A low point in my life drove me to climb Mt Kenya highest point

"I started seriously hiking in 2018 when I was going through a stressful period in life and realised that I needed something to help me let go. After I decided to take it seriously, in three weeks, I went and hiked Mt Kilimanjaro. To prepare for that, I did Ngong, Elephant Hills, and Longonot. I would work during the week and plan my hikes for the weekends if I didn't have to go to the office...that's how I still do it. 

In 2019, I got a climbing partner called James Muhia, who is the first black Kenyan to do a 7,000m mountain- he did Lenin Peak in Central Asia in 2018. Having a climbing partner means that costs go down because mountaineering is not cheap. There's the cost of transport to go to the mountain, then since you're not using a tour company, you just plan yourself, pay the entrance and camping fee at the gate, pack everything you need. There are also no porters or chefs so you carry and cook yourselves, and it's a drastic reduction of cost. 

This is how the hike went: we got to Naromoru gate at around 3pm on a Friday, then hiked to the first camp at Makinda Hut and this took around four hours. We were with a rock climbing guide, a ranger called David Muigai since James and I couldn't attempt Batian, Mt Kenya's highest peak, on our own. Having gotten to Makinda late, we slept at the hut. We also picked up our food from here: baked beans, noodles, ugali, nuts. The following morning, at around 11 am, we left for Austrian hut where we had lunch then summited Lenana, the third-highest point of Mt Kenya. The majority of people who go to the mountain often stop their hike here. We stayed there for a bit enjoying the views and weather, waiting for the sunset. We went back to the camp at around 7pm. 

That Sunday we were up at 4am to make breakfast then at around 5.30am, proceeded to make the attempt to Batian following the southern route which first takes you to Nelion. 

It took us five hours to get to Nelion which is a technical climb, and we had the gear for it. 

For me, important gear includes a harness, carabiner, safety gear like helmet, ARC device, ropes, and quickdraws. For Batian once you start the climb, the guide leads. David tied the rope to himself using the ATC device then tied it to me and on to James. At this point, I was only carrying a daypack that had snacks, my phone, and clothing because of the expected change in weather. We did something called belaying, whereby we were controlling the rope that the guide was attached to and keeping it tight so that if he fell, he wouldn't fall very far.

When he got to a point where the rope ran out, then we would start climbing as he "pulled" us up...you're climbing and the rope is just for safety. Now it was his turn to ensure that there was no slack so that if we fell, we'd be safe. 

You have to trust the people you're climbing with. I trained at the BlueSky Gym in Diamond Plaza, Lukenya, and Hell's Gate. To build trust, on your first time training together, you just watch each other. It's also about good communication and being honest with your experience. Because of the safety aspect, it's a very tricky sport because you must be aware of your team. You can go with someone who tells you they know how to belay, but at the moment, can't hold you and you end up breaking your neck or back. People have died. 

Muigai, our guide, knew James' climbing prowess. We were however meeting for the first time and he was very concerned about our safety. It wasn't until the moment that we started climbing and he watched me that he eased up. 

It's very risky. You need someone who doesn't panic easily. In case something happens, how do you react to it? When you get the rope, how do you behave? Someone can get there and say, no, I can't do it. But at this point, you need to push yourself. The guide is at the very front so it's up to you to be very calculated and calm. 

I had attempted for Batian previously using the north face in August 2020. It's a direct route. The weather changed and it started raining, and after waiting for an hour, we had to go back down. You don't say you're going to the summit; you say you're going to attempt because anything can happen. 

When you're at Point Nelion, Batian looks like it's right there but there's a very tricky place called Gate of Mist which is where most people fear. It is very intimidating and was the trickiest part of our climb. It scared me because you have to use a rope to rappel down, then it was snowing so you have to use a crampon, but once we passed it, we got to Batian at around 2.40pm having left Nelion at 12.30pm. 

I've reached other summits like Kilimanjaro and Rwenzori but this was very different. It was very humbling and emotional. The climb wasn't easy and there was such a sense of achievement.

My next goal is to now do a 7,000m and 8,000m mountain."

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