Friday, June 11th: Ready or Not...Here We Come

We woke up in the middle of the night at 2:30 am. Our guide, Robbin, woke us up by singing all of the American songs he knows! We drank some tea and ate biscuits that were just like wafer crackers. I layered up in every item of clothing I brought -- my t-shirt, running shirt, underarmor, sweatshirt, and windbreaker along with leggings and pants! We departed at 3:00 am in the pitch black with our headlamps as our only source of light. The 4 brave souls - Robbin, Nicholas, Julia, and I - were the only ones out of our team of 7 to hike this leg of the trail. The cooks and porters were not needed since we did not need our backpacks and we would pass Shipton on our way down the mountain. Nicholas, a guide and porter, is 26 and has been working for the company for 5 years. He absolutely loves his job. Like many Kenyans, he is extremely proud of his country and the incredible land, especially Mt. Kenya, that it contains.

We hiked from 4,200 m to 4,985 m (16,355 ft)! I somehow made it to the top! This climb today was the scariest, most exhilirating few hours I have ever experienced. I could feel and hear my heart beating every step of the way. At 4,500 m, Julia and Robbin started to backtrack down the mountain while Nicholas and I decided to continue ahead. The last 400 m were steep uphill over sand and big boulders. While it was still dark out, I could only see my feet. When I shone my headlamp higher, it was only discouraging seeing the steep slope ahead. It was better to focus on my footing.

With about 30 minutes until we reached the summit after we had been going at a good pace, I saw that we had to scale part of the mountain to reach the next part. I stopped, looked at Nicholas who I placed a lot of trust in on this hike, and asked him to seriously tell me if I was capable of doing this or if we should turn around. He proceeded to tell me that if I made it this far, I was strong enough to continue. He held my hand for the next 10 steps until I relaxed and stopped shaking from the cold. We then pulled ourselves each across the vertical slab of rock being careful not to slip. "Pole, pole" means "slowly, slowly" in Swahili. I slowly took each step to keep complete concentration. Every sip of water I took felt like ice coming into my lungs. Almost there! The last stretch to reach the peak involved me pulling my body up onto the flat part of the summit by lifting each foot onto different ledges. Finally, we made it just as the sun began to rise at 6:15 am!

YAY! Nicholas and I screamed at the top of our lungs, stood next to the Kenyan flag at the peak, and gazed around in utter amazement in all directions. The sky was cobalt blue with glimmers of bright pinks and oranges shining through. We took some pictures, sat down for a few minutes, and I tried to soak it all in as much as I could. Nicholas wanted me to call my parents, but I still have to buy a cell phone over here.

The trek down was nerve-wrecking. We took a "short cut" down the steeper end of the mountain on a slab of dry sand and rocks. I was skidding all over the place so I just took my time. The way down was really incredible since I was now getting to see everything (especially the waterfalls) I hiked past in the darkness. We arrived at camp to meet Julia, Robbin, and the others at 8:00 am after completing 13 miles. We ate breakfast at a little table outside at Shipton Camp. The view was breathtaking. I was high on adrenaline but also shaky and exhausted. We then left camp at 10:30 am to walk down to Old Moses which was 16 miles away. We arrived there at 4:00 pm. The walk back was a bit muddy. I enjoyed walking through the tall yellow grasses which made me feel like I was part of the Lion King! Some of the wildlife on the mountain include elephants, leopards, and hyenas, none of which we have seen yet. They only come out in the dark or in the early morning.

By 8:00 pm, I was snuggled into my sleeping bag. Today was truly remarkable. I pushed myself more than I anticipated, and I am very happy that I did. In doing so, I was able to really appreciate the beautiful land that the Kenyans are so proud of. Especially today, I said a few prayers in desperation on the hike. I also kept thinking of the brave people I know, especially my cousin Jack, so that I wouldn't back down. Courage, endurance, and trust were key components of the day.