at 11,300 ft. and our
3rd and 4th nights near the Minto's Hut at 13,776 ft.
Our group of eight people
had different objectives. Four of us planned to do the North Face
Standard Route, a 29 pitch, 1 1/2 day rock climb, with a rating
of 5.4. The others planned to ascend Pt. Lenana. We were then
to meet at the Kami Hut on the north side of the mountain and
hike out the Sirimon Trail together.
The climb was done as
independent parties of two climbers each. My partner Frank Sarnquist
and I left the Minto's Hut in the morning, climbed over Simba
Col and down to the Kami Hut where we began the 1000 ft. approach
to the start of the route. We began climbing about 1 p.m. at an
altitiude somewhat above 15,000 ft., and climbed about 12 pitches
to a bivouac site just below the Firmin Tower which is the crux
of the route. I prefer to say we camped rather than bivouacked.
We carried sleeping bags, a small Bibler tent, and a stove.
The following morning
we left our camp early and proceded to Firmin Tower where we met
the other two person party (Armando Menocal and Barnie Ng). We
climbed together to the summit reaching it at 12:30 p.m. The climbing
was on very good solid rock, quite steep, with wonderful views
in the early morning. The weather on Mt. Kenya at this time of
year was very predictable; clear in the morning and evening with
rain and snow in the afternoon. However, it was not very cold
and we were able to climb during the snow flurries with no problems.
Descending the route required numerous rappels and we arrived
back at the Kami Hut around 7 p.m. We met the rest of our group,
who had all been successful on Pt. Lenana and hiked out to a waiting
Land Rover the next day.
I found the climb to
be very enjoyable. It is similar in technical difficulty to Royal
Arches in Yosemite Valley although the altitude and weather makes
it much more of a challenge. Frank and I did the climb in light
hiking boots (Rock shoes are not necessary for 5.4 difficulty
and do not handle snow and ice very well.) There are many other
routes on Mt. Kenya including difficult rock routes and world
class ice climbs such as the Diamond Coulour on the south side
of the mountain. It is quite a thrill to be above 17,000 ft. and
be within sight of the equator!
Rich Henke Rich@adventureplus.org