Guide’s Perspective on Rurimeria Hike| Hikers Afrique
I always look forward to a challenging hike like Rurimeria. The last time I hiked this famous hill was in 2018. We started as 22 of us, but only 9 of us made it with several casualties😂 of altitude sickness, one of them being acute.
We tried redoing it in 2020, but Coronavirus made it impossible. This year it was a must-do
On the hike day, the weather was perfect. I kept praying it would remain the same to the top ( Aberdares has a micro-climate different from the lower side ).
The hike starts at an altitude of 2800 ASL. What makes this hike memorable to all the hikers is that within 4km of hiking, you go up to 1 km altitude gain. This makes a huge difference in the oxygen content in the air, making the hike even difficult.
I had a great experience as a sweeper encouraging those who had a hard time climbing; it’s quite an experience to build mental strength. It takes real experience to break those barriers where the body has power over the mind
After we reached the first false summit, my sweeping partner decided to call it a day. I had to now start off to try and catch up with the rest who were long gone. I pushed myself to the limit as I wanted to get to the summit before they turn back. I was also a cameraman and given that I was alone I had to take lots of landscape photos.
After 1:30mins I was at the summit, and I got an opportunity to take some photos. Instead of resting, I found myself telling the team it’s time to descend, given that time was not on our side, “curfew”.
The beauty that lies beyond the moorland is breathtaking, and get to hills and ranges calling you by name, “ come hike me”. I always wish I had time to go off the beaten path and explore beyond the unknown.
Hiking is a journey. The beauty is in the journey, not the destination. To me, Hiking is always the answer. Who cares what the question is?
Looking forward to this weekend, Mt. Suswa hike.
Josh’s experience of Rurimeria which I (Sarah) did not finish
