I really don't remember what time I woke up. It was still quite early and the sun was not up yet. I was hoping to see the bushbuck to take a few photographs, but he probably had other ideas and did not humor me. Last night was a cacophony of noises. It almost felt as if the entire neighborhood, in the wild animal sense, was having a party outside the tent. There were so many noises and cries I did not know whether it was a bird or an animal. Drinks must have been on the house as they sure were having fun.
The camp was just stirring when I made my way to the "front desk" and got me some coffee and biscuits (cookies). By the time I was done with the coffee my shower was ready. This was going to be the last shower I was going to be taking for the next ten days. I hated the prospect of a shower-free ten days; a white-tail buck in Ohio would probably be able to scent me all the way across the Atlantic. What about my new found friends? What were they going to think? Oh well, they were going to be in the same boat, so I suppose it was not going to matter much. I had very quietly asked Bernard, the day before whether anyone shaved while on the trip. His answer to me was, "Jas, if you shave, you will be the first to shave on the mountain." Well, that put paid to that. Everyone will just have to get used to seeing my scruffy beard.
The large duffel bag was to weigh not more than 30lbs. That wasn't too difficult. I left most of the electronics: laptop, Ipad and chargers in my suitcase I intended to leave with Thomson. My back pack, though, felt as if it weighed a ton. Withe the extra camera batteries and other stuff it weighed in at about 20lbs. No problem.
We set off on the road to Londorossi Gate, a trip that was about an hour and a half. We bumped along winding gravel roads, past a few check-posts, even one with a few guys, military personnel, I am told, with AK 47s. All along the roads were children tending to their herds of goats or, if they were a little older, in their teens, their small herds of cattle. Here and there were youngsters in black rather than the colorful, predominantly red Masai blankets. These guys have been recently circumcised. Not something anyone would want to go through as its done with a sharp knife and NO anesthetic (forget about asepsis). And the poor kid has to endure the procedure in silence. If he should make a noise it brings dishonor although only temporarily. They even stay in a hut made by their mother, separate from the rest of the village and to further emphasize their passage onto adulthood this hut, known as a manyatta is not surrounded by a protective barrier.
Londorossi Gate has been likened to a Wild West outpost a few wooden buildings surrounded by a high fence in the middle of nowhere. Today it's abuzz with activity. There are dozens of mini buses and Land Rovers, all bringing climbers and their teams together. Here we meet up with Bernard, sign in at the desk and quickly move out to Moram Barrier gate, a 55 minute ride through a dusty trail that takes us to 12000ft. We see a few colobus monkeys and stop to take pictures. "Colobus" in Greek means mutilated and they are so named for the stump they have for a thumb. They are one of the "old world" monkeys. They are also mostly arboreal and rarely come down to the ground.
After meeting with the rest of the team, including Godlove (Goody or G-love as we called him), our assistant guide and Prosper my personal porter and a quick lunch at Moram Gate we begin our trek. Goody leads the way. What strikes us immediately is the pace. Its slow, very slow. A step every second or so, with one foot place barely ahead of the other. Damn, I though we would never make it to the grocery store, let alone the mountain. I was later to learn the mountain was a lot closer than the closest grocery!! It's an easy trek. The terrain was gentle and mostly "flat" until we come across a fissure in the earth. Ah ha! I knew there was a trick somewhere. Do we walk along the gorge till we come across a narrow section and then jump across? No such luck. We make our way down to the bottom, cross a small tributary of the Engare Nairobi North and up again on the other side. We crossed four such fissures today, the last one if which was right at the Shira1 camp. Kilimanjaro is a long way off to the South West and with the clouds and mist covering its upper slopes it looks menacing.
There's really nothing much to do once darkness sets in. So it was off to bed after dinner. I had my Kindle with me as I figured that its battery would easily last for the duration of the trip and I did not have to choose between books to save on weight. I read something each night and wrote my journal and then drifted off to sleep with the gentle drumming of rain on the tent and an occasional clap of thunder in the distance…
The camp was just stirring when I made my way to the "front desk" and got me some coffee and biscuits (cookies). By the time I was done with the coffee my shower was ready. This was going to be the last shower I was going to be taking for the next ten days. I hated the prospect of a shower-free ten days; a white-tail buck in Ohio would probably be able to scent me all the way across the Atlantic. What about my new found friends? What were they going to think? Oh well, they were going to be in the same boat, so I suppose it was not going to matter much. I had very quietly asked Bernard, the day before whether anyone shaved while on the trip. His answer to me was, "Jas, if you shave, you will be the first to shave on the mountain." Well, that put paid to that. Everyone will just have to get used to seeing my scruffy beard.
The large duffel bag was to weigh not more than 30lbs. That wasn't too difficult. I left most of the electronics: laptop, Ipad and chargers in my suitcase I intended to leave with Thomson. My back pack, though, felt as if it weighed a ton. Withe the extra camera batteries and other stuff it weighed in at about 20lbs. No problem.
We set off on the road to Londorossi Gate, a trip that was about an hour and a half. We bumped along winding gravel roads, past a few check-posts, even one with a few guys, military personnel, I am told, with AK 47s. All along the roads were children tending to their herds of goats or, if they were a little older, in their teens, their small herds of cattle. Here and there were youngsters in black rather than the colorful, predominantly red Masai blankets. These guys have been recently circumcised. Not something anyone would want to go through as its done with a sharp knife and NO anesthetic (forget about asepsis). And the poor kid has to endure the procedure in silence. If he should make a noise it brings dishonor although only temporarily. They even stay in a hut made by their mother, separate from the rest of the village and to further emphasize their passage onto adulthood this hut, known as a manyatta is not surrounded by a protective barrier.
Londorossi Gate
Londorossi Gate has been likened to a Wild West outpost a few wooden buildings surrounded by a high fence in the middle of nowhere. Today it's abuzz with activity. There are dozens of mini buses and Land Rovers, all bringing climbers and their teams together. Here we meet up with Bernard, sign in at the desk and quickly move out to Moram Barrier gate, a 55 minute ride through a dusty trail that takes us to 12000ft. We see a few colobus monkeys and stop to take pictures. "Colobus" in Greek means mutilated and they are so named for the stump they have for a thumb. They are one of the "old world" monkeys. They are also mostly arboreal and rarely come down to the ground.
Colobus Monkeys
No comments:
Post a Comment