Climbing a volcano
on A Serendipitous Journey (Kenya), 03/Jun/2009 08:26, 34 days ago
Early Sunday morning a small group of us met at Java House for coffee, then headed about 90 KM northwest of Nairobi to Mount Longonot, an inactive volcano located in the famous East African Rift Valley.Mount Longonot last erupted in the 1860’s and is now a lush green home to zebras, giraffes, and buffalo, among others. It’s name comes from the Masaai word” oloonong'ot”, which means mountains of many spurs or steep ridges.Although it’s only a 10-15 km hike it is quite steep: at one point you are sure the peak must be close, only to discover you are less than half way there. Mount Longonot’s gate is about about 2150 metres above sea level and the peak of the path is about 2800 metres, which I like to blame for my feeling slightly winded as we climbed (nothing to do with the fact that I don’t have a gym membership here:-).As we hiked up the dusty paths and rock slopes, at one point we heard the hooves of animals pounding the ground, then witnessed a herd of zebras crossing our path about 100 metres in front of us. We also passed hundreds of charred black tree trunks– the result of a March fire which burned up the side of the mountain and descended into the crater, trapping wildlife and feeding on drought ravaged brush.When we arrived at the top, slightly winded from the altitude and the climb, we sat down for some water and snacks to take in the view of the famous Lake Naivasha and the plains of the Great Rift Valley. We also enjoyed the spectacular view far below into the centre of the volcano, which is filled with trees, and we saw small steam vents coming out from the sides of the slopes.I was thinking the hardest part of the climb was over and expecting a leisurely stroll around the rim, when one of our group members pointed behind us to a massive peak and explained that was part of the hike around the rim and that the hardest part was yet to come. And she was right!The entire hike, with water and lunch breaks took us about four hours and was a lovely way to spend a Sunday.