Pathology volunteering (and playing) in Kijabe kenya : January 2016

28 January 2016

Here is a photo diary of some of our adventures over the past two weeks. Life is brimmingly full here. There is so much that is different than my average day to day life in the U.S. that the people and environment are constantly encouraging me to be in the present moment...

Our twice-weekly Kijabe hill hike. We filled packs with more weight that we planned to carry for Mount Kenya as training. These walks allowed us to see the daily routine of Kijabe's residents - commuting by boda boda, matatu, truck, and (mostly)foot to the hospital or their farms; washing clothes, carrying water, and cooking breakfast; it seemed everyone was up at dawn, and so were we!

Chai at the top of the hill, our reward. To cool the boiling tea, we used these aluminum bowls and then poured the drink back into our mugs.

The steep path through the stinging nettles. One day we all got stung. Later, at the end of our Mount Kenya climb, I watched the porters, David and Patrick, collect bags of nettle at dusk from the edge of the forest. I was watching a doe bushbuck licking at a natural salt deposit and, also, their foraging. When I asked what they were collecting, they said, "local cabbage." I pressed them further and they admitted that they were collecting nettle. They cook the nettle like spinach and eat the leaves or make a broth in order to relieve sore joints and muscles from the climb. I tried some and felt great the next morning.

Main road to the hospital, i.e., the one the ambulances use.

Phillip, "the business man".

Baboon on the roof of our house, taken by Ginger, who was keeping guard during the day and would update me and Rochelle on the shenanigans of these troublemakers.

Beginning of our hike up Mount Longonot, another training hike of sorts. The challenge turned out to be less in the hike and more in the monsoon hail and rain storm. See below for the "after" picture.

View of wildlife from the crater rim.

Summit picture. It was a busy day with around 500 Kenyans from all over the country hiking the mountain as part of a national church gathering. They had fun until the rains came.

Beginning of the rain, hail to come.

We survived! Drying out at the end of the hike.

Our very appropriate clothing for the country club.

Beginning of the BIG climb! Our tough porters from left to right, David, Joseph, George, and guide Sammy on the far right. They are sorting our exorbitant amount of tasty foods and dividing the load equally. Normally this sorting party would involve lots of, "you don't need that, leave it behind", but not with these guys, they carried everything.

First Camp.

Second day morning siesta/snack and business calls.

Hiking up the north/northwest slopes of Mount Kenya on the Sirimon route, the morning of the second day.

Sammy the guide and the Mackinder Valley.

Second day lunch spot

"cabbage groundsel"

Lobelia deckenii ssp. keniensis

malachite sunbird on giant groundsel

Hiking up the Mackinder Valley to the second (high) camp, Shipton's camp.

Giant Groundsel and Lobelia telekii

This is where I post way too many pictures of an awesome peak.

Point Lenana (16,355) on the left and Nelion (17,021) and Batian (17,057) on the right.

Batian is one of the "Second Seven Summits", comprising the second highest peaks by elevation on the seven continents. Climbing these peaks is considerably more difficult than the highest seven summits, which was first completed by the Austrian Christian Stangl in 2013.

Not to say the seven summits aren't really tough, but... Everest - deadly, but you can pay people to get you up it vs K2 - crazy sauce. Kilimanjaro - nice and rounded vs Batian - giant rock spire. Denali vs Mount Logan - both really cold, Aconcagua - don't need to climb with hands and there's wine at the bottom vs Ojos del Salado - scramble, still wine. Mount Elbrus - lots of poop vs Gora Dykh-Tau - scary rock pyramid and scary name, Cartensz Pyramid - really hard to get to and tough rock climb vs Puncak Mandala - really, really hard to get to, Vinson Massif - in Antarctica, just don't do it vs Mount Tyree - there's a reason only 10 people have climbed it, two of whom are from Bozeman - Alex Lowe and Conrad Anker.

Rock hyrax. These are the little guys whose closest living relatives are elephants.

Relaxing at Shipton's camp, 13,800 feet.

Alpine start on the third day. Up at 0200.

Looking like the moon. This is about where, on our ascent of Point Lenana, cell reception returned and we received a call from Ginger. "Mom, this isn't a good time, we're above16,000 feet!"

Warming up on the summit.

Phillip and Rochelle approaching the summit block with Lewis Glacier below. It is the largest, but rapidly melting, glacier on the mountain.

Nelion and Lewis Glacier.

On the summit of Point Lenana, 16,355 feet. The highest I've ever been!

This photo should ensure a free lifetime supply of Tab.

Looking back on the descent with Batian looming bright.

Amazing breakfast from our cook George with a pound of bacon, crepes with syrup, mini-omelets, English muffins and bananas fried in bacon grease, tea, and muesli. We were hungry given that this breakfast occurred 9 hours after we woke up.