Mount Kenya - Day 8

February 1, 2016 - Met Station Camp (3050m)

After a relaxed breakfast we headed out down the Teleki Valley. The descent was gentle for the first five kilometers. We stopped to scramble some of the rocks along the trail, and then spied an interesting tower formation off to the south about one kilometer away. Since we had plenty of time, we decided to make a side trip to explore. Fortunately, porter John appeared on the scene, and he was carrying a bunch of the climbing gear. We unloaded the gear from him into our packs, and then we bushwhacked for about an hour across the tundra. It was slow going as the terrain was rough and good footing was hard to find in the tall grasses. Finally we got to the base of the formation. We geared up and I scrambled up the first part which was a thistly mess, which ended me up with many spines sticking in my hands and legs. The route met with a blank wall at this point, and I explored around until I spied a route that might go. There was no protection to be had with the rack in my possesion, and most of the hand holds on a traversing ledge were populated by more of the annoying thistles, so I decided not to cllimb this way. We attempted another route up a steep grassy traversing ledge and almost made it to the top. The final move around an exposed overhanging boulder and then up a mossy slab balked us, so in the end we declared defeat and carefully scrambled back down. After a quick lunch, we bushwhacked back to the trail. From here it started going downwards more quickly, and we finally learned what the "vertical bog" on the Nano Moru route is all about. For the next 400m drop, the trail braided out in about a dozen different paths through the muck. With good boots and gaiters, travel was not bad, but as many people wear sneakers on this mountain, the trail gets to be the mess that it is. Finally we reached the forest zone and very abruptly we were walking down a pretty trail through the trees. At a telecommunications outpost a rough paved road appeared and we followed this for a kilometer to get to the meteorological station. We were greeted by several curious monkeys, and after one of them ran off with the bar of soap that we use to wash our hands, we decided that it might be a good idea to sleep inside the hut instead of pitching the tent. With the exception of a couple of British climbers who are braving the camping, it seems that we are the only ones here. The hut is actually quite nice (and clean!), so sleeping indoors will be a treat.

Descending into the Teleki valley.

A funny looking hump that just begged to be climbed.

After bushwhacking for an hour to get to it, it still looks like a fun climb.

Our second attempted route... before declaring defeat. Several lobelias laugh at us mortals.

The vertical bog.

Back into the forest zone.

The welcoming party. This fellow likes to eat soap.

A little more monkey proof than our tent.

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