Running From Elephants

This weekend was an adventure! We began on Friday with a 26km drive to our cabin on Mount Kenya, elevation 2900 meters. It took four hours.

We were picked up at noon by our guide (Tony Mugambi), our cook (Mark), and our porter/guide (Lloyd), in a Land Rover from 1972.  This was the hardiest vehicle we have seen. Three squeezed into the front seat, Roger sitting with the stick shift between his legs.  Four of us were in the middle, and the guide and porter sat in the back holding the door shut.  The one seat belt available was used as a hand hold for those of us in the second row. Once we began the trip, we understood the need for this beast. To call the road a road would be misleading. It was like nothing we have driven on before, which is saying something given the roads we have traversed around the world.  On the 26k trip, we had to vacate the vehicle numerous times, to lighten the load in order to get unstuck from the mud and deep grooves in the road.  At times this required the three Kenyans aboard to get out with their machetes to cut down branches to lay in front of the Land Rover.  This would create enough friction for the tires to grip and pull out of the mud. -Marjie

As we drove up the mud-slicked, rock covered, mountain-road to the basecamp we noticed that we had gained enough elevation that we entered bamboo forests. It was beautiful. Near one kilometer from the top, after being catapulted from rut to rut and over rocks we were again asked to vacate the vehicle. “This is the last time,” our driver promised. He and the porter and cook worked away on the truck and eventually got it unstuck, then he drove past and told us to meet the truck at the top. So we walked. I (nate) was a little ahead of the Gerstle band and was the first to meet up with our driver near the top. He’d left the vehicle at the top and walked back toward us. He motioned to look to my right, and about that time we all heard what sounded like thunderous applause. Bamboo cracked and snapped.  Instantly, our feet froze to the ground, “Elephant” Tony whispered. He pointed to a bamboo thicket just off the road and motioned to move in closer. Holding my iPhone in front of me like a policeman with his badge I took small steps, hoping that the video camera on the phone was catching what I was seeing and hearing. Then I saw him, the boulder-like gray rump, and massive gray head with yellow tusks jutting out from that muscular trunk. The elephant wasn’t more than 30 yards off the road, engulfed in the bamboo thicket. I looked at my camera and couldn’t tell if the beast was visible on the screen or not. At about the same time I felt a hand grab my arm, I heard bamboo cracking and saw the massive gray beast start moving our way. “RUN!” Tony yelled, “He wants to come onto the road”. All of a sudden, our lungs no longer noticed the lower oxygen with the higher altitude and we ran as fast as we could. Marjie called out for Roger, but he was worried about the girls and ran past her to protect them, (She now says she loved him for it, but at the moment she didn’t sound convincingJ). We covered about 40 yards of incline, when we stopped and looked back, our minds trying to determine if we were still in danger of being trampled. We saw nothing but fog. After further inspection it appeared that the elephant was simply toying with us and after taking a few steps in our direction decided to remain in the thick cover of the bamboo. It was dusky out, and when I replayed my iPhone video all that could be seen was bamboo and a dark gray shadow and then violent shaking and some shrieks as we ran from the elephant.  We laughed and it was then that altitude caught up to me, and I thought I might wheeze up my spleen. I’ve run from a lot of things, but that day we ran from an elephant and it was spectacular. -Nate

That evening we had the first of many amazing meals, cooked over a propane stove and fire in the tiny kitchen in the small cabin at the base of Mt Kenya.  The cabins are owned by the county government and are charming.  No electricity, light comes from kerosene lamps, hot water comes from a wood fire-heated tank outside. 

The next morning we headed up the mountain.  The bamboo gave way to a temperate rain forest, the trees covered with “bear hair”.  The landscape and fauna kept changing.  Zoe and I (Roger) continued on with the porter to Mogi (meaning pointy) Hill.   It was a mountain to us.  From there to an alpine lake, and back home.  Absolutely serene.

The last day we headed up the same path, then veered left to see the caves and Nithi Falls (at least 50 meters). Oh my gosh, the landscape and views were stunning, with the 15,000 foot peaks looming above.  The fog slowly rolls in over the course of the day, you can see it coming from the east, so mornings are best.  It takes 5 days to get to the top and back, more time and gumption than we had.

-Roger

 Stuck in the mud...

 The waterfall!

 Notice to Visitors: Dangerous Animals at Night