Mt. Kenya 4 days trek review.

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe." —Abraham Lincoln.

Trekking Mt. Kenya demands adequate preparation, starting from the mind to acquiring the right gears, if this part is skipped, regrets await and summiting maybe pushed to a later year if not months.
Getting enough squad to hike Mt Kenya with, is also a night mare and one may easily cancel the plan as many hikers are full of unknown fear due to stories they heard from friends or from social media. Remember all battles are won in the mind and one needs to convince his or her mind. The hardest mountain to climb is one within, having the right attitude combined with determination extending to having the right team makes the journey to summit worth it. Believe in yourself, we can do all things....

After extending my invitation to interested summit seekers,On 7th April 2023 a group of 17 left Nairobi determined to summit armed with right gears and enough snacks to last throughout the entire trek. Along the way they familiarized themselves with the route as some have been in Kenya for several months.

Chogoria gate (2950M ASL)  marked our starting point, at this point breakfast followed by lunch was served which was very delicious, kudos to our cooks. Round of introduction was done highlighting the reasons why the trek. We had six (6) guides, two (2) cooks, two (2) waiters and twenty eight (28) porters who really offered the best services to the last day.

At around 3pm,the team was already hitting the ground to Lake Ellis which was our camping site for the first day. For your information one can drive from chogoria gate to Lake Ellis which is around 7km which I don't recommend. The views of Mugi hills are breathtaking, more photos along the way. We diverted to Nithi falls where we took advantage of refilling our hydration bladder, the real mineral water. Before 6pm we were guests to lake Ellis (3455M ASL) where our camping tents and dining tables were ready. The supper was served and we retired to our "bed".

Good morning to lake Ellis, after Breakfast we were ready to trek for sixteen (16) km to Mintos camp where we would spend the second night.
The trail was friendly and long enough to prepare us for the summit. Along the way our rain gears were put to the test. We had to slow our team to help them acclimatize slowly which is a secret majority are not aware of. The valleys are very  attractive,scenic and above all creation was well designed.
Lake Michaelson is another feature which got our attention. Good evening mintos camp.(4200M ASL).

The third day was a real struggle waking by 1:30Am and getting ready to summit. Before 3 Am we were out in the cold, the 6km trek to the summit  was not friendly to us. The cold, steepness and high altitude effects made some not to see the summit. Don't forget the beautiful views are not only found at the summit but along the trail.There is always next time. One would make two steps and pose to catch a breath. At 6:25 Am the sun was rising, the joy of seeing the sun rising is encouraging. 

By 7:00Am I was already at the summit,Lenana peak (4985M ASL), congratulations from other hikers really motivated me. Indeed the beautiful views come after the climb.Nelion and Batian peaks are waiting for hikers to climb for me, I'm not ready. It's time to go down! There is a distance of 4km to be trekked to shipton camp where our breakfast was ready. Descending is another challenge, one will automatically need a hiking stick for the support.

At shipton Camp (4300M ASL) there were numerous hikers who had already summitted ready for the next trek. After the break fast we started our trek to old Moses camp where we spent the last night. The 14km to the camp took the entire day. Famous Mackinders valley happened to be along the way. As usual, supper was served and ready for the night.

It's already 7Am,the joy of going back to our comfort could be seen in our eyes. From old Moses camp to Sirimon gate the road is tarmacked. The 9 km trek offers opportunity for stretching the muscles.
Total kms for the entire trip is 54kms. Chogoria route remains to be the most challenging route to the summit.  

Good bye Mt Kenya, see you again in August...

Signed.
Peter Mureithi