The Ngong to Naivasha Challenge
When eight members of the Lets Drift Community decided to hike from Ngong to Naivasha through the wilderness of the Great Rift Valley in three days and nights, our friends were bewildered. They could not bring their minds to comprehend what could drive someone to make such a journey on foot. The distance between the two towns is around 90km and takes two hours to cover by vehicle. It is also accessible by train and air. What could have compelled us to make such a medieval means of transportation in the underexplored trails? How fanatical could we have been to commit ourselves to such a journey? What did we aim to accomplish that we could not achieve by getting there by means other than foot? If we were crazy, it was only crazy in love with adventure. We hiked it. It took a while to prepare. We had to choose the right team members, plan the route, identify camping spots, countercheck the logistics, and implement them. We started the hike to derive satisfaction from the journey itself, as we usually do, but this time we ended up in a paradise, my Garden of Eden. This is the epic of how we executed the project.
Origins
It all started as a faint idea; we would mention between more critical issues in our conversations. I vividly remember the first time Alex Kamau told me about it. In November, we went out to hike at William’s Hill. He said to me that he and his friend Ndemange were planning to make a hiking trip from Ngong to Naivasha soon. He told me that the navigation would be easy as he was knowledgeable about trails around those areas. He pointed at a lower level of the slope on which we were walking and said, “We will pass just around there. The railway will be our navigation reference, so it will be hard to get lost.” I said it was an ingenious idea, and I would like to participate.
The idea came up in vague manners for the next two months. The first time we spoke about the plan in detail was in January 2020. We described the route we would take, the time we would spend walking, camping equipment, weather, participants, and long-term plans for the journey. Over the following few weeks, we lay down and internalized the details of the program. As most things happen, the plan did not unfold flawlessly. For instance, Ndemange, one of the project’s fathers, was held up elsewhere. We also added two new members to our team, and they were a great addition!
We are crazy in love with adventure!
Every individual in the team was skilled in the ways of the outdoor world. Alex Kamau, the founder of Lets Drift, was the team leader. He had taken up hiking as his hobby since his childhood and was a guide at Lets Drift. Two other members of the team, Dan and Sam, were also active guides at Lets Drift. Dan is a tall, lean gentleman with a way of making witty jokes in almost every sentence he says. Sam might be the most energetic person I have ever met. These two are inseparable friends. Their psyche became the motivation we needed to enjoy moments of most enormous fatigue. Matheri, my swimming coach, peer mentor, and good friend, came along as well. He has had vast experience with mountaineering, hiking, and fitness in general. He felt that this was a challenge worth his time and effort. Sharon, the lady of iron, worked as a professional guide in China until the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted routine. She would not have missed that project for anything. These were the team members who were initially in for the challenge.
On completing the plans, dates were set, and we decided to publicize the feat we were attempting. That is how we encountered another crucial member of the team, Brian Ash. He is an American-born Kenyan resident with a knack for traveling around the world on foot, bike, or anything that gets him there. He had in the previous year walked across East Africa, Busia to Mombasa, and Busia to Rwanda, in 56 days. He contacted Alex to inquire if he may join us, and he was welcome. Another member who had not planned to join us was Alex Mwangi. He is a creative mind, a content creator, and an avid hiker at Lets Drift. And then there was me. Every member of this team had been tested many times before and had proved their mettle. We were all crazy in love with adventure, and we were strong apart. Together, we might as well have been invincible.
The Compelling Force
The main reason why we decided to try out this project was to fulfill our spirit of adventure. One of my favorite things in Kenya is the Great rift valley, the most significant rift valley in the world. It passes right through the middle of the country, further richening the variety of terrain, flora, fauna, and human activities. It covers such a vast area that it would take a lifetime to explore on foot. The Rift Valley is one of the most popular destinations in Kenya, boasting a chain of lakes along the floor of the valley. It is home to Mt. Longonot and Mt. Suswa and home to most of Kenya’s geothermal activity, one of the fascinating natural processes. These are just a few of the features present in the short section of the valley through which the path we settled on passed, although we did not explore them at that time since they were not included in the itinerary of our unique project. Hiking along the valley was a great way to learn more about our country. We would walk a less explored trail in the country and make friends with locals along the way.
Every member of our team is obsessed with the outdoors. We had hiked up to 40 km in a day several times before we attempted this one. However, the accumulated fatigue in that treacherous uninhabited terrain characterized by a sunny, cloudless sky and unavailability of water would be more extreme than most hikes we had done. It was an opportunity to test and develop our strength, endurance, speed, packing skills, punctuality, and general skills required to thrive outdoors.
There was going to be the development of team spirit and coordination. I knew we would need each other for different activities throughout the trail. This would include helping each other bear the heavy burdens (that were our food, camping gear, and belongings, not a metaphorical weight). Sometimes, it would be necessary for some of us to sacrifice our “cup of tea” for the well-being of other team members. We would need to encourage each other when the going got tough. We would go through to the end and come out of this device of afflictions as a better team. Diamonds are forged by pressure and fire.
In addition to team development, we would experience a lot of personal growth, and not just in the physical sense. There comes a time during a tough hike when everybody gets silent, lost in the environment, and begins to meditate; your sole focus becomes your breath and your steps. You forget about fatigue, thirst, hunger, and all other bodily lusts. No stress, no anxiety, improved emotional health, enhanced self-awareness, are just a few advantages associated with the activity. This amplified the tranquility of the nature in which we would be immersed.
Lets Drift is planning to do more extreme hikes for both beginners and seasoned hikers in the future. This was an opportunity to test the waters by allowing several intermediate hikers to learn the ropes of planning such a voyage for a variety of individuals. Everyone in our group was interested in developing their skills, and we will be glad to be on the front seat as the range of prowess of Lets Drift hikers, and Kenyan hikers grows.
Let the Travails begin!
Day 1
Early on the first day, a quinary group left Nairobi for Ngong Hills through Kiserian. The rest of us, Matheri, Dan, and I, were prudently assigned the duty to carry all the luggage. We were aware that the hills had poor visibility sometimes and some very steep parts that might have left burdened hikers injured or too tired to do anything else (The teamwork advantage kicked in quite early). However, Brian, perhaps the most experienced member of our team, carried his backpack all along the ridge. The Penta met us at Ololosokwan, 5km outside Ngong town. From here, everyone brought their pack. The first day of hiking ended around five hours after we departed from Ololosokwan just above the Kimuka Tunnel of the Standard Gauge Railway, where we set camp. We had covered a total distance of 25km with no human contact within a 5km radius from our campsite. It was a wild camp.
We cooked and held a short conversation over dinner at the fire station (The Lets Drift’s piquant way of referring to the fireplace). We recapitulated that day’s events. Then we revised the plan for the following day, highlighting the challenges that we should anticipate. Afterward, we quickly prepared a duty roster for camp watch shifts as we did not intend to leave the matter of our safety in the unreliable hands of bliss. We would have four teams of two people keeping watch for two hours each while everyone else rested peacefully. Matheri and Sharon took the first watch shift. Everyone else dispersed for their tents at around 2100h.
Time flew; when they woke Brian and me up for our shift, I thought I had only slept for ten minutes. I checked the watch. It was precisely 2350h. “Come on, guys; this is not cool. You woke us up before our time.” I said even though I knew I could not go back to that peaceful rest and world of dreams I had just left. The luminous sky-full of stars welcomed us. Our shift was adorned with rich conversations with Brian. He told me about all the incredible places he had visited, and his bike trips across Europe and America when he was younger. Now, he has been a Kenyan resident for six years and is thinking of getting his Kenya citizenship. There was no doubting it, all these things he said, he said in proficient Swahili, more articulate than most locals. He told me of how he and his friends walked across East Africa when he settled in Kenya. And about his lovely wife at home in Narok. I asked him why he decided to settle in Kenya after traveling to all these places, which I thought were better. His response was, “Nimetembea mahali pengi sana duniani lakini, Kenya is the most beautiful.” When our shift ended, we woke Dan and Sam up and returned to rest.
Day 2
The second day was the toughest. We began at around 0800h, and after walking for several kilometers, we came across an eatery in what we thought was the middle of nowhere. We were relieved to find somewhere to fill our stomachs and replenish our supplies. The food was delicious. The owners were friendly and helpful. That was the best thing that happened on that day. If we had not come across it, we would not have made it to the next town that was Quarry, a mining town in the outskirts of Mai Mahiu.
At that point, the events following our stop were a mild case of what we refer to in Swahili as “Kitumbua kuingia mchanga.” This stretch was characterized by difficult terrain. There often occurred areas with such steep gulleys that we had to do technical hiking on all fours with heavy loads on our backs. With the sun scorching at full throttle, the ground had become extremely hot, and we had used up our water. The dust of this arid terrain defiled our eyes and noses. Our feet started to ache, and some of us eventually developed blisters. At one point, I thought that that is what a good day in hell would feel.
Despite all this, it was so easy to get lost into the vast emptiness. The hot sun had a beautiful halo around it that we all relished. Some of the landscape in the vicinity were calling to us, saying more adventure awaits; Nachu Tunnel along the railway, caves near Thigio, Mt. Suswa, and trails diverging from ours into the grasslands to our west, and the high-rising escarpments immediately to our east. Unfortunately, we had set our target long before and were unwilling to deviate for an uncertain thrill. In any case, the features were not going to disappear any time soon, we could revisit them as many times as we liked afterward.
By the time we got to Quarry, reality had caught up with us. We had underestimated the distance for that split. We would have to walk exhausted in the dark in a remote area. Half of the group sensibly took help in the form of a motorcycle ride. Matheri, Sam, Brian, and I decided to bravely take our chances walking in the dark through the land ridden with savage wild animals (according to the residents of Quarry), determined not to break our ‘carbon-footprint-free journey,’ as Sharon called it. We got to Maimahiu at 2100h and could not make it to our camp. We spent the night in lodging at Maimahiu. That day we covered 42km. The only consolation was that the worst was over; the rest of the route we knew well.
Day 3
The third day was in a less isolated location yet as adventurous as the previous days. The whole hike was adjacent to a highway and was 34km only. The weather was mostly cloudy. Regardless, the damage had been done. Sharon left ahead of us by matatu in the morning to make camping arrangements. Alex accompanied us for half of the hike then decided to give his body a break. Only six of us completed the trek on foot. There was a civilization that blended so well with nature around us for the better part of it. Along the way, on the foot of Mt. Longnot, we came across giraffes with unique spots covering their proportionate body that joins the long legs to the protracted neck supporting heads crowned with hair-covered ossicones. The motion of the giraffes had a hypnotizing effect when they galloped, which made them seem to be moving in slow motion. There were zebras too, grazing so close to a group of people that they looked like they were the shepherds’ cattle. It was outlandish.
The day ended in an even more wild location; the Hippo Camp and Wildlife Sanctuary located on the shores of Lake Naivasha. The camp earned its name because of the frequent visits of hippos to the field. It is also famous for harboring a variety of animals such as buffalos, zebra, antelopes and wild beasts. It is the reincarnation of forests in this modern world of concrete jungles. When we arrived in the evening, we found that Alex and Sharon had set everything up. There were two hammocks and four tents pitched on the far end of the campsite. The water burner was lit, firewood set just close to our fire station and water was offered upon arrival. This was where we celebrated our successful completion of the journey.
We talked about the journey; What we enjoyed and what we did not enjoy. Alex and Dan had lost their jackets and did not notice it amid extreme fatigue. Dan cracked our ribs, “I was so tired that I was literally in tears. Alex (Mwangi) had to hold my hand and pull me along so I could not stop. It was lovely.”
Later in the evening, I talked with Sharon about her adventures in the far east and the good life of adventure travel. We discussed content creation. “This will make a good story. A group of hikers decides to go on a ‘carbon-footprint free journey.’” The idea sounds better as we keep discussing it, revealing ways to make an exciting story out of the project that I had not thought of. She is creative and a concise speaker, I was not surprised then. She had been a great conversationalist through out this journey.
Resolutions
This specific discussion made me develop a chain of thoughts right then: of Maasai ancestors, pastoralists who brought their cattle to graze in those giant fields of Nachu and to quench thirst in the waters of Lake Naivasha repetitively; that going outdoors gives you a wider variety of stories to recount; it could also be that when you are doing an activity that pushes your limits, you enhance creativity by charging parts of the brain responsible for it through physical activity; The air out here is the rare kind that has therapeutic properties on a physical and psychological level; perhaps I should do this again. Sharon eventually created a video log that you can watch on her IGTV here.
I recently did a small survey to hear what the participants think about the hike. These are the questions that I asked and the responses they gave.
“It is two months since we did the Ngong to Naivasha Challenge now. What is it that you feel when you remember the hike? Would you do it again? If you did, what would you do differently? Can you recommend it to anyone?”
Their responses:
Alex Kamau ~ I feel a sense of fulfillment every single day I think about that hike! I’m so glad we finished before the first case of Covid-19 was reported in the country. I would do it again but on an alternative route. At the moment, I am thinking about the next challenge! I will never recommend it to anyone, but if you think you are crazy enough to handle that level of madness, go for it!
Alex Mwangi ~ I feel accomplished! I acted on impulse on that hike, and I did not regret it! I would repeat it. A different thing I would do is primarily get the right footwear. Other problems are tertiary. I would recommend it to anyone who thinks they can take it. Let them find out on their tribulation.”
Brian Ash ~ I remember the pain, but I would do it again. What I would do differently the next time is to wake up earlier in the morning and start hiking the latest by 0500h. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants a challenge.
Sam Bathir ~ If the world came to an end after that event, I would say I lived a fulfilling life, no regrets. I could redo the project if I have the chance and time. Sometimes I like to think it is the cure for the COVID-19.”
Matheri ~ What I would do differently? I would definitely spend more time planning the technicalities such as the exact routes to be taken. If it was not for the SGR, we would have encountered quite a lot of difficulty with navigation and terrain. The hiking distance per day would be standardized to 20km per day and hike for more days instead of doing 40km in one day. Would I recommend it to anyone? No, I do not think I would. This challenge took my mind, body, and spirit to new limits. The main reason I kept going was that I knew exactly what I had signed up for without anybody else’s persuasion. I would abhor recommending it to someone and end up being revered for their hardship. It was a fantastic experience but it is sorry to want it for yourself.
Dan ~ I fondly remember camping and keeping watch at night as well as the magical space between SGR and Maimahiu. I feel honored to have taken part and will definitely do it again. Next time, I will be more prepared with a better backpack and gear. I would recommend this for hikers who want a lengthy expedition.”
