The Climb Journal

Background info of the Mt Kenya Climb
THE PLAN:
Day 1: Spend a ridiculous amount of time pissing around getting ready for the climb. Climb to first stop, where we stay in…barracks (?). Climbing to 3300 meters (from 2650 meters)
Day 2: Climb up to second stop, same type of accommodation. Climbing to 4200 meters.
Day 3: Acclimatize at second camp and make a practice climb to 4500m.
Day 4: Climb to Point Lenana at 4985metres, rest for an hour, then back down to camp #1
Day 5: Descend back to Mt Kenya entrance and drive 3.5 hrs back to Nairobi

This was a solo trip and the guide was there to lead me and ensure my safety - not be my "buddy". I also had two other people with me that met us at each camp with our heavier gear and cooked for meals for us.

I have very little brain activity right now so I’m just going to post what I wrote in my journal as I went along. It’s not edited and probably inappropriate at times…

Day 1 – nothing written as I was too busy freaking out for stupidly assuming that this was just a ‘random hike’ that anyone would do, like on the weekend or something.

Day 2 –

• I am not peeing. I am drinking. Still no pee. This concerns me.
• Altitude is one nasty bitch. Like seriously.  I am out of breath lying down, like how Homer Simpson breathes when he eats.
• There is lots of UK army at the camp and I don’t think they’ve seen women in a long time.
• Tonight staying in my room is some French people. One of the guys is kind of mean and really old.
• I don’t think it’s possible these mattresses have bed bugs because it’s too cold.
• I have to force feed myself because I am so nauseous. I am so forgetful (not sure if this is any different).
• My guide knows every single symptom because I’m paranoid about altitude sickness.
• Now I understand why my dad was so worried.
• I had no idea that this was going to be so hard. I was talking with this one UK army guy and he said, “The big mountain in front of you when you pulled up didn’t give you any hints?”
• Next thing I sign up for I will SERIOUSLY READ THE DIRECTIONS first
• I love you, Louis.
• Like no shit, I am winded when I have to get up to pee.
• I’m trying to cram food in my mouth so I’ll have some energy. Tom and Paul are now cheering me on trying to get me to eat. I wish I would have brought energy gels.
• I am going to try and eat carbs and protein and sugar.

Day 2 – before bed (I think, the pages are all out of order somehow)

• Today we had peanut butter sandwiches.
• Today I did things I never dreamed which shows that no matter what situation I can find a way to succeed. Big lesson here for some things that I struggle with a lot.
• I ran into some school kids that were doing this as part of their school and two of them were following us so I gave them a granola bar to share. They became my watch dogs and followed us for a long time. They tried to talk to me but I’m afraid I was too cranky.
• A different person’s guide passed me today and said, “Slowly, slowly, and drink water”. This helped a lot.
• I thought my guide was a f*ck when he told me the camp was close. It was not close.
• I STINK

Day 3 – Practice Climb (to 4500m)

I was thinking very negative thoughts all day today and it made our practice climb very hard. Like seriously nearly impossible. I don’t know how I made it. At one point, I pretended that I was an elephant on my way to give food to my baby on the other side of the mountain. But then I remembered that baby elephants are often prey, so I changed my mind and became a penguin, like March of the Penguins. I was the mother penguin, needing to get to my penguin husband and egg.

This lasted only a few minutes, because then I was a character in a movie, and Morgan Freeman was narrating my climb.

Even on the way down, I was thinking Morgan Freeman saying, “As she descends the mountain, she must be careful not too excited or she will slip, potentially injuring herself and eliminating any chances of making the climb tomorrow”.  Like I can’t tell if the altitude is screwing with my head or if I’m always this goofy.

Why were my thoughts so negative on the way up? I really need to drink water.

I would really like to trust my guide. He talks a good talk and if what he says is true, he is a great person and highly involved in the community. But under these circumstances…anyone can say anything.That makes me kind of sad.

My water from my pack leaked on the floor and it really pissed off this German girl. Then I walked in on her in the bathroom which pissed her off even more.

Does anyone just one day wake up and say, Hey! I’m going to climb a mountain!! Seriously.

Day 4

• It took me over an hour to gain 300meters of altitude. I collapsed and couldn’t speak properly so the guide made is climb down. I cried, but not so hard that he would hear.
• I don’t even care. I missed the peak by 600 meters of altitude and I don’t care. Nobody’s perfect.

Later on that day
All I want to do is cry. We hiked down to camp #1.

I’m not crying because I didn’t make the top. Or because it hurts to walk. Or move. Or breathe. Or because I smell so horrible. I’m over exhausted and I couldn’t eat again tonight but I think it’s just because I’m tired.

Day 5 - Today
The peak is 4985 meters - I made it up to ~4500 meters. SO CLOSE but really, really so far away. On the way back down we ran into some elephants.

This trip was incredible…and I’m slowly remembering it….I’m so happy that I did it, but next time a little more research will be involved. I also need to make a list of all the songs I sang (in my head) because they were so out of the blue.