The Long Walk

Day One Destination Simba Camp (2626m)

The long walk begins (1900m), the pack was heavy with four liters of water cameras and rain gear. The path was easy going for first couple of hours a slight incline through forest with an occasional hut where young children stood by the path hopeful for anything we may give them. Chocolate was the main delight, their eyes light up at the lightest inclination that you might have something for them, whatever the received they ran to each other and shared. I guess small luxuries are a rarity and warranted sharing. Occasional homes stood a little off the path where people sat and waved as we passed by calling out the customary greeting "Jambo" which means hi in Swahili.

The Flat Lands of South Eastern Kenya

The forest thickened, the path narrowed and the incline steepened, slowly slowly one foot in front of the other I have good feeling this is how the next six days will be. The planes of Kenya lay behind us, the sun trying to break through the clouds. The view is amazing the light could be better the clouds were thick and heavy, the planes of Kenya seemed hazy with light gold patches where the sun had broken through the clouds. It was only us on the path the porters had passed us by hours ago, with one guide leading the group and three other guides taking up the tail. I am not sure what I expected, picturesque is not what you would call this place.

 When we reached Simba Camp (2626m), the porters had already set our tents with our main packs in side. Each member of the group had a porter that carried our 15kg packs along with their own gear. My guy was there waiting to greet me as I entered the gate, with a big smile he lead me to my home for the night. Trees over hung the tents which gave the place a dark feeling and made the place feel a lot colder that it actually was. Laughing and chatter from the kitchen tent and surrounding areas, the porters always seemed to be in good spirits. The acclimatization walk that would prepare us for this night and the day ahead took around thirty minutes and involved ascending along a path for a short distance the habitation that surrounded us was a dark green brown forest, the air was beginning to chill as the evening light came over the mountain.

South Eastern Kenya

It was barely eight o'clock when we all retired to our tents exhausted from the walk. Many moments stuck in my mind from the day, my first impressions, meeting our support team, the journey to where the walk started. One in particular was the old man hunched over walking along the road wearing a green woolen hat waving his arms around in frustration as a swarm of flies circled and aggravated him. Laying still in my sleeping bag I listened to the sound of night lulling me to sleep.