Elephant Hill Hike
24th January 2025
On Saturday 18th January, a group of fourteen excited Year 8 pupils, five parents and two members of staff set off at 6am, for Elephant Hill for the first of the two trial hikes leading up to the Mount Kenya climb.
Elephant Hill is situated in the Aberdares, and it took about four and a half hours to get there. The long journey did not dampen spirits, and the group set off with the aim of getting as far as they could.
Most of the first 2 kilometres were not too challenging, with a gentle, but steady incline. Most of the party were able to navigate this easily. The bamboo line, labelled ‘Starting point”, was the beginning of the greater challenge, with the temperatures also dropping suddenly. The footpath was also slippery, due to the moss that accumulates with the moist air.
A brief break for lunch was had, and then a half hour walk, as time was against us. The descent was quick, taking less than half the time to ascend! We covered about 9 kilometres in total, reaching an elevation of 2800m.
All in all, the trip gave a good estimate of what we all may need to work on in preparation for the “Big Climb”.
A big thank you to the parents who accompanied us, and to Basecamp. A big well done to the children for pushing themselves and supporting each other.
