Peaking at 2,780m above sea level, Mt. Longonot is a fairly easy climb (i.e. one doesn’t have to be an experienced mountaineer) though at the same time a very thorough workout. It’s a workout in two. Part one involves climbing to the top of the mountain, which can take 45-90 minutes depending on level of fitness. Part two, not so common, then involves walking around the top of the mountain. For, you see, Mt. Longonot is a dormant volcano, so by ‘top’ I really mean the edge of rim, which surrounds a giant hollow. The walk around the rim, heavily arduous at times and rather precarious throughout, can take up to three hours itself. So the whole hike = 5-6 hours, 8-9km.
The volcano is thought to have last erupted in the 1860s – not so long ago at all. Today the crater floor is covered with a forest of small trees. Once or twice I thought a small fire was starting somewhere down there, but the old adage proved untrue: where there’s smoke sometimes there’s a small steam vent.
Here are some random things I learnt during the climb:
1. There’s a chance of running into an unfriendly predator most anywhere in Kenya. As we made our way up the mountain, and then around its rim, we intermittently had to sidesteps mounds of poop. I kept wondering (worrying?): ‘What the hell is up here?’ The mountain, it turns out, is home to various species of wildlife (though we didn’t see any on our trip), notably zebra and giraffe and buffaloes. Surprisingly it’s buffalo poop that dots the top of the rim! Of course, where there are herbivores there are… Leopards are known to roam the area, though thankfully we encountered none.
2. Climbing mountains feels awesome… AFTER you’re done! It can be a hateful experience during. I’ve experienced it previously and yet the feeling of exhilaration post-conquest keeps me going back for more. I’m now seriously considering a jaunt up Kili, but let’s see…
3. Maybe tourist destinations should charge locals more. Kenya, like many countries, charges foreigners significantly more than locals to visit certain popular tourist destinations. At Longonot I paid $20, while my local friend paid $2. Some places in India have a similar price discrimination policy. But my experience in India – and now in Kenya – is that generally it’s the locals that treat the natural beauty with disrespect. In Ladakh, India, for instance, we found locals throwing all manner of rubbish out of car windows onto beautiful snow-capped peaks and valleys. At Longonot, too, local climbers left rubbish – chip packets, water bottles, etc – strewn haphazardly, while foreign visitors not only held on until discovery of a bin, but even picked-up after locals. Now, I am being partially facetious, of course. I appreciate the economic argument for this price discrimination. But episodes such as this make you wonder about the merits of reverse discrimination.
4. Climbing a mountain is tough enough, but when you marry a mountain with a beach, it is even harder. More than half the full trek is on very sandy turf, approximating beach conditions. And since large stretches have no prescribed path, the sand tends to make its way into, amongst other places, your shoes, socks, mouth, nose, ears and eyes. This is an unnecessary additional challenge to an already tough climb.
As you walk around the top you get splendid views not only of the enormous crater that sits below your feet, but also of the magnificent Great Rift Valley. The air is fresh and the winter sun just perfect. Standing there you look around and know that not much has really changed for thousands of years. The same landscape that greeted a climber 10,000 years ago and a climber 10 years ago, also greets me today. The only difference, I guess, is that whereas past climbers had to go back down to tell their friends about it, today the top of Mt. Longonot (like all of Kenya and pretty much most parts of the world) offers 5 bars on one’s cell phone.
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