Mt. Kenya

Not to brag or anything, but I have climbed to the summit of the second highest mountain in Africa: Mt. Kenya.

On August 8th Denae, Whitney, Kristiann, Jessica and I set out on a 6 day adventure to hike Mt. Kenya's Point Lenana (4,985 metres, 16,355 ft). Our basic trek was 4 days up, 2 days down, starting in Nanyuki and ending in Chogoria. Here's the itinerary we were given:

Day 01: SIRIMON GATE TO JUDMAIER CAMP
9km, 3-4hrs 690m ascent
From the gate follow the track as it winds uphill through the forest, which becomes heath land after about 3hrs. About 3 1/2 hours from the gate, the track veers right and crosses a small stream next to some concrete blocks and an old barrier. Just before the stream, on the left, is Judmaier camp (3340m), a flat camping area in between large clumps of heather. If you're not camping, 10minutes further up the hill is the Old Moses Camp bunkhouse. From Judmaier camp, the summits of Batian and Nelion are visible to the south, just to the right of two other peaks called Terere and Sendeo, which looks larger than the main peaks viewed from this angle. Meals and Overnight will be served at Judmaier camp

Day 02: JUDMAIER CAMP TO LIKII NORTH HUT.
8km, 3-4hrs, 690m ascent
From Judmaier Camp, follow the track uphill, One hour later you will cross a stream and reach a fork that goes to Liki North Hut (3990m). Continue up the valley for another hour to cross the river and reach a flat grassy area below a cliff of small overhangs. Descend to the Likii North hut valley after crossing the River. Dinner and overnight at the camp.

Day 03: LIKII NORTH HUT TO SHIPTONS CAMP.

After breakfast Hike from the Likii north valley to the top of Mackinders valley which leads directly to shiptons camp. Its one of the most scenic view from the top of the ridge. Dinner and overnight at the Shiptons camp.

Day 04 SUMMIT DAY! :SHIPTON'S CAMP TO POINT LENANA (VIA HARRIS TARN), PLUS DESCENT TO HALL TARNS 2.5KM, 31/2-5HRS, 755M ASCENT: PLUS 6KM, 2-3 HRS, 685M DESCENT
From the campsite and bunkhouse, go up a steep stony gully that cuts through a cliff, clearly visible a few hundred meters directly in front of the bunkhouse. At the top of the gully, head right across open ground then go steeply up the crest of a broad ridge of scree, aiming roughly due south. The main peaks are to your right, on the other side of a large valley. After two to three hours of walking from Shipton's you cross a ridge crest and drop very slightly to Harris Tarn. From Harris Tarn, the entire north face of Lenana, rising to the summit, is visible. Note two gendarmes (pinnacles) at the end of a short ridge to the (North-west) of the summit. From the tarn, the path leads up towards the summit, then left across the top of the slope behind the tarn, aiming for the left (east) side of the face. After about 45 minutes, and some hands-out -of pockets section, the ascent of Lenana by the north face is one of the most exhilarating sections. We'll allow 1 1/2 - 2 hrs to get from Harris Tarn to the summit. From the summit of Lenana we descend to Hall Tarns (4300m). Meals and Overnight will be served at Halls Tarns.

Day 05: HALL TARNS TO CHOGORIA GATE 14KM, 41/2 - 61/2HRS, 1280M DESCENT
From Hall Tarns to the aims eastwards, through some bowl - like depressions then past an area eroded rocks resembling mushrooms, to follow a broad ridge crest with the main Gorges Valley down to the right (south). On clear days you get spectacular views down into the valley, past huge rock towers and pinnacles, with Lake Michaelson and the Vivienne Falls below. After three to four hours the path crosses a stream and you'll go up the far bank to reach the Chogoria roadhead. From hear we track down through the giant heather and forest for another 11/2 to two hours, to reach the park gate (3017m). Meals and Overnight will be served at Chogoria Gate.

Day 06: CHOGORIA PARK GATE TO CHOGORIA TOWN 29KM, 6-8HRS, 1500M DESCENT
From the park gate a dirt road winds down through the forest for 23kms to the forest gate. The route passes through thick bamboo and forest; although the forest is beautiful, after a while you switch to automatic pilot and just keep plodding down. The track is sometimes impassable for cars after rain, but you'll have no problem getting through on foot. The walk isn't hard, but it can seem very long after several days on the mountain. From the forest Station gate at the end of the track, it's still about 6km through fields and villagers to Chogoria town. Meals and Overnight will be served at our town Hotel or our next destination

We had an amazing experience, and thanks to the great company we were able to laugh through all of the weather and gear pitfalls we experienced, not to mention the illnesses that befell us. Our first day started out with meeting our guides, cooks and porters and driving to the gate at the base of the national park. David was our head guide and he was great, then we had 2 cooks, and 5 porters, 3 of which were personal porters so they were carrying our big bags and then we carried our day packs.

On our first day the guides had told us we could wear shorts and t-shirts and it wasn't too long of a hike. The weather was cloudy but not too bad when we left the KWS park gate but about half way to the camp it started just absolutly pouring rain on us. Not all of us had rain gear, and some of the rain gear that we had turned out to not be rain proof at all, so by the time we got the camp we were soaked to the bone and freezing cold. We made the decision not to camp that night and went to the bandas instead to try and thaw out. That was also about the time we found out that our bags were also soaked through so some of the girls had no dry clothes to their name. I was lucky enough to have packed all my clothes in plastic bags so I was doing pretty well compared to others. The food that the cooks made us was delicious the whole trip, but I think we were especially appreciative on this night to have warm food and hot tea in us.

The next morning we hiked in some drizzle, some wind but mostly just in fog until we reached camp. That was our first night in the tents and was another cold night. Each day basically consisted of waking up around 6, having breakfast packing up and then hiking until around 2 at which point we had reached camp where we were served lunch. Then we had the rest of the afternoon to read, talk, hangout and play cards before dinner at 7 and then it was time for bed. Other PCVs who had climbed Mt. Kenya before told us they were able to explore around camp, sun on the rocks and dry any clothes in the sun. We were lucky enough to never have more than maybe an hour of sun at any one time, so we mostly sought refuge in our tent the whole afternoon. We were lucky to have a positive group and we had fun despite the weather.

The third day was my favorite, the scenery was beautiful and we all got into a great hiking rhythm and the walk seemed easier than the previous two days. That night we reached Shipton's Camp which is at the base of the summits. The 5 of us were huddled in our tent when David ran to our tent to tell us that it was SNOWING!!!!! It was crazy to see snow in Africa, especially after almsot 2 years without seeing snow at all. We were all excited to see snow, that was, until David told us that if this weather continued we might not be able to make a summit attempt at all. After a few hours of steady snowing David said we definitely couldn't try for a sunrise summit so we planned to sleep in and see how the weather seemed mid morning. That night I got a fever and had some serious digestive issues so I was very happy that we didn't have to wake up at 3am and start the summit.

On SUMMIT DAY we had our breakfast, packed up camp and at about the time we were leaving camp the clouds parted and we were given an amazing view of the summit, talk about motivation. The clouds quickly returned and we spent the next few hours in thick fog hiking toward a peak that we couldn't see in the distance. We made the summit right at noon and took some time to celebrate. Jess and Denae had packed a bottle of Patron so we could have celebratory shots at the summit, and since we were supposed to summit at sunrise we would have had tequila sunrises. Since it was noon we had tequila mid-days instead. Everyone, including our guide David, had a shot. Then we did lots of photo ops and then headed back down the other side of the mountain to our next camp.

At Hall Tarns we had lunch and continued to bask in the glow of having made the summit! A few of us were still battling stomach issues so it was another low key evening in the tent for us.

The next day was a long downhill hike to the bandas. We had decided to spring for nice accommodation for our last night on the mountain. The bandas each had real beds, hot showers and a fireplace. We roasted marshmallows, sat around warm for the first time in 5 days and enjoyed a much needed shower.

Our last day consisted of a very long downhill hike through the forest. The scenery was nice, but we all just wanted to be off the mountain. When we finally met up with the truck that was taking us into town we all jumped for joy and then enjoyed the bumpy ride back to civilization. We drove by some elephants and saw lots of monkeys as well. In town we had lunch, said goodbye to an amazing crew and headed to Nairobi.

The whole experience was worth every minute, we could have asked for better weather but not for better company! And now I can say that I've hiked Africa's second highest mountain. Not too shabby.

Now for the pictures:

A tarn on the decent side of the mountain.

Point Lenana is the peak to the left in this picture.
After the summit we stopped for a chai break.

David, our guide, taking his Patron shot on the summit

The summit flag
Tastes like victory

At Shipton's camp, the night before summit

WE MADE IT!

Snack break on day 2


Day 3, a view of the valley going down the mountain

Camp GLOW

As the vice-chair of the GAD (Gender And Development) committee for Peace Corps Kenya, I had the honor of being involved in Camp GLOW. GLOW stands for Girls Leading Our World and Camp GLOW is a week-long girls’ empowerment camp. The camp is organized by PCVs who are members of GAD and by other interested volunteers. This year GAD organized two Camp GLOWs, one in April that was held in Mombasa on the Coast and another in August in Kisumu in Nyanza province. PCVs served as counselors, facilitators and planned all the logistics of the camp, they also nominated young women from their communities that they felt would benefit from the camp as well as nominated Kenyan counterparts who they felt could help facilitate sessions and would also benefit from such an experience. The Kisumu camp that I was a part of was one of the most rewarding experiences that I have had during my time here in Kenya as a PCV. The August camp, which was possible through the GAD committee, Peace Corps Kenya staff and PEPFAR support, was made up of 22 Peace Corps Volunteers, 84 young women and 18 Kenyan counterparts. A unique aspect of the August Camp GLOW was the participation of deaf students and counterparts. Of the 84 students half were deaf.

Women and girls in Kenya face many challenges. Challenges range from the pressure in many communities to undergo female circumcision to being seen as a potential dowry rather than a future leader of the nation. Girls are often left at home rather than sent to school and those who are lucky enough to attend school carry the extra burden of their household responsibilities that can distract them from their academic pursuits. Gender violence is another issue that is prominent in Kenya and many women believe acts of rape and abuse are their fault. Females in general in Kenya are disenfranchised and disempowered. Combating these gender inequalities is the reason GAD and Camp GLOW exist.

The goal of Camp GLOW was to empower girls through teaching participants about leadership, communication, healthy relationships, health, and future careers. The girls learned about HIV/AIDS prevention and women's health issues through interactive presentations facilitated by Peace Corps Volunteers and host country nationals. They also participated in a “career day” where women leaders attended the camp and spoke about their professions first in a panel and then had one-on-one meetings with the participants. Evening activities were geared towards cultural exchange and interactions between the hearing and deaf participants.

Throughout the week the girls were empowered to take control of their bodies, lives and futures. Participants also created action plans for how they will share what they learned at the camp with their communities and schools when they return home. The camp was a huge success and it was apparent to all in attendance that there had been a powerful and palpable change in the attitudes, self-esteem and confidence of the participants. Like I said, this was one of the most fulfilling activities that I have been involved in during my 2 years here, the week was a lot of hard work, but it was worth it.

Here are some pictures from the week:

The August Camp GLOW participants

The end of the week celebration disco!

The PCVs who made it all possible! (my students snuck into this picture too...)

The girls from Bande enjoying the bonfire and roasting marshmallows. This was their first time to make marshmallows and they were champs!

From L to R: A student who jumped in the picture (don't know her, but the rest are my students or the counterpart I brought), Lynet (a form 2), Mercy (a form 3), Caroline (a teacher at Bande), Risper (a form 1) and I.

Condom demonstrations

Science is FUN!

In my form 2 class we are currently studying gaseous exchange. Last week we learned about the respiratory system in insects and after talking in class about spiracles we went out into the field and caught grasshoppers so the students could observe the spiracles in action. This week we learned about gaseous exchange in fish and in amphibians. So we did a lab where the students cut out the gills of fish to observe them and we also went on a "frog safari" where we caught frogs so we could observe them breathing (mostly the movement of the buccal cavity). Here are some pictures, proof that science in fun!

On our "frog safari" we were able to catch a few frogs and the girls got to observe the way the floor for the frogs mouth moves up and down to facilitate inhalation and exhalation.

Prime "frog safari" terrain was around the taps from the water storage tanks

Giving notes to the class about gaseous exchange in fish after our gill observation lab

Students in my class taking notes

The girls in the lab awaiting the lab instructions. These are my form 2 students, you may notice Diana, an albino student who joined Bande Girls' this year. I'll be talking more about her in an upcoming blog.
Outside the lab, looking in
Showing my students where the operculum is located and how to remove it to expose the gills

Observing the gills in water to see how the differ than when observed out of the water

Identifying the gill bar, gill rakers and gill filaments with Maureen.
Yum Samaki (fish)

Checking to see if the skin of frogs is really moist and thin like I told them it was for gaseous exchange to take place
Frog safari success!
Observing the gills
Finding the operculum and counting the number of gills

Getting ready for the fish lab

Kenya Education Fund

When I came to my school one of the first things that I did was to ask my principal about the main challenges that the school and the students face. The very first thing that she told me was school fees. In Kenya, primary school education is free, but secondary education is only minimally subsidized. This means that many students are not able to access a secondary education. It is even harder for girls to access secondary education due to the cultural institutions which place an emphasis on educating boys, while girls are often seen as merely future dowry opportunities for the family. Girls’ education has recently become a priority of the national government but the funding is lacking to make an impact at the local level for girls education. In Nyanza province, where my school is located, especially in areas in close proximity to Lake Victoria, the issues of poverty and high prevalence of HIV/AIDS compounds the issue of education. Families often struggle to put food on the table and as a result education becomes a luxury. Families often also suffer the death of the main income generator in the family which forces them into further poverty or forces them to become dependent on extended family members. The students at my school often dependent on extended family members to pay their schools fees and when this person dies they are once again forced to drop out of school. A students ability to concentrate in the classroom is greatly affected by the anxiety of not knowing where their school fees will come from, if their families are eating or if their parents are going to live through the next year

In an effort to help my students with the challenge of school fees, I helped a handful of my neediest students apply for a scholarship through the Kenya Education Fund. Out of the girls that applied 3 were chosen for full sponsorship. Kenya Education Fund is a nonprofit organization that supports needy students in Kenya. Through donors in America it provides students with a full scholarship for their secondary education. Please check out their website www.kenyaeducationfund.org They are doing amazing work in Kenya and if you feel so inclined, you can donate through their website. You can even specify that you would like your donations to go to Bande Girls' School students and your donations are tax deductible.

The three girls who are now sponsored by KEF were invited to Kisumu last weekend for a workshop where they learned about leadership, entrepreneurship, how to succeed in their studies and a number of other topics. I went with the students and they were beyond excited to go and visit "the big city" and also to meet the other KEF students. They had a great time and it was such an amazing feeling to see these girls be inspired to continue with their education. Here are some pictures from our adventure.

Viviance, Margaret and Salome at the conference.

The students and I with the director of KEF, Brad who was also a PCV here in Kenya

After a long day of workshop sessions, a visit to Lake Victoria and a trip to Nakumatt

Kenya Education Fund!!!!
When we got to Kisumu I took the girls to the shore of Lake Victoria and treated them to some sodas

We also visited the Jomo Kenyatta Grounds in Kisumu and explored the "big city"

The Many Contrasts of Kenya

There are numerous dichotomies here in Kenya. Some are small, some are glaring, some are comical while others are depressing. On my walk to the village this morning, to buy my weekly supply of veggies, I was struck by the many contrasts that I experience and observe here, especially the contrasts that are seemingly illogical. I ran through a list of these contrasts in my head:

-Using my laptop, but by candlelight, because my house doesn’t have power
-The joy of seeing my students learn and the horror of seeing them be caned
-Washing my clothes by hand but cooking with a gas cylinder burner
-The majority of Kenyans owning cell phones but lacking the income to pay school fees
-The Kenyans walking everywhere many without shoes while my principal drives her own car
-The fact that I learned to cook things like coconut curry and spaghetti sauce from scratch in a kitchen without a refrigerator or oven
-The luxury safari lodges and the makuti (palm leaf thatch) roofed houses in the village
-The wealth of Kenyan politicians and the squalor of Nairobi slums
-Eating sukuma wiki (kale) and ugali every day in the village and eating sushi, pizza and burgers in Nairobi
-Women in bui-buis and the outfits of prostitutes on the streets
-The connections of phone calls and emails to America and the isolation of living here

Kenya is an incredibly complicated country, as the dichotomies above illustrate. It is caught somewhere in between a third world country and a developed nation. There are incredibly motivated and educated individuals who are working for change in the country, but problems like impunity and corruption are still crippling the countries future. The population is aware of the standard of living in westernized countries and many strive to attain this is level of affluence while others fear the loss of Kenya's rich culture. It is an amazingly beautiful country with a multitude of natural resources, and after being here for the last year and a half, I have nothing but hope for Kenya's future.

My Peace Corps Experience By the Numbers

Just a quick, and hopefully fun, update for everyone back home.

An overview of my Peace Corps experience by the numbers:

Months in country: 19
Months left in service: 6
Christmases spent away from home: 2
Books read: 65
Scorpions found in my house: 2
Dead bats found in my house: 8
Classes taught per week: 25-30
Average class size: 45
Students at Bande Girls' Sec. School: 300+
Teachers at Bande Girls' Sec. School: 16
Teachers who have been at Bande longer than me: 4
Average wake up time: 6:30am
Average bed time: 10pm
Bouts of giardia and dysentery: 4
Malaria "scares": 1
Phones owned: 3
Languages spoken in a day: 3 (English, Kiswahili, Luo)
Kilometers to my village from school: .5
Hours to nearest paved road: 2
Proposals from Kenyan men: countless
Trips out of Kenya: 2 (Uganda and Europe)
Time spent having not a clue what is going on, especially when traveling: ~80%
New Cooking Skills Acquired: numerous
Electronics "sacrificed": 4
Times that the personal property insurance paid off: 2
Grad School Apps in progress: 3

Hopefully I'll be adding to the books read in the next 6 months. I have set a goal of reading 100 before I leave. That's what happens when you don't have electricity in your house and desperately need entertainment. Thanks for reading!