In July we headed to Mount Kenya, driving from Nairobi at 5,450 feet above sea level and then over fairly flat terrain. We didn't gain much altitude until we reached the base of the mountain.
Our first night was spent at Old Camp Moses, 11,155 feet above sea level. (two scenes below)
The second night we stayed at Shipton's Camp (13,898 feet).
We woke up well before sunrise on July 4th to begin our scramble up Point Lenana (16,355 feet), the highest peak. We reached the peak and rested on ice-covered rocks just as the sun rose over a blanket of clouds. While we watched, the clouds burned away to reveal the valley and plains below. It was a breathtaking site, no doubt, and a great spot to celebrate the 4th.
After our scramble to the peak we hiked down the west side of the mountain through the Teleki Valley along the Naro Maru Route and to MacKinder Camp (13,780 feet).
The below sketch was done soon after we arrived at MacKinder Lodge. I showed it to one of the guides who commented on the disorder of our packs and boots and how he would've arranged them more carefully.
Our last stop was at the Summit View Pub near the Naro Maru Youth Hostel, where we waited for our van. The hostel was an old brick farmhouse from the British colonial period. Stories of the Mau Mau rebellion and its final days when the rebels sought refuge in the forest around the mountain made us consider the poverty and crippling kleptocracy under which Kenya strains and from which we were so heavily insulated.
Below, Guides and other patrons of the Summit View Pub
