EVERY MOUNTAIN HAS A SOUL..

2June2025

Sunrise: Mt Kenya (photo by Imtiaz Khan - a Master Photographer!)

THE HARDEST MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB IS THE ONE WITHIN - J Lynn

Madaraka day means Freedom Day. And this year it falls on a Sunday and thus an opportunity for a long weekend.

So, the family took advantage of this and planned a practice hike to the Mountain. 

Abit of background for future plans for this year: In October this year the family is planning the first Kilimanjaro climb.
The diaspora from UK, Canada, Australia etc - are joining.
It is expected to be a mega family event - one of many we hold regularly almost every other year. 

So, every potential climber of Kili is practicing for the October climb. 

Well, not that seriously but sort of ... !
The Kenya side decided this long Madaraka Day weekend to flex their muscles, joints and limbs on Mt Kenya.

Imtiaz and Shafeen are the co-leaders of this rendezvous. And I must add, they are excellent organisers and leaders (I am not saying this because we are the same blood line - it's just the truth)

And Imtiaz has gotten an AirBnB ... a suitable one for the large group we always drag along in...
A five-ensuite bedroomed villa ... located a few kilometres North of Naromoru.

Inaptly named Likizo Castle..
A well-intended design ... not-so-well constructed house ... and seems almost obviously not professionally supervised.
But comfortable enough. I reserve further comments for the moment.

Saturday morning is spent driving North along the Thika Superhighway.
Its busy. Everyone is going for home for the long weekend...
A group of Gen Zs in their recently acquired BMWs is also on the road. 

Each car with a couple. 

They are heading beyond Nanyuki ... many are already drunk and driving rather carelessly... showing off, maybe? Or is it the intoxicants? 

Their girlfriends are scantily dressed and nursing plastic cups with colourless liquids whose alcohol contents I can only guess is not less than 30% .... 

Keep in mind - everyone will bear his or her own cross. 

As the Arusha Choir classic song goes, "...na kila mtu atauchukua mzigo wake mwenyewe ... na siku hiyo itafika.."

The expanded highway is a blessing. If there are no incidents along the highway then travelling times reduce significantly...reducing stress and anxiety... as is the case today, gratefully!

By 3pm we are at our Castle...! Likizo Castle!
The other two posse cars are not yet here. Zahir is driving one and the other is being driven by Shafeen... they have a few young ones and a few not too young ones from Kikuyu, Mombasa and UK.
We share out the rooms by numbers and age.
The Master Bedroom which is massive and has an extra room to the side - this is reserved for Zahir and family (Zahir, Shafeen and the 4 little girls).
The ground floor rooms are reserved for the older ladies from Kikuyu, Mombasa and UK.
Imtiaz and I are given the remaining two rooms.

We settle down with our luggage after a small orientation tour by Mary the caretaker. A pleasant lady who is familiar and helpful.

The remaining two cars arrive after 40 or so minutes.
Offloading is a quick affair because everyone is hungry and thirsty.
Shafeen is a magician Chef... Pasta and Mincemeat Curry are served literally within minutes. But in between, the 4 little girls are biting away at snacks. Biscuits, nuts, bananas, oranges and juices.
I try to avoid these but occasionally the hunger pangs and attractions win me over and I steal a few snacks...
The spaghetti and Mincemeat Curry are delicious. No need to add salt or ketchup. Bai has plucked out some green chillies from the garden. These are too tempting! I try out one. Yes! It's hot! I manage only half of a small one ... keep in mind, I am a master chilly eater of world repute!

Time for prayers. We pray in congregation. Important duty achieved.
Time for chitchat with the diaspora. Catching up on relations, connections of family and more catching up.

I sleep early. Tomorrow, we have a climb up one of East Africa's more difficult mountains amongst the tall ones.

I sleep on the mattress. Ayman on the double bed.
It's an uneasy sleep. I toss and turn. And I pray as I do breathing exercises. The light seeping through the door fanlight isn't helping. Sleep comes and goes. It's the 'strange bed syndrome' ... I've never quite cracked it despite being an avid traveller.

A BRIEF INTRO TO MT KENYA

Mount Kenya is the second-highest mountain in Africa after Kilimanjaro, rising to an elevation of 5,199 meters (17,057 feet). It holds deep geographical, cultural, and ecological significance. Here's a concise history:

1. Geological History

Formation: Mount Kenya is an extinct stratovolcano that formed approximately 3 million years ago during the Pliocene epoch.

Erosion: Glacial and weather erosion over millennia have worn down its once higher peak, leaving the rugged summit we see today, with sharp peaks like Batian (5,199 m), Nelion (5,188 m), and Lenana (4,985 m).

2. Cultural and Mythological Significance

Kikuyu and Meru Tribes: To the Kikuyu people, Mount Kenya is sacred and is called "Kirinyaga" or the "Mountain of Brightness." They believe their god, Ngai, lives atop the mountain.

Orientation in Homes: Traditional Kikuyu homes were built facing the mountain as a sign of reverence.

3. European Discovery and Colonization

First European Sighting: Scottish explorer Dr. Johann Ludwig Krapf first reported seeing the mountain in 1849.

First Climb: The summit of Batian was first reached in 1899 by British explorers Halford Mackinder, Joseph Brocherel, and César Ollier after a difficult expedition.

4. Colonial Era and Independence

During British colonial rule, parts of the forested slopes were turned into farmlands and settlements.

The Mau Mau rebellion (1950s), a key part of Kenya's independence struggle, had fighters using the mountain forests as a base.

5. Modern Significance

Mount Kenya National Park: Established in 1949 to protect the region's biodiversity. In 1997, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Tourism and Climbing: It's a major tourist destination for climbers, hikers, and naturalists.

Glacial Retreat: The mountain's glaciers are rapidly disappearing due to climate change—only a few small ones remain today.

Summary

Mount Kenya is more than just a mountain—it's a geological marvel, a sacred site, a colonial landmark, and a symbol of national pride. It reflects Kenya’s natural beauty and rich cultural heritage.

 

530am
I startle up.
Ablutions and prayer achieved.
Noises in the kitchen announce that the ladies have been up earlier.
Thanks to being Muslim. No adult really sleeps beyond 530am ... and in most cases only does it after the morning prayer.

Breakfast consists of scrambled eggs, bread and tea.
This is devoured in a short moment.

All on board.
Two cars depart with 6 of us.

One car remains with the older ladies and the little ones.

We have to pick David on the way. He is a local and our guide for the day.

We arrive at the KWS gate for Mt Kenya National Park at 730am.
Wairimu is here again. We met last time. She doesn't remember me but I do.
She is friendly and helpful.
E-citizen is acting up as usual. But we manage to pay after a struggle of 20minutes. Surely, is this how a National Payment System should perform? We pay taxes, but are these utilised properly??

Ayman & I at the gate of Mt Kenya National Park - happy and ready to go!

We head into Mt Kenya Forest. It is lush. Waterbucks graze on the meadows along the roadsides. The grass has dew and looks succulent. 

Mt Kenya from just beyond Batian House Notice the lush thick grass on the roadside!

The wagging tails and disdainful looks of these herbivores shows plentifulness and contentment. 

I'm happy for them.
A few female buffalo also graze alongside. 

They look healthy too. 

It's been a bountiful season of rainfall.

We thank God for these blessings. 

Alhamdulillah!

The narrow asphalt meandering road crosses many streams of crystal-clear waters. 

We pass Percival Falls.
We've been here before!
Read my blog on "Naromoru and the Mountain."

Presently, we reach the Met Station.
This is where the road ends.
Our trek begins here.
The weather has been ok so far. In fact, it is a bright clear day with beautiful blue skies!
But David quickly brings us to reality, "Weather on the mountain is totally unpredictable", I take a mental note.

The Band at Met Station - Notice the Beautiful Blue Sky!

815am
We gear up.
Hiking shoes.
Gatters.
Rainproof jackets
Mandatory hats
Water, snacks, bananas and chocolates.

Promptly, we commence as one band!

It's a bright day, but little do we know that this is a false harbinger!
Spirits are high - necessarily!
The initially concrete pathway is a pleasant walk, despite uphill.
The thick forest keeps the sun at bay as sweat slowly trickles down ...
Its uphill all the way. The thick forest gradually thins into a bamboo forest. Shy birds sing their morning songs as if not to disturb the glorious silence.
Fresh Buffalo spoor dots the concrete uphill track. A sign that we must always be cautious.
The concrete track ends at the Police Communication mast.
An abandoned outpost with a poorly designed house which totally disrespects its environs. Let them bear their own cross!

Some hornbills caw away their morning songs. I confuse these sounds with monkey calls. Imtiaz corrects me .... its good to keep an open mind, we learn every day!

The track is now winding and muddy. It's rained very recently. Probably even last night.
As we ascend trudgingly; clouds gather and disperse at will ... almost as if taunting us!
David reminds, "We never trust the mountain, the weather changes suddenly."
A fleeting thought in my mind races past and takes me to the Himalayas where the sherpas regularly remind all climbers, "Mountains have their own souls".
I must keep this in my mind whenever I am mountaineering.

The forest is thinning, and we are tiring. We've hardly done more than two kilometres. We've hardly even started!

When the weather was good, Ayman (age 14 years) was even hiking in an Arsenal T-shirt This was short-lived however. David is standing in the background

Then we arrive at the first of many rest stops.
There's a loo here. Sponsored loudly by EABL.
Thanks but no thanks: you can surely do better than this .... from the billions you make annually!

View from our First Stop towards the Nyandaruas (Aberdares) - just before the Bog. Notice the Blue Skies and a few rain clouds gathering in the top left-hand corner

This is where the bog begins and with it our trials and tribulations!

The bright open skies and sunlit horizons are now covered with a thin blanket of mist and fog. Visibility is hardly 50m. The change takes hardly 15 minutes.

It's chilly. I pull my cap closer to my head and zip up my waterproof Adidas jacket.

Taking a break on a rock in the Bog - this was not even a third way through the Bog and thus the smiles. It was not long before the faces became more serious once the true colours of the Swamp manifested! Notice that visibility here has dropped to 50m!

We are in the bog.
The swamp.
The world famous Naromoru vertical Bog!
Our will and wits are tested to the limit.

The Vertical Bog before the rain and fog The Button Grass helped as steps!

The weather is now atrocious. The bog is wet, swampy and endless in all directions...

The black volcanic soil and tufts of spiny grass (Button Grass) dot the entire landscape.

There is no dry patch to walk upon.

Everyone must walk into and out of the deep mud.

Waterproof shoes are a necessity.

Thankfully, we all have these.

Progress is painfully slow and frustrating.

It is uphill with no end in sight!

Rain Clouds gather fast and in no time its drizzling The rocky outcrops are Granite that have withstood erosion by rain, wind, snow and ice over the Several Ice Ages that have taken place in more than 3 million years - and now Global Warming

Imtiaz - posing before the weather took a turn!

Button Grass (at the Bog) - with large outcrops of Granite Rocks These have withstood the erosion over millennia

The gradient is not too steep but the altitude is well over 3500m & this combined with the atrocious weather takes a toll on the band of wet & muddy ragglers we have now all become with constant plonking into & out of muds pools.

We take rests at the 100m markers that dot the route. 

Progress is painfully slow and greatly belaboured.

The sprightly conversations we started with at the Met Station have now become single syllable "Yes", "No" and "Hmph" conversations and these too, far between.
It is eerily silent. Only an occasional gust of wind flaps one of our rainproof jackets and breaks the silence.

A distant screech of a falcon announces better weather elsewhere _ but we are condemned to the Bog & it's companions - the mist and constant drizzle.

We must not be broken by these elements and so silently we climb on!

Yours truly pointing out some directions which I hardly knew myself!

At the start of the rocky section Still full of energy!

1130am

We reach the rocky section of the climb.

The Rocky Section Notice the change in Flora, however, the Button Grass remains The plants on the background are Giant Groundsel whilst the ones on the foreground are Giant Lobellia or Lobellia Telekii

"We must try and reach at a good point by 130pm and then turn back _ otherwise we shall not make it back to the gate before dark", David announces.

On the lip of Telekii Valley The visibility improved to almost 100m But it was significantly colder!

Rock Hyrax These animals are almost tame!

Red Spectacled Francolins These Not-Very-Shy Birds live in pairs and thrive in these cold high-altitude regions

The scrambled eggs and toast we had for breakfast are a distant memory!
So soon? Surely?
The mountain is unforgiving and takes its toll without fear, favour or mercy.
The grumbling in the tummy is incessant.

An Orchid

Another Orchid

Orangish Lichen growing on rocks at Lunch Point|

Once we reach the approximate lip of Telekii Valley, David announces, " I think we should stop here. We need to get back to the gate before 6pm and we shouldn't be in the forest or in the Bog in the dark".

We all readily agree.

Lunch consists of Tuna Sandwiches, Isotonic Water, Plain Water (which has now become Ice-cold), some dates and chocolates.

Everyone is quiet! 

The Mountain & the weather have brought us into submission! Rightly so! Nature is supreme and more powerful than any human force.

Just after Lunch - on the lip of Telekii Valley Notice the looks on faces - half as happy as when started!

David announces that we must now descend ...

We pack up our trash - no littering the environment, and as a family we adhere to this strictly!

The rain is now incessant. Not too heavy but a biting drizzle with a Southerly wind.

The rocky section is now much more treacherous than during the ascent.

Every step has to be carefully calculated so as not to slip.

I pray to God to protect us and all others from accidents - even a twist of the knee or ankle could be disastrous.

"Be careful guys!" Imtiaz calls out. "The rocks are really slippery"

We all silently heed his call.

For every reader's information, in mountaineering more deaths, accidents and incidents happen during descents.

And if I have my facts right; the tallest mountain on Earth, Mt Everest has claimed all the lives on the descent. This is when climbers and hikers are less careful or put their guards down .... or are elated at their feat and thus the accidents!

The descent is a largely silent affair. We file down; we all slip and fall at different locations.

We exercise caution on the slippery rocks. Progress is cautiously slow. Its tiring!

The Bog is now worse. The rain is bearing down upon us.

The waterproof clothing is a boon.

But the dreary weather makes progress slow, tiring and challenging.

What's got to be done has got to be done - no other way out.

Mountains have a way of imposing their will upon humans .... no room for complaints or remonstrations. What has to be done, must be done - noisily, quietly or whichsoever way one wants to do it.

So, the vertical bog takes a toll on us.

Our outer clothings are wet.

Our knees and ankles and calves are all sore with the sliding and straining.

Water for rehydration is low, but we still have enough to go round.

Visibility is now again at below 50m...

Its gloomy and add the exhaustion to this ... and you know what it feels like.

We've been on the go for over 8 hours before the end of the bog.

The relatively easier section of the forest is no less challenging.

The dry paths are now rivulets of water. The mud is slippery, and it is eerily quiet.

Sword Fern in the Forest An evergreen non-flowering plant that thrives in cold forest environments This one was photographed near the Police Mast..

Time is running well ahead of us.

We aren't in safety yet and its already dimming ... the sunlight fades fast with the mist.

But at least we are out of the two more difficult sections of rocks and the Bog.

Now it is largely a downhill slow careful trek over red mud and later the concrete surface near the police mast.

We are silent. Worn out.

600pm:

Phew, finally the Met Station where we started off some +9hours ago.

Data Sheet of our Hike

At the end of it all at the Met Station - 630pm Our two admired and trusted Leaders are at the extremities!

So; many people have trekked up this route and many continue to do so.

But challenges present in various forms.

The recent rains and the conditions at the Bog and at the Rocky Section (the Moorlands) made our trek rather difficult.

We are now planning to trek the Sirimon and Chogoria Routes with at least a night camping in the open ... all as part of the training for Kili ....!

We finally got back to Likizo Castle at around 7pm

Hot showers and supper awaited us.

Alhamdulillah - we all achieved what we set out to.

A special thanks goes out Imtiaz and Shafeen for their leadership and organisation.

And hats off for Ayman for having borne the brunt of the Mountain and the elements at a still-tender age of 14 years.

A special thanks to Zahir whose help was vital throughout and in particular the following day when one of the cars decided to act up!

Not forgetting the ladies who stayed back and welcomed us with hot meals and many congrats.

We got back to Nairobi - safely and sound on Monday, 2nd June 2025 ... and this is where I am penning these words from ... and BTW my knees and joints are still sore!

Alhamdulillah