Mt Kenya, part 1

The Naro Moru Route

What a great way of starting the new year, hiking Mt Kenya together with 4 other ladies and a teenage girl! A lot of pictures this time, and I have just copied in green the itinerary we got from our tour guide, and then I have commented a few of the pictures.

Day – 1 - Thursday

Drive from Nairobi to my office. Have an early prepared lunch.

Later proceed to Naromoru gate, check in, and start the hike

to reach Met station 3048metres for an overnight.

Lunch in Naro Moru before starting the hike.

Ready to go!!

Two and a half hours walk before we arrived at Met Station, just as it was getting dark.

Dinner: Soup, trout and fresh fruits. Delicious!

Day – 2 - Friday

Hike for 6-7hrs to reach Mackinders camp 4200metres for an

overnight.

Porters rearranging our luggage. Inga-May and Rita are ready to go.

Walking through many different zones of vegetation, starting in a very fertile hillside!

Further up...

Lunch time.

Me and a "Mzungu," as our guide called this plant.

Mountain hyrax - plenty of them around Mackinder`s Camp.

Finally there...

Tea and hot drinks were served almost as soon as we arrived.

Posing in my safari skirt :)

More posing...

Day – 3 - Saturday

Hike for 3-4hrs to reach Austria hut 4790metres

for an overnight.

Hyraxes enjoying the sunny morning at Mackinder`s Camp.

The living room.

The bedroom.

Ready to leave Mackinder`s Camp.

Clear weather as we were walking up, up, up...

The Austrian hut, 4790m. Point Lenana (4985m) in the background.

Room for six.

The cook preparing our meal in the hallway/kitchen just outside our room.

Starting the early morning climb.

Mt Kenya, part 2

The Chogoria Route

Day – 4 - Sunday

Make a raise at around 5am and hike to the third highest

peak, point Lenana, 4985metres. Later proceed and descend

down through Mintos and all the way to Chogoria bandas.

We all made it, despite some altitude issues the day before!!!

Kvikk Lunsj - hele Norges tursjokolade :) Well deserved Norwegian chocolate!!

Marita was well dressed. Later we were told that it had been -9 degrees Celcius on the top!!

Just like a nice Easter day in Norwegian mountains :)

Down, down, down...

...and even more down....

Breakfast at Mintos` hut, three and a half hours after we left the peak.

In addition to our guide, eight porters and a cook took part in our expedition.

Inga-May is having a short break.

The view was stunning!!!

Margunn`s knee just couldn`t take it any more... Luckily the porters came back since it took so long, and they organized to carry her in turns.

Rich fauna!!

Late lunch: Noodle soup, fried chicken, eggs and toast. It is almost 4 pm, and we still have a couple of hours left to walk.

Finally, after having been hiking for more than 12 hours we reached the Chogoria bandas. We made it before the dark, and avoided elephants and buffaloes that normally come out from the forest at that time...

Day – 5 - Monday

Pick up by 4*4 from Chogoria bandas and transfer to Chogoria town.

After a 2,5 hours drive on a rough road, we were picked up in Chogoria town and brought back to Nairobi. Sore legs, but what a trip!!!