18. Mount Kenya: East Africa a New Life Adventure

Mount Kenya is near the Rift Valley on the Equator and is a volcano neck that towers about 17,000 feet above sea level and the last 1000 feet is hard rock climbing.  Climbing the Mountain had always been of interest to me, and when I heard that a group was organizing, I wanted to be a part of it. A priest who had climbed before was the leader and he had room for me. Winter clothes were absent in our African household, so Barbara quickly cut up a blanket and made me a sweatshirt. The group consisted of six to eight people. The climb strategy consisted of a drive up the mountain to the end of the road and hike to the Climbing Hut at 12,000 feet, where we could rest and acclimate before getting up at 2 AM to make the climb to the 16,000 foot level to catch the sunrise over the Indian ocean. 

Many of the group suffered from altitude sickness at the hut and the ascent was yet to come.  At 2 AM we started out with some sick hikers, and the group began to string out.  Altitude was not bothering me, and I helped others until we hit the snow.  Then for the next several hundred yards climbing got tough. It was steep and, with snow and ice a couple of feet in front of your nose you had to pay attention or slip backwards. The sunrise was beautiful and the climb was well worth the effort.  The descent was relatively easy except for elephant foot prints that sunk into the surface 3 to 4 inches. All the climbers got off the mountain in one piece, even if some did not make it to the top.