Unlike its not too distant neighbour Kilimanjaro, Mt Kenya is far more a true mountain in terms of her rugged and imposing profile and the effort and skill required to reach her 5,199m summit. Whilst thousands more or less walk to the top of Kilimanjaro annually, the numbers reaching Mt Kenya’s Batian summit can be counted in the hundreds at most, some years probably only dozens. In pure mountaineering terms Mt Kenya has far more to offer and so it was that 3 ROYAL WELSH planned DRAGON FIRMIN with the dual aims of conducting a Summit Circuit Trek via Pt Lenana (4,985m) and to climb to Batian summit via the North Face Standard route; the latter a technical rock climb that would require 2 days and an overnight bivouac high on the route. The plan was for 12 to conduct the trek whilst 2 more experienced members of the expedition would undertake the climb.
Many conducting AT on Mt Kenya opt for porter services though this was rejected in our case in line with keeping the training challenging; 9 days were planned on the mountain so with all equipment and food for the duration, rucksacks were going to be heavy and the altitude hard felt.
Just prior to departure one of the MLs for the trekking group was laid low with typhoid contracted on another AT expedition in Nepal. Unfortunately, this meant that one of the climbers would have to switch across to the trekking group in order to ensure correct instructor ratios and therefore the climb was off……at least we had the instructors to cover and didn’t have to go through a last minute instructor trawl/thrash!
Deployment was via Heathrow and a sleepy Sunday BATUK where we were, as pre-arranged, accommodated and fed. Waiting for us at BATUK was our pre-air freighted MFO box containing our lightweight dehydrated rations. As we would be carrying 9 days rations and equipment whilst attempting to acclimatise to altitude, it was deemed prudent to eschew heavy ORP in favour of lighter foods; with careful planning and shopping, the 18kg that 9 days’ ORP would have weighed was reduced to a far more palatable 6kg per person; this saved weight, rucksack space and would greatly assist the acclimatisation process. A full day at BATUK also allowed everyone to sort and re-pack rucksacks.
Next stop was Nanyuki which we travelled to using a pre-arranged private bus. At Nanyuki we booked out with the Ops Room, got an update on local conditions and emergency procedures and drew smoke for marking HLSs (should the need arise). After a short time in Nanyuki we headed back down the highway for 30 minutes to the NaroMoru River Lodge where we camped, sorted the rations, rucksacks and gear for departure the following morning and had our final non-dehydrated meal for 9 days. Spare and R&R kit was left at the lodge. Oh! Seeing it was the Long Rains season, it also tipped it down on our arrival at the lodge but thankfully it was short-lived. Some had followed advice and bought cheap local umbrellas; whether they would be required much remained to be seen…..
In order to maximise our chances of acclimatising, we elected to walk the 11km from the Mt Kenya National Park Gates to our first camp at the Met Station. At the park entrance we had the unavoidable formalities of purchasing permits, handing over cash, recounting cash, checking military identity (as MOD personnel get a heavily discounted entrance) and also meeting our pre-arranged guides – Wilson and Matthew. Eventually we were off, labouring under heavy rucksacks, slowly ascending and hoping it wasn’t going to rain…..it did! An hour in and the heavens opened on us all. Those who had bought umbrellas were noticeably cheerier than those who hadn’t; there’s a moral here somewhere!!
By the time we reached the Met Station it was sunny, those who had got wet had dried out and all was well with the world. With plenty of space available, all pitched their tents, cooked and got an early night looking forward to the ‘vertical bog’ that the morrow would bring.
Next day and after an hour’s walking, we broke out and free of the rain forest and onto the moorland and the ‘vertical bog’. Vertical it is not, boggy it is!! In fact, with a steady hour’s labour, the worst of it was behind us though a couple of members were now feeling the altitude. We proceeded on slowly and in another hour had arrived at Picnic Rocks, our destination for the day. Most bypass Picnic Rocks and push on for another 3 hours to Mackinders Camp. This though makes for a long day and far too much altitude gain if you are serious about acclimatising well. For these reasons Picnic Rocks has everything to recommend it though the down side is that it is a cheerless and cramped spot, we just about squeezed our 7 tents in (plus an 8th for Wilson and Matthew).
By morning and after a night of very heavy rain, a few of the tents were inundated with water that had ingressed from underneath. Also, one of the group had mild AMS and a couple of others were not far behind on that count. With days deliberately in hand, the decision was made to take a rest day which would allow kit to be dried and those who were suffering, a chance to catch regain strength. The day at Picnic Rocks passed slowly but it had the desired effect on the kit and the unfortunate.
With renewed vigour we were keen to be off after languishing a day. The day dawned clear and sunny and remained that way until we had made the steady and slow ascent to Mackinders Camp. Mt Kenya also revealed herself fully and rewarded us with magnificent views.
At Mackinders we took stock of the situation – there was much snow on the mountain and we were neither equipped nor authorised for winter mountaineering. A couple of members were also feeling the altitude. It was decided that 9 would head for the higher Austrian or Top Hut with a view to attempting Pt Lenana if the snow melted and thereafter continue with the Summit Circuit Trek via Kami Tarn on the other side of the mountain. 4 would remain at Mackinders an extra day with a view to acclimatising fully before ascending to the Austrian Hut and Pt Lenana; this smaller group would then return to Mackinders and not continue with the Summit Circuit.
The climb to the Austrian Hut was steep but, taken steadily, took less than 4 hours. The hut has been renovated of late and is now roomy, clean and comfortable. The snow had melted back but still remained on the route to Pt Lenana making it too hazardous an undertaking.
After a comfortable night at the hut, the group set off on the Summit Circuit, initially on snow but soon on rock and gravel as height was lost.
The ‘dark side’ of Mt Kenya felt much remoter and less trodden – lunar almost. Route finding was straight forward, just keep the peak on the same side of you and keep following the trail though care was required at trail junctions as a wrong turn could lose you a lot of height that would have to be regained. After a few hours we reached Kami Tarn where we intended to camp. We had made good time though and the group elected to continue and complete the circuit that day, despite warnings of 2 steep climbs on the way. Decision made, we set off again and soon hit the first steep climb which we ascended slowly….very slowly. Just when everyone was tired and slogging uphill…, it began to rain! Spirits though remained high and all kept pushing on. The trail now closed in on the mountain and began to follow a narrow ledge system towards the final shoulder of our traverse of the circuit. The views though grey, were impressive with huge rock buttresses disappearing ever upward before being swallowed by the murk.
By 6pm our group trailed into Mackinders Camp, tired, damp but happy to be back and to have completed the Summit Circuit Trek. We had seen no others since we had set out from Mackinders which confirmed my suspicion that few venture around the mountain. The second smaller group were waiting for us at Mackinders. In our absence they had ventured up to Hut Tarn as further acclimatisation. Having seen conditions higher up, I advised that Pt Lenana would be unattainable for them and we resolved to begin descending the next day.
With everyone and everything in good order, we made swift progress in descent spending a day getting to the Met Station then a final half day descending to the park gates. Here we said farewell to Wilson and Matthew and said hello to our outfitter for the R&R phase. This was spent at the comfortable Pelican Lodge near Nakuru. From here we undertook a day’s safari in the nearby safari park and a day’s mountain biking at Hell’s Gate. As a final flourish, we stopped off at Carnivores in Nairobi en route for the airport and our flight home.
For all who took part, DRAGON FIRMIN was challenging though rewarding and wholly appropriate for infantrymen – shouldering weight and pressing on in, at times, difficult conditions. Whilst it was frustrating not to have climbed, it was fantastic to have completed the seldom undertaken Summit Circuit Trek.
The grateful thanks of all expedition members goes to the Ulysses Trust and its Trustees for their generous support to the expedition.
