Rurimeria Stories and lessons by Jacinta G.
A story always has the greatest impact when heard from the Horse’s mouth. My Rurimeria hike preparation just like most of the Hikes started on the day before. Earlier in the day, stocked up on my favourite snacks and fruits and natural yoghurt.
On the night before, I filled up my 3L water blunder, packed a change of warm clothes and light shoes in the travel bag. Rain coat/poncho, Rain trousers, Gaiters, Balaclava and Waterproof gloves these went to the hiking back pack. You never know the temperament of the mountain beforehand… the rain, cold, sun, winds are all on the cards up in the mountains. Also pack your fully charged powerbank… A charged phone can help you reach needed support or pay for a cab or farm fresh goodies as might be necessary.
I also lay out my hiking gear to wear for the day on the night before. Dress for layered warmth that you can easily layer down or up as the weather changes. It is also important to pack tissues, wet wipes and a handkerchief as well as your fully charged phone (doubling as a camera) on the side pockets for ease of reach throughout the trail.
Pay particular attention to having good hiking boots for a hike. Sport shoes no matter how good are not appropriate for any of the Aberdare trails. Those who ignore this precaution risk going barefooted in the midst of the trail as the shoes will often give up midway. The hiking boots should be your normal size+1. That is if your normal shoe size is 40, then your hiking boot size is 41. Buy proper hiking socks that are thick enough to absorb impact and avoid blisters during hiking. Also on the night before; Do not forget to cut your toe nails. Not cutting your toe nails will result to a very painful descent and possible loss of toe nails.
Other essentials includes a matchbox, a whistle and a torch. These 3 I used to ignore for the longest but not anymore… I learnt this after the scaring story of a lady who got lost in the Kipipiri trail a few days ago and had to spend the night in the cold forest after falling off a cliff as she could not see her way in the dark and unfamiliar grounds. She must have been so scared; in great pain and completely chilled in the harsh Aberdares cold and lying on a water clogged ground at the base of that cliff. I have learnt that every small precaution should be taken no matter how remote the possibility. Thankfully, the good lady was found alive but in a dire condition about 11am the following day after a long night and early morning search by the Aberdare Eco team and Forest Rangers.
These are some of the stories that you hear on the bus on the way or in the trails. There is always a great comraderies among Hikers. You always learn a tip or two on a diverse number of topics about relationships, fitness, family, health and life in general. Its akin to having another family.
So on Friday night, having all ready, I finally went to bed at 11pm and set the alarm for 3am. I had to be at Jewel Complex and inside the shuttle bus by 4am. A Hiker’s day starts very early and can end very late. This Rurimeria day was rather unusual as lasted more than 24 hours. I only got back home at 4:31am on Sunday morning due to a traffic snarl up at Magena area that took about 7 hours to clear with the help of the Police!
On the route to Geta-Bush where our trail would start, I got about 2 hours to catch up on some beauty sleep. We were ready to start after a round of introductions and stretches. We all hit the trail a few minutes after 9am. We quickly got into our comfortable hiking groups. These depends on levels of fitness and in our case being seasoned Hikers it was more about friendships already formed in the hiking trails. Our group comprised of 4 ladies whom we have become close in the trails. Rurimeria being a high altitude trail requires more of an easy but steady hiking speed and less of high speed unless for the well seasoned and regular high altitude Hikers… and even then you might find that there will be days when you feel like the mountain is working against you. For this reason it is not unusual to hear the phrase “May the mountain be kind to us today”.
Those in my group who had never summited Rurimeria before kept saying that they have to summit so that they will have a story to tell when others are speaking about this trail. They each promised to write their story of how they summited this tough hill. We took a few photos at the summit. We were disappointed that there was no “Congratulations, Welcome to Rurimeria Summit” Poster. The Kenya Forest team should definitely consider this improvement.
Going down from the summit was uneventful. The team was largely quiet. Fatigue was taking its toll. Many of us walked in smaller groups of 1, 2 or 3 as each struggled to maneuver safely down the steep decent. By 6:45pm the last team arrived at the bus. We did not leave without some of the Aberdares cash crops like potatoes and vegetables to the driver’s chagrin.
I loved the determination in the entire team and great support from the Victorious Fit Adventures team. They are one my favorite go-to hiking team with whom I summited Mount Kenya in April this year. If you are looking for a caring, mature and professional hiking group; you cannot go wrong with Victorious Fit Adventures. I have had the pleasure of introducing others to this team and they also agree with me.
Views from Rurimeria peak
