The Mighty Mount Elgon

My fellow volunteers: Justin, Grant and Lauren (Village Volunteers) decided to hike the gorgeous mountain that has been in our sight since arriving to Kiminini. Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano straddling the border between Uganda and Kenya and is the second highest peak in Kenya (second to Mount Kenya)! Mount Kilimanjaro is the world famous hike in the area but it is expensive, time consuming and tourist infested. We decided to go with a more affordable hike, off the beaten path and closer to our home base of Kiminini. As expected, the planning process and finding needed supplies proved to be time consuming and frustrating. We gathered our adapted hiking supplies and headed out early on June 30th. After many, many phone calls and visits to the Kenya wildlife federation we hoped our guide would be there, as organized (as our other guide didn’t show up). Sure enough, Hussein our guide/ military guard joined us in our packed taxi cab. We had to laugh and wonder what we were getting into when we saw that he carried only an AK-47 and a small backpack! We were later joined by the lovely porter Moses who helped to carry supplies. We arrived late to the park gate and started the long bargaining process with the attendant who wanted to overcharge us or receive a bribe. FINALLY, we started hiking two hours later than originally planned. Our favorite catch phrase "T.I.A" or "this is Africa" rang in our ears as we started up the trail with no itinerary discussed, no clear sense of direction, and no English speaking guides!

The first day was a spectacular six hour hike through some of the tallest trees I have seen. The forest was so beautiful and lush. Despite the hike being easy and short in length, my blisters were already starting to form on their favorite places on my heels. It is the only thing I know to expect on a hike, blisters!! Lauren also struggled with blisters and by the third day, I was hiking in flip flops! Our first campsite was under a huge tree that covered the whole campsite. We enjoyed our first fire cooked meal and hoped that our rented tents would not leak through the rain that started to fall heavily.

The second day was longer, with an early start after a restless cold night. We hiked almost the whole day on a mud road, which in the rainy season was more of a mud bog! After an 8 hours fight with the rain and mud, we came upon the ultimate reward: the most scenic campsite I have ever laid eyes on! It was nestled above the tree line with views of all the peaks, bluffs, river and alpine meadows full of dazzling flowers and colors. The sunset proved to be one of the most spectacular I have seen. Dazzling stars followed and the Kenyan ski sparkled in a gorgeous spectacle of twinkling stars and visible planets. I was starting to feel the ill effects of the altitude on my stomach, complicated by the fact that there were no outhouses! The night was extremely cold and wet in our poorly insulated sleeping bags, but we went to bed early with the excitement of what laid ahead the next day.

The third day was the best for more than a few reasons. The views were unreal as we hiked in the bowl toward the peak, and then scrambled to the top of Koitobos peak (4300 meters). It was a challenge to reach the top but the best thing was that there were no muddy road trails like the day before! The vegetation was really unique and the views were remarkable. The peak was fogged in due to the humidity of the rainy season but felt like a true summit! We enjoyed our chocolate bars at the top and after a few pictures descended back to our campground. The thought of hiking down the mud bog after such a long day to the first camp site was deterring. When offered, we opted to jump into the military truck full of military officers patrolling the area. The Mount Elgon area is still occupied by the Kenyan military. In 2005, an insurgency moved into the area and inflicted a variety of atrocities including murder (estimates of greater than 600), torture, rape, and the theft and destruction of property. This all occurred over an 18 month period and more than 66 000 people were displaced! After a wild ride we arrived to our first campsite, tired and ready for sleep.

The fourth day we hiked a long way! About half way through the day we had to make our way down some steep and rocky terrain. As we came down to the road we looked up and saw two giraffe on the road!! It was an indescribable feeling and felt like a dream! I have seen deer, marmots, mountain goats and even bear droppings while hiking but never had I imagined I would see giraffe anywhere but on the safari! They were beautiful and we got really close before they took off into the thick brush. It became the highlight of the hike for me.

Later in the day, near exhaustion we finally arrived at the famous Kitum elephant caves! These are caves that elephants literally will scale the mountain to access as they contain the only natural source of salt found in the area. The elephants enter the caves and walk 150 meters into total darkness to find the salt seam in the rocks which they scrape with their tusks. It was a gorgeous huge cave, with a lot of bats! I didn’t venture as far as some of my partners but enjoyed the scenery immensely.

We finally arrived to the gate late and miraculously had cell phone reception to call a taxi. After a flat tire (the roads were more like a continuous stream of potholes!) and meeting some cute village children while changing the tire, we arrived safely in Kiminini. We were more than happy to have our cozy beds, delicious food and friends!