Frank & Honest

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Africamp 2007

Thursday 19th
19:00 our time Have just spoken to Andy. He said that everyone is fine. They were all tired after their long journey but there had been no hiccups. They all breezed through visa control (30 mins) and had a big coach to take them to Magadi Road, where the tents had already been set up for them. They were able to have showers and sleep before having beef stew and rice for lunch.

This is a photo of Magadi Road campsite taken on a previous Africamp..

This afternoon they all went, in shuttles, to a local supermarket to buy bits and bobs and some sims cards, but the supermarket had run out! Kenneth, one of the Kenyans, is, at this moment, driving around Nairobi trying to buy 30 sim cards! The rate of exchange that they are getting is 130 shillings to the pound, which is very good. Sim cards are 100 shillings, so less than a pound!

They have had their Africa, HIV and health and safety briefings. Andy said the boys have been a big help – mucking in with everything and organising games, etc.

It’s Fran’s birthday today, so they bought a cake at the supermarket and she has been presented with that. They then had chicken and chips for tea.

They were all too tired to have coped with a trip into Kibera this afternoon, so they will do that when they come back.

The plan for tomorrow is to have breakfast at 7.30 am before getting on their coach for the long journey to Western Kenya.

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07:30 our time
They have arrived at the Magadi Road campsite. Everyone is tired, as you can imagine. They are having lunch at 1pm. Everyone is fine. Andy said he’s going to get them all to shop for their new sim cards later so you may get some texts home.
Friday 20th
17:30 our time Still en route to Western Kenya -the yellow line is their route from Nairobi to Kisumu

They are just going through Kericho, which is tea country.

Kenya is the world’s third largest producer of tea after India and Sri Lanka and Kericho is in the heart of Kenya’s tea plantations. There are rolling hills carpeted in neat, bright green tea bushes as far as you can see. The climate here is perfect for tea with rain falling almost every afternoon.

They expect to arrive in about two hours – that’s 21:30 their time, but remember that Kenyan time is very different to British time. This morning the bus was four hours late – they kept ringing and asking where it was and they were told “We’re on our way, we’re outside the gate”. An hour later, they’d ring again and get the same reply…..

They stopped off at the Rift Valley Viewpoint.

The Kenyan Rift Valley is a section of 6 000 km rift system which stretches from the Dead Sea in the Middle East, south through the Red Sea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and into Mozambique.

Major geological upheavals caused a series of lakes in Kenya, some of which (Turkana, Naivasha and Baringo) are freshwater, but the others are soda lakes, with a high saline content. These are rich in algae and tiny crustaceans, which are the main food sources for the millions of flamingos gracing the lakes.

The upheavals also resulted in the sprouting of volcanic mountains, including Longonot and Mt Kenya. The scenery in the Rift Valley is breathtaking and the approach, via road or rail, from Nairobi will take you up gently through the highlands and bring you suddenly to the edge of the Rift valley, which drops away to a ribbon of green in the valley floor below.

The weather was a bit cloudy and misty but this is roughly what they would have seen..

Andy said everyone is happy – they are all listening to music, playing cards, sleeping or taking photos. They’re all getting on well and there’s lots of laughter. Callum has reported that this is the maddest road journey of his life and he loves it! Picture them – the roof of the bus is piled high with their luggage and they are travelling over a road full of potholes. Every time they go over a big bump, the luggage bounces and the roof bends inward (but Andy said to reassure you all that they are in no danger! Ha ha).

Arron lost his wallet last night and Andy found it. He held on to it to give Arron a fright and teach him a lesson but Arron hadn’t noticed after a couple of hours so he gave it back to him anyway!

They’ve seen zebra, baboons, impala and flamingoes (from afar). They drove past Lake Navaisha which is full of flamingoes and hippos.

Vicky and Sophie say they ‘are loving it’ – which will be a relief for Vicky’s mum as Vicky was so poorly before she went..
Sunday 22nd
17:00 our time The weather has been really hot today – loads of suntans! There are hardly any mosquitoes, which is great news. Everyone has been enjoying a big game of football this afternoon, which is still going on. Loads of them have had their hair braided – with extensions! Arron, Callum and Sam have braids and extensions and Richard Connor has a mohican of extensions! Ruth has had her hair braided all over. All of this is done by the local Kenyan women.

Andy said hardly anyone has complianed about anything – even the toilets! The leaders are all sitting around wondering why no-one is complaining!!

They are all practising their dances and songs for the campfire tonight – they have over a hundred Kenyans to impress!

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10:00 our time
Sorry for the lack of update yesterday – it’s great that the guestbook fills in if I can’t get to do this! Also – please bear in mind that any photos I put on here are from previous years, and are just for you to get a feel for what’s happening out there this year…

The scouts all arrived last night – there are fewer than in previous years, which Andy says is actually working quite well. When we refer to them as scouts, bear in mind it’s not the same as it is here. The scout movement in Kenya encourage street children and those from very poor homes and villages to come under their ‘umbrella’ to learn new skills and be part of a group that will give them opportunities to make more of their lives.

They have been split into 7 camps of around 12 – 15 kids. As in previous years, our young people have been blown away by what these kids are capable of doing with a machete and some wood and string. The literally grab a load of branches, chop them up and in minutes they have made tables, chairs, washing up stands, etc. It’s quite amazing. You can only imagine the ‘health and safety issues’ of letting an 11 year old loose with a machete in our country, yet give a Kenyan kid something like that and, in minutes, they whip you up something you could sell in a rustic furniture shop..

There was an opening ceremony this morning and a small church service at which the scouts sang.

People have been having showers and the girls have been washing their hair under the standpipe. Although there are shower cubicles, there is no water in them – they are more for privacy when washing. You have to take your hang-up shower, or a bowl of water and a sponge to have a good wash.

The weather is good. They saw a storm in the distance yesterday and heard the thunder, but nothing materialised.

Our young people have settled in very quickly. Andy and Chris are very impressed with how they have thrown themselves straight into it – they are not shy or reserved and have just got on with it. Spirits are generally high, although there have been a few who have said that they are a little homesick. As you know, this is to be expected – this is unlike anything they will ever have experienced before. Breakfast was fine, but Andy said the first big challenge will come at lunchtime, when the scouts cook them their first real Kenyan meal! Food so far has been rice and vegetables, stew and stir fry ( and the left overs from home, like biscuits, etc.).

Mel Bowen and Arron had a huge water fight – careering around the camp trying to get each other, so that raised a few laughs! In the main, people are saying that it is better than they thought it was going to be, so that’s a good start!!

They’ve got the campfire tonight, which is fun, as they dance and sing around the fire..
Monday 23rd
15:30 our time Everything is going well. The weather is very good, so that’s a bonus as some days were a complete washout last year!

Throughout their time at Ulamba, they will take turns to go to Lake Victoria, as well as the museum and Nakumatt, which is the supermarket in Kisumu. This is a very exciting day all round, as people get to write out shopping orders! Today, Melissa B, Arron, Bronya, Rachael and Jon Pope went – they saw hippos in Lake Victoria and came back with goodies for everyone – so there were smiles on their return.

The highlight of the trip was the same as it was last year – the toilets in Nakumatt!! You can only imagine how exciting this is after using long drops…

Andy took his laptop and projector this year for the first time. It will help when he teaches, but they are also going to use it to show movies. They have tested it out and he says it’s fab – so they are booked to watch a movie tonight. This will be the first time some of the Kenyans have ever seen a movie, so it will be interesting! Andy says seeing a digital photo on a camera blows them away, so you can only imagine what they will think of a Disney film!

One of the Kenyan leaders was saying that some of the scouts had never tried bread before coming on this camp..

Andy keeps telling me that Vicky and Sophie are absolutely loving it. Everyone is doing so well – there are a couple who have been a bit homesick, but no-one is anywhere near as bad as last year – he can’t get over how well they are all doing. His words were “it’s all running like clockwork”.
Tuesday 24th
18:30 our time Well as you can see from the guestbook, there was another trip to Kisumu today! Sophie, Richard, Ceri and Hannah took the trip. They saw hippos and went to the museum, where they thought the crocodiles were fake. It was only when they put their hands through the wire to touch one and it blinked that they quickly realised they weren’t!

Richard loved the toilets in Nakumatt. So much so that he stayed in one for half an hour and wouldn’t come out even though the janitor was waiting to clean! They all came back with goodies from Nakumatt so smiles all round again! They bought sweets for the kids and they went hyper!

Richard was laughing at the fact that in Kisumu, people drive their cars into the lake, wash them and drive them back out again.

Last night’s movie went down a treat. The kids were open-jawed. Andy said it was magical – they were wide-eyed and dead quiet. They have got Pirates of the Caribbean II for later in the week.

Today they did the water slide. This is where they put a huge piece of plastic down and cover it with soap and water. They all slide down it without realising that they are actually getting a good bath! Rob Tatton went flying down the slide and nearly took out a small Kenyan scout halfway down. He managed a spectacular leapfrog which saved him being up on a murder charge.

Arron and Richard were spinning the scouts around and they were getting really dizzy as they walked away – they loved that!

Gareth, Sam, Catherine H and Fiona have been painting the nearby school that the kids from the orphanage go to.

Sam bought sugar cane and they’ve all been trying it.

Those who had their hair braided have had it removed because it was so itchy!

Everyone is impressed with Sam and Callum’s hang up showers.

Andy and Chris are getting fed loads by the Kenyan women because they say they are too skinny!

Andy did an HIV talk today and some of our young people helped – it really brings it home when you talk to people who all have members of their family dying of aids-related illnesses. It’s an incredible experience for our young people to be able to contribute towards the education of the young people in Kenya. They really can change some peoples’ lives.

It’s been a lovely hot day – they had chappati for lunch with stew and sukuma, which is like spinach. They’re all going to the pub tonight for a drink and a game of pool. The pub is called Mwishi Mwishi.

Everything is running like clockwork
Wednesday 25th
18:50 our time You’ve probably already seen in the guestbook that Andy has left a couple of messages, so I don’t have a lot of extra information for you this evening.

Those that painted this afternoon had some sort of a paint fight – with blue gloss! They have tried to get it off but now all look like smurfs, according to Andy.

They are having a mountain prep meeting this evening.

It’s been a hot day and many of them were lethargic after their trip to the pub last night.

On Monday, everyone will go to Kisumu in the afternoon. The camp will close on Monday morning and the Kenyans will leave. They will then have lunch and everyone will go into town to shop for the mountain.

That’s all for today folks!! More on the guestbook
Thursday 26th
19:30 our time It’s been a busy day today. Some went into Kisumu and some stayed behind to help clear soil at the back of the building. The rain washes mud down towards the orphanage, so they have been shifting the soil and flattening the ground. Andy said that he was helped by Sam, who was really strong and did countless wheelbarrow trips, Gareth, Catherine H and Fiona Davey.

They took delivery of some chickens today but didn’t realise that they were food! They had 3 chickens per camp and had to get them ready for eating – from flapping to cooked!! The vegetarians had been warned and allowed to vacate the area to drink squash and eat biscuits in the office. Apparently the carnivores amongst the group rose to the occasion and between them managed to slaughter 24 chickens and get them ready for consumption. No mean feat for those who are used to buying their chicken wrapped in cellophane, or worse still, wrapped in breadcrumbs from McDonalds!

Esther Halsall wants her mum to know that she cut the heads off two chickens – she knows you’ll be proud of her!!

The girls were delighted when 3 new toilets were opened for the first time today. There was a lock on one of them so they are now able to use a brand new long drop (no smell and no flies) with a lock on the door – bliss!

There was some rain today but it was not too bad.

Some of our young people walked to Siaya to get some supplies. They bought a paraffin lamp, a new machete, some bowls and some other supplies and it all came to about £4.

The St Julians guys brought some money out with them that they had raised over and above the money they needed for the trip. They have decided to spend this money on putting a roof between the two orphanage buildings. This will, in effect, create another useable space between the buildings – another room for them to use. It has all been priced up and will cost £385 in total and hopefully will be finished before they go.

They are going to spend some more of their money arranging for the bikes belonging to the orphans to be done up. At the moment most of the bikes, which were donated a while ago, are in bad repair. The money will pay a local mechanic to completely renovate the bikes with all new spare parts. They are hoping for this to be done before they leave so that they can take photos for their sponsors.

It was an emotional teaching session with the scouts today, as our guys and the scouts swapped information about their families and where they were from. Some of the scouts would say things like “I have one brother and my mum is in heaven, I go to school and I like football”. Very emotional for our guys when they remember what they have at home.

On Monday the camp closes and the local chief comes to the closing ceremony. They will shop on Monday afternoon, after the scouts go home, before leaving on Tuesday morning for the Mt Kenya area. It takes about 7/8 hours to get there and they will make camp at Blueline, as in previous years. They will be split into two groups for the mountain – Group 1 will rest at Blue Line and take a trip to the Equator while Group 2 go on their safari. On Thursday, Group 1 will start up the mountain while G2 are still on safari. More news about this in later posts..
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Saturday 28th
14:30 our time There has been some heavy rain today – so much so that the new guttering they have put up managed to ensure that the tanks are now about 1/10th full just from today’s rain! The tents are all holding up – everyone has taken refuge inside them!

They are all going to be watching Pirates of the Caribbean II tonight and they will have popcorn as a treat.

The St Julians guys have seen their money fix all of the kids’ bikes – and the metalwork for the roof they are building arrived on the back of a pushbike as I was speaking to Andy.

One of the locals schools that MM supports – Nyasidi school – the one that our lot have been painting, has gone from 49th to 4th in the academic tables for the region this year. Last year the school was made of mud, with jiggers on the floor. It now has concrete walls and glass windows and is freshly painted. MM puts gap year students in there to teach the local kids and the results have been astounding.

They’ve also had a hand made chair table and chairs delivered to the office today – six padded chairs and a solid wood hand-carved table – £32!!
Sunday 29th
18:00 our time

The football didn’t happen because it absolutely tipped down with rain. They had to take shelter in the school. One window was open and the rain went from one side of the room to the other! The tanks they have installed to catch the water each take 3300 litres of water. There is only guttering on one side of the orphanage and after that rainstorm the tanks are half full!

This water will be used for washing, cleaning and showers. It will be the orphanage’s own supply of water because the well they use also belongs to the community.

Today they have been sorting out the menus for the mountain. Each group is responsible for their own food – they have to prepare the menus for 5 days then get the food when they go into town tomorrow. Bear in mind that they are not even setting off up the mountain until at least next Wednesday. What did the boys plan for their day 5 lunch? Cheese and tomato sandwiches…. They were going to buy the cheese and tomatoes tomorrow and carry it all the way to the top of Mt Kenya (next week) and back before whipping up a delicious sandwich with it!! Another group just planned having ‘leftovers’ for their day 5 lunch.

Vicky, Sophie and Ruth saw the snake last night. They screamed and fled so no-one knows what it was…

Bronya and Mel B have been pranking. The boys all got their legs tied together and covered in toothpaste after their night at the pub and another prank which is not suitable for a family web site but all good fun….

The boys have also been winding up the girls, which became apparent today when the girls asked Andy if there really were snow giraffes on Mt Kenya…

Campfire tonight before closing camp tomorrow.
Text received 14:34 our time
Football this afternoon. Kenyans keen to beat us. Snake spotted at toilets last night during film. Girls playing jokes on boys. All well.
Monday 30th
20:30 our time Today was very emotional for everyone. The closing ceremony took place, with Andy reading out the words to a song called ‘My Wish’, which impacted quite a few of the young people – both Kenyan and Mzungu (white). The scouts all left to go back to wherever they call home, which is very tough for them and for our young people. Each scout was given a schoolbag full of the things that our guys took over – paper, pens, toothbrushes, hair bobbles, etc. The scouts wrote messages in journals and have written letters to some of our guys already.

After lunch, everyone went into Kisumu to buy their supplies for the mountain.

Chris has been meeting with the local leaders. It’s quite amazing what impact MM and AA have on the area when you consider that they have gap year students teaching in the schools and medical students on placement in the hospitals, as well as providing work for local builders and tradesmen, local women and those who sell produce. Everyone in the community is impacted by what is going on this summer.

The new roof has been finished and the St Julians crew are taking pictures in the morning before they leave.

Everyone is sleeping in the hall tonight. Their bags are all packed and the tents are down – they just have their sleeping bags, rollmats and toothbrushes out!

They have had a lovely meal of spaghetti bolognaise and a huge fresh fruit salad.
Lyrics to My Wish
My Wish
(If you wait long enough or mess around with the little icon at the bottom of the page, the song will actually play!!)

I hope the days come easy and the moments pass slow
And each road leads you where you want to go
And if you’re faced with the choice and you have to choose
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you
And if one door opens to another door closed
I hope you keep on walkin’ ‘til you find the window
If it’s cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile
But more than anything, more than anything

Chorus:
My wish for you
Is that this life becomes all that you want it to
Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small
You never need to carry more than you can hold
And while you’re out there gettin’ where you’re gettin’ to
I hope you know somebody loves you
And wants the same things too
Yeah, this is my wish

I hope you never look back but you never forget
All the ones who love you
And the place you left
I hope you always forgive and you never regret
And you help somebody every chance you get
Oh, you find God’s grace in every mistake
And always give more than you take
But more than anything, yeah more than anything

This is my wish
I hope you know somebody loves you
May all your dreams stay big

Credits:
Steve Robson, Jeffrey SteeleTuesday 31st
21:30 our time It was a long and bumpy trip to Blue Line and everyone is exhausted. They stopped 4 or 5 times for toilet breaks, sodas, picnics, etc. and had sandwiches on the bus.

They briefly stopped at Thomson’s Falls on the way but it was dusk so they didn’t see a lot, although the Falls were visible.

Nyahururu is Kenya’s highest town at 2360 metres (7742.7 feet) and set amongst lush tea plantations and conifer forests. You view Thomson’s Falls where the Ewaso River plummets 75 metres (246.06 feet) into a boulder-strewn gorge. It was discovered in 1880 by the explorer Joseph Thomson, who was the first of Kenya’s European settlers to walk from Mombasa to Kampala.

They only got stopped once by the police on the way when the driver was asked for his licence. He said, “No, I’ve driven all the way from Siaya in a bus worth 4 million shillings. Do you really think the owner of this bus would let me drive it with no licence?” And the police just waved him on with a huff. They are sometimes just after a quick buck – very corrupt…

Those that are going on safari have left their bags on the truck and those that are doing the mountain first offloaded their bags into a secure room. Kennos had already gone ahead and put all of the tents up for them, so they were able to just sort everything out and get to bed.

The safari guys are off in the morning. The mountain guys are having a rest day, where they can go into Nanyuki and stand on the Equatorial line for photos.

There will be no interenet access for a while now, and phone signals can be dodgy. They are okay at Blue Line but there’s not much of a signal on safari and they lose their signal between Met Camp and McKinders on the mountain. They can sometimes get a signal on the summit.
Wednesday 1st
20:30 our time It was a rest day today for most of the group. They have now split into the two groups, with Group 2 going off on safari and Group 1 getting ready for the mountain.

Group 1

Mel B, Bronya, Jon Pope, Fran, Rob, Callum, Vicky, Ruth, Jess, Sophie, Libby, Ceri, Arron, Richard, Sam, Esther, Fiona, Emily, Izzy, Zoe and Kelly.

Group 2

Ceara, Catherine, Hannah, Alisdair, Rhys, Gareth, Jack, Mel E and others (non-Welsh) that are on Africamp with them

If anyone has been left out, it’s my fault – they haven’t been left stranded anywhere in Kenya – don’t worry!

The plan is for Group 1 to set off in the morning in matatus and be dropped about 1km from the main gate. Chris will go on ahead and do the paperwork. They will spend tomorrow walking to Met Station, where they will spend the night. Day Two sees them climbing to McKinders, where they will stay Friday night and rest all day on Saturday. They will go to bed very early on Saturday night and make a summit attempt early on Sunday morning. They will then make the trek right back down to Met Station for Sunday night. They will stay there Sunday night and come off the mountain on Monday. Both Andy and Chris are with them, as well as the Kenyan guides and leaders.

Group 2 will set off on Saturday morning and spend Saturday night at Met Station. They will then meet Group 1 halfway between Met Station and McKinders, when Chris will leave Group 1 and join Group 2 for his second summit of the week! Group 1 will then go on safari and they will all meet back up at Blue Line when Group 2 come down.

So, tonight Group 1 have packed their bags for the mountain and had mashed poatao, pasta, beef stew and vegetables. They are sleeping in their mountain tents tonight after learning how to put them up. I won’t be able to give you an update on Group 2 at the moment, as my information comes from Andy – sorry!
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Thursday 2nd
16:00 our time They have all reached Met Camp safely and without injury. A few found it a little difficult getting used to walking at fairly high altitude (Met Station is at 3050 m). Just to give you an idea of what they are tackling, take a look at the table below.. they are already 3 times higher than Snowdon!!

The Sugar Loaf is 596m high
Snowdon is 1085m

Ben Nevis is 1344m

Mont Blanc, the highest mountain in the Alps, is 4807m

Our guys are attempting 4985m

So, after a hearty breakfast of sausages, toasted ham sandwiches, omelettes, bananas, pineapple, tea, coffee and squash, they set off in matatus to be dropped off about 2 km before the park gate. Their bags were taken on for them and they walked unencumbered for a couple of kilometres. At the park gate they picked up their stuff (Chris having done the paperwork) and they started walking….

Remember these photos are from last year!

They are taking the Naro Moru route – see below

En route they saw Colobus monkeys, deer, water buck, and lots of elephant poo! At one point there was a bull elephant in the bamboo not far from the path. Andy was up ahead and witnessed the Rangers letting off some firecrackers into the bushes to scare him off, but instead the elephant charged them. Andy saw the elephant charging up the path, chasing the soldiers, with his ears flapping and tusks waving around – scary, eh?

As a rule, Chris is up front and Andy takes the rear. Sam and Arron reached Met Camp before everyone else, dumped their stuff then ran back to help some of the girls who were struggling. Gold star for chivalry!

Tomorrow is the hardest day – I’ll hopefully update the site before Andy loses his signal. I know this is a scary time for those tackling the mountain and for those at home wishing them all the best. They are in very safe hands and however high they manage to get, they will have done amazingly well – it’s a really tough challenge. There’s a group walking for another charity at the same time as our guys. They have porters carrying their bags, putting their tents up for them and cooking their food. Not only that but they’ve already taken Diamox, an anti-altitude sickness drug, and are just going straight up the mountain, without taking the rest day. Our guys can feel very proud of the way they are tackling this….it is actually the safer way to do it.

Safari..

Pete was supposed to get a block of cheese at the supermarket for them all to have macaroni cheese. It wasn’t until they were cooking in the evening that they realised he’d bought butter instead! Doh!

On a brighter note, they’ve seen the elusive leopard! If you get to spot a cheetah, leopard or lion, then you’ve done well. All of the other animals are pretty much guaranteed sightings.

Everyone is well.
Friday 3rd
14:00 our time They have all got to Picnic Rocks without it raining and without any mishaps. Andy said he’s really proud of everyone. They have now reached the top of the vertical bog and are about to drop into the Teleki Valley..

What they can expect today..(Photos from 2005 – taken by Katie and Andy)

Day two is generally regarded as the toughest day. This is mainly due to the terrain, distance and altitude covered. They start early, leaving camp at 7 am with all the tent groups having cooked breakfast and packed their equipment. They follow a short path to the top of the forest and they pop out onto the Vertical Bog (11500 ft). ther Vertical Bog is not actually vertical: it would be better described as a 45 degree Dartmoor. The distance covererd is not massive, however, depending on the bog conditions, the progress can be slow as they meander their way, hopping from tuft of dry ground to knee deep mud.

By this stage, the worst of the day is over. The gradient lessens and morale perks up again with fuel in the tummy and dry socks. The next section of the day they ascend parallel with the open expanse of the Teleki Valley until they reach the shoulder of the mountain (14000ft) and the valley banks start steepening and narrowing. At this point they will be getting close to their camp altitude.

After 3 – 4 hrs they arrive at the Picnic Rocks (13500ft) where they will have lunch.

From there, weather granted, the summits of Mt Kenya are visible as they reach up into the heavens. What follows is a straightforward walk dropping into the Teleki Valley and following it to the base of Mt Kenya’s summits. This section will usually take 2 hrs from the shoulder to the camp. In total the day, depending on conditions, can take 6 – 8 hrs. At the camp AA use the Ranger Station to check in with base camp. The camp is called Teleki Camp or MacKinders Camp (14,200ft). Tents are erected and dinner prepared by each tent group. Then an early night is had as temperatures are lower here and people are tired.

Saturday 4th
NO LIVE UPDATE We are unlikely to hear anything as there is hardly any mobile coverage. If anyone does hear anything – please post on the guestbook. Some may get a text or call from the summit, but we are most likely to hear from them when they get back to Met Camp, or between Picnic Rocks and Met Camp.

What they can expect today

Today is a rest day. They will have a choice – sleep, read, play cards or basically relax at their leisure or go on an acclimatisation walk. This area is abundantly beautiful and if they wish they can go with the guides on a short 1 / 2 hour walk – this is not only a wonderful way of seeing the high, hidden lakes or caves but also an effective way of helping their bodies adjust to the altitude. They will get a very early night ready for their summit attempt in the early hours.

The tents can be hard with frost in the morning.. (2005)

…and you swap pilfering baboons for pilfering rock hyrax – out in groups checking out the visitors!

The long drops at MacKinders – note the sign just in case you don’t know what they are!

A chance to check out your blisters!! (Sammi 2006)

Tonight (early hours of tomorrow morning)

Summit day starts very early – at 01.30. They get up at this time for two reasons. Firstly the route to the summit sees them going up a 800ft scree slope which at this time of the night is frozen together and hence avoids a one step forward 3 back scenario. The second reason is a hopeful summit about 06.30, thus allowing them to watch the sunrise over the plains of Africa, one of the most amazing sights in the world.

Having had some warm breakfast, they will leave camp at 02.00 ( no heavy rucksacks this time – just what they need for a couple of hours) and follow the remainder of the Teleki Valley to the base of the scree slope which leads up to the summits of Mt Kenya. This usually takes about 45mins to reach and is where they will have their first break. The breaks will now be a lot shorter due to the cold. The scree slope is a comfortable but slow plod up as they twist and turn in a long snake like fashion up the mountain illuminated in the bubble of their head torches.

Finally, about 2 hrs later, they arrive at the top of the scree slope. They will briefly rest and then head over a large bouldered section to the Austrian Hut at 15,600ft. This takes about ½ hr to reach and is where they gain shelter, huddled inside as they chomp on chocolate and drink water. They usually have a 15 – 20 min break here as they are out of the cold.

From here the summit of Point Lenana is 45mins further. They will leave the Austrian Hut and head up the summit ridge. The ridge is exposed for the first 100m but with no major drop offs. They are then tucked under the summit and the cairn-marked path takes them to the back of the summit and eventually they zigzag up onto the summit at 16,350ft. From here they will wait and watch the sun as it rises up and across the plains 1000s of feet below. Depending on conditions they stay on the top for as long as is required for people to hug, slap backs, cry, take photos and some even use phones to wake up parents back home – depending on signal availability. Bear in mind that if we do get these calls – it will be around 05:00 our time, so we’ll have to try and be chirpy!!!

In 2005, Andy and Katie (July and August) summitted in amazing conditions..

Last year they summitted through snow, hail and rain and a few of them had to stay at Austrian Hut. We’ll just have to hope for good weather…

Summit
05:00 our time Here’s the news you’ve all been waiting for! This always makes me tearful because I know what they have been through – it’s an incredible personal challenge and one that, for many years to come, will remain as the hardest thing they have ever undertaken…

Only one of Group 1 didn’t make the summit push this morning and that was Ruth, who stayed safely behind at MacKinders. Out of the 20 that went up, every one of them stood on the top. Andy said it was very cold and that he is extremely proud of everyone. More people made it up this year than last year, when two didn’t make it to MacKinders and 6 couldn’t make the summit push.

Well done to everyone and Happy Birthday to Callum – what a way to see your birthday in!!!
Monday 6th
15:00 our time Everyone is back at Blue Line – having lunch, charging phones and enjoying hot showers. They have had beef stew, chips and rice (and veggie options of course) and are packing their day packs for safari – everything else gets locked up at Blue Line while they are away. OT (driver), Emma and Izabel (Kenyan cooks) have gone into Nanyuki to buy supplies ready for safari, so tomorrow morning they will just be able to get into the truck and go. It takes about 3 hours to get to Samburu and on the way they will stop at a curio shop and have their picnic there.

They will camp in the grounds of the Samburu Lodge. Group 2 had baboons breaking into their supply tent and stealing a bag of sugar!! Last year Andy hurt his leg chasing a baboon who stole a loaf of bread. They are so cheeky – they just walk up, grab your food and run off screaming!!

Group 2 saw a leopard up in a tree but didn’t get to see lions. There hasn’t been a lion sighting for 3 days in Samburu.

Andy said they all did amazingly well on the mountain. They left Met Station at 9am and didn’t see any rain until after they had gone past Picnic Rocks. It then rained until they got to MacKinders before stopping. The first night was very cold – below zero – and the tents were rigid. On their rest day they were able to crash out, make food, dry stuff in the sun and go for walks to see the lakes. There was a stunning starry sky in the night.

During the winter, when no-one is on the mountain, a leopard sleeps in the porters’ cabin on a mattress that they leave there for him. On this particular cold night, the porters were all asleep and the leopard was whining at the door wanting to come in and sleep on his mattress! They all looked for footprints in the morning but there was no sign of him.

They all went to bed at about 6/7 pm and got up at 12.30 – 1am. Ruth stayed at MacKinders through choice – she was feeling very tired and just didn’t feel as though she had the energy to make the summit push. The rest of them walked up to the Austrian hut, where they stopped for 10 minutes and dropped their bags. They then made their summit push through cloud. It was very cold (Andy said it turned his rucksack white), but when they reached the top, the cloud cleared and they watched the sun rise, which immediately warmed them. The views were stunning and some took photos and made calls home, but the batteries were dying because of the cold. They all sang happy birthday to Callum.

They got back to MacKinders for 10 ish, had some breakfast, then began their descent. Chris stayed at MacKinders with the tents to wait for Group 2. They met Group 2 at Picnic Rocks and stopped for half an hour to catch up before moving on. They were told that the elephant that Andy had seen charging around on the way up had been shot by the rangers. He had been rejected by his herd for some reason and was hanging around on the paths behaving very erratically. They couldn’t get him to leave so in the end had to shoot him, as he was very dangerous.

On the way out they saw baboon and loads of huge safari ants. The porters 50m ahead told everyone to be quiet as there were buffalo in the bushes, so they crept past and carried on their way. They saw the dead elephant on the way out.
Group 2 summit
06:00 our time Chris reported that all of our guys in Group 2 successfully summitted at 06:50 local time this morning. It was clear and they had great views! Nice for Jack (front row second from right – 2006) after getting through a storm and seeing nothing last year. Jack is the only one of the Welsh Africampers to have summitted Mt Kenya twice. Well done everyone!!

Eveyone is safe and well!
Wednesday 8th
07:00 our time There is hardly any signal on safari. There used to be a ‘magic tree’ where Andy could position his phone up in one of the branches, put it on speakerphone and just shout to me, but he said that tree has lost its power.. He used to look daft having a full on conversation with a tree anyway…

Text says:

All good on safari. Saw lions on the way in. Windy last night and baboons noisy. River high so no walking safari (they usually manage to walk across a river).

I’ll update you if I hear more. No report from Chris with Group 2 as yet but they’ll be on their way back to Blue Line today and you’ll get texts..
Thursday 9th
13:00 our time They will be back at Blue Line now. They’ll meet back up with Group 2 and have a big BBQ and party tonight.

The safari was excellent – they saw everything. They saw lion every day and even a cheetah chasing a dik dik. They took pictures of a leopard in a tree – apparently Ruth has got stunning photos of this.

At the Samburu Lodge, the staff put meat up in a tree and they sat and had coffee while watching a leopard eat it. Quote of the day had to come from Libby who asked if they ate it raw….

They also saw jackal, elephant, giraffe, zebra, gazelle to name but a few…

At the Lodge, Arron and Richard also fed the crocodiles, who come up to the bar area to get meat every night at 7pm. The baboons were extremely noisy the first night and pooed on the tents every other night! They also came across some spiders which were about 2 inches across. The Masaii tribesman accompanying them confirmed that they were poisonous so they stamped on them but they got up and walked off. They stamped on them again, but they just got up and walked away again! Andy said it took about 4 bashings to kill them! That freaked the girls out and Andy said that many were also freaked out about the fact you could see the river from their tents and they knew it was full of crocs…

They had a charcoal BBQ on the last night and all sat around it, chatting. They have been very privileged to see as much as they have in such a short space of time….

Tomorrow they are up at 8 am for breakfast at 9 am and on the road for 10 am. They are taking the truck and 2 matatus to Nairobi, where Group 1 will board the overnight train to Mombasa. Group 2 will travel by truck. On the way back, Group 2 will take the train and Group 1 will travel by truck.

They may get internet access at Magadi Road tomorrow..

To get a better picture of where they have been and what they have been doing – check out the related pages on the 2006 blog
Friday 10th
17:00 our time Group 1 (minus Jack) are all on the train to Mombasa. Jack has been to Mombasa before and has instead opted to take a trip to Embu with Andy Mac’s group. He’ll be back in Nairobi in time to come home next week. When they arrived back at Magadi Road, they found Gavin and Andy Mac there. Chris stayed behind with Gavin, as they are having a Trustees meeting, and he’ll fly to Mombasa and catch up with Group 1 tomorrow.

They have christened the train ‘The Hogwarts Express’ as it has the compartments ‘just like the real thing’. They have full board, so they go down to the dining car for dinner and their beds are made up for them for when they return. They then get woken again in the morning for a cooked breakfast before arriving in Mombasa. They’ll then take matatus to the campsite and relax for a week!

Group 2 are leaving on the truck in the morning. The road from Nairobi to Mombasa is nearly finished so their journey should be much quicker than in previous years, and they’ll get there tomorrow afternoon to meet up with Group 1.

They had a great BBQ and catch up last night. They looked at all of their photos via the laptop and projector and Callum had his birthday cake and party!
Sunday
You will get most of your updates from the guestbook now, as they have easy access to the internet!

Included in their trip are camel rides, snorkelling on a glass bottomed boat and banana boating, so we should have some interesting reports over the next couple of days!

The weather is beautiful and there is no weed on the beach this year so they really do have an idyllic beach to play on all week!

Monday
Andy is in Nakumat buying the tea for tonight – steak, veggie burgers and sausages (with chips from the bar). He said a huge steak which would fill a dinner plate is approximately 35p (he checked it was cow..). They’re all going to Pirates tonight, which is a nightclub on the beach – they’ll really enjoy that.

Arron is helping OT to fix the truck. They went into Mombasa yesterday to buy parts and now they are both around the back of the hotel, dressed in overalls, fixing it for the journey back to Nairobi.

The weather is lovely and they are all getting tans.

The scouts arrived yesterday. How amazing it must be to watch the reactions of kids who have never seen the sea before…

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