Snakes and Ladders in the Rwenzori Mountains

I’d lost count of the number of steps going
up, or for that matter, those going down. All
I knew was that the
trail was never flat,
and that frustratingly
our destination always seemed just over the next hill – but for the most part, never was!

I was in the middle of the fabled “Mountains of the Moon”; not well known but with a long history. Aristotle in 350 BC first

referred to the origin of the Nile in the Silver Mountain – the earliest known reference to the Rwenzori. It was then Ptolemy in AD150 who talked about “Mountains of the Moon whose snows feed the lakes, sources of the Nile”. Interestingly, both Aristotle and Ptolemy referred to a single mountain whereas the Rwenzori is a distinct isolated mountain mass along the Ugandan and Democratic Republic of the Congo border, comprising six individual mountains, each with multiple peaks.

In 1906 the Duke of the Abruzzi made his successful exploration of the snows of the Rwenzori, climbing and mapping the six snow mountains and making the ascent of most of the snow peaks, of which only one had previously been climbed. The last known successful climb of all six mountains was a Polish team in 1975, where over a four-week period they achieved the first complete traverse of the main ridge of the Rwenzori mountains – Gessi, Emin, Speke, Stanley, Baker and Luigi di Savoia.

The Duke’s expedition had reached the snows by the valley of the Mubuku river, which flows eastwards from the glaciers. In more recent times many parties, including the Polish expedition, use what’s referred to as the Central Circuit, using the Bujuku route that progresses anti-clockwise.

My objective was to climb all six Rwenzori mountains, and as many of the peaks as possible, using another relatively new route that starts in Kilembe and takes a north/south approach (but had no trail to the northern two mountains!). If successful, I would be the first person to do so in more than 45 years and the first using the Kilembe route. The Rwenzori are challenging. It rains 10 months of the year (gumboots are compulsory); lacks the mature infrastructure of Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenya; has limited local knowledge of Mounts Gessi and Emin; and involves constantly trekking up and down in mud and slush. Thankfully African Ascents and Rwenzori Trekking Services provided all the logistics and guidance and made sure things went very smoothly.

Leaving Kilembe, the first three days are a constant up and down grind (albeit in some beautiful scenery) to get to the top of the Rwenzori plateau. It’s constantly ascending but not a gradual climb, it’s more like 2 steps up and then 1 step down. After three days my support party and I arrived at Bigata camp (4059m) from where people leave to climb Mt Barker (4843m) or continue on for Mt Stanley (5109m). I hadn’t fully acclimatised so Day 4 ended up being a rest day (after more than a nett 2500m ascent in three days), when I sat reading and watching it rain!

I decided to head straight to the next camp via Barmwanjara pass (4450m) and leave Mt Barker for the way out. So I headed to Butawa camp (4006 m) and then set out at 23.00. The weather was pretty good for the Rwenzori but still the going was slippery and slow, making it

a 17 hour round trip – but not without bagging the 3rd highest mountain in Africa, Margerita peak on Mt Stanley (5109m).Given the slow pace, I decided not to try the other peaks and so headed back.

Next day we left the last of the huts and trekked to a site at the base of Mt Speke. Time was becoming an issue, so I decided to go around Mt Speke and head straight for Mts Gessi and Emin – the two northern mountains that no one goes to and had never been climbed via the Kilembe route. There were no trails once we left the base of Mt Speke so it was a case of finding a route and cutting our way through using a panga. Fortunately for me, I had assistance to clear a path. That night we camped at a new site, subsequently named Camp Gibson, that had great views of the south face of Mt Emin.

Next day, after more trail finding and cutting, we arrived at Roccati Pass Rock camp shelter (4130m) which sits between Mts Gessi and Emin. The following day we successfully summited Iolanda peak (4715m) on Mt Gessi making me the first person to do so using the Kilembe route; the first person over 60; and probably the first Australian to do so. A great day! Tomorrow it was Mt Emin’s turn. Mt Emin is very different to Mt Gessi. Whereas yesterday there was an obvious line

to take, today was more “try and see” leading to some false starts. Mt Emin is also scree and loose rocks, so with only 200m to go I sadly decided the risk from falling rocks had become too great. I turned back and left Mt Emin for another day.

I was conscious that we still had another three mountains to climb (Speke, Baker and Luigi di Savoia), but that’s where the weather decided to have a say and coated the whole area in snow. Time was now definitely against me and it was becoming an issue if I was going to make the exit date. Snow and time meant I passed Mts Speke and Baker but still managed to climb Weissmanna peak (4619m) on Mt Luigi di Savoia on the way out. The exit from Bigata camp (4059m) was meant to take 3-4 days including climbing Weissmanna peak but I’d only left two days!

While I’d attempted only four of the six Rwenzori mountains, I’d climbed Mt Gessi and gone where few people have ever been. Now I know the place, how things work, and what a successful attempt needs – apart from some luck with the weather! I was enthused enough with Ugandan climbing to want to return to the Rwenzori. Next time, however, I’d add traversing some of the nearby volcanos and climbing Mt Kenya to achieve the African Triple Crown (Kilimanjaro, Mt Kenya and Mt Stanley).

After leaving the Rwenzori I met up with my family and went on safari for 5 weeks across Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe... but that’s another story.

Adventure for Rhinos

Adventure for Rhinos 

Bike and Hike for Rhino Conservation 

July 18-30, 2023

Come take part in a 13-day/12-night, multi-sport adventure dedicated to the conservation of nature with a focus on rhinos. On this ‘safari,’ you will ride a mountain bike through conservancies that are devoted to the conservation of Kenya’s remaining black and white rhino populations. Enjoy custom game safaris. Walk through the Kenyan bush. Engage with local conservationists. Climb Kenya’s tallest mountain. Learn about conservation in the Laikipia landscape. 

This is an adventure of a lifetime. It is an exclusive, personalized trip.

Your participation will directly contribute to the #MazingiraConservationFund, a program dedicated to the future of community-based wildlife conservation in Laikipia, Kenya.

#MazingiraConservationFund is a grant-making fund that has raised more than $75K. The fund supports small grants for Human Wildlife Conflict prevention, wildlife corridor protection, and incentives for wildlife conservation ALL AIMED at rural communities. The grant fund is administered by the Laikipia Forum, a 30-year-old conservation membership organization working in the Laikipia landscape.

Check out the itinerary here. 

Contact us for more details here. 

Frozen Planet 2

We were privileged to host the BBC team while they filmed some amazing chameleon footage for Frozen Planet 2.

You can watch the full trailer here.

Keep an eye out for some beautiful Mt Kenya shots!

If you’re interested in chameleons check out the book “Mountain Dragons: In Search of Chameleons in the Highlands of Kenya” by Jan Stipala. It’s a really beautiful photographic account of Kenya’s chameleons and some of the more remote mountain ranges.

The Youngest Person to Climb Batian on Mt Kenya.

Johnny and Corey Harris on Batian

Corey and Johnny Harris

It all started in the Dragons Teeth... I was with a group of friends and family and my climbing mentors and trainers; Jamie Christian from the Mount Kenya Climbing Gym and Julian Wright from African Ascents.  My friends and I were doing our first multi-pitch climbs on those rugged black rocks that jut from the moorland of the Aberdare range when Jamie and Julian came up with the idea. They believed that we had the skill and maybe even the stamina, despite our age, to make an attempt at Nelion and Batian, Kenya’s highest peaks.  And so the dream was born…

In August last year, during a six month break between finishing primary school in Kenya and starting secondary school at Kingswood College in South Africa, Julian offered me an opportunity to tag along on one of his professional trips to climb Mount Kenya’s highest peak – Batian.  This was to be an attempt on the north face, and I would remain at the base camp (Kami) to get a taste of what is involved in a technical climb on Mount Kenya. 

Just before we left, Julian called my Dad offering me the chance not just to come to the base, but  to attempt the climb too. He could see no reason why I shouldn’t try it, and his client was also happy for me to join them. I would climb with my own climbing guide, the amazing David Muigai, alongside climbing porters Simon and Kahiga.

Up at Kami on the flanks of the mountain I was so excited.  I was extremely nervous, but this was the dream coming true: here I was, about to attempt the highest technical climb in Africa! We spent the morning preparing and that afternoon made the short hike to the base of the route.  The weather had been perfect over the previous few days hiking up but now there was a strong wind blowing.  At around one o’clock in the afternoon, we started the climb, making steady progress up the steep gully. About four pitches up, it began to hail. While I sat at the bottom of pitch 5, waiting for my turn to climb, it started to sleet. The cold was biting and my fingers slowly started to freeze and go numb. As I pulled over the top of that pitch, it started to snow. Here I was, on a rope, halfway up Batian, on the equator in Africa and it was snowing!  I had never experienced snow before and it was all quite crazy. The wind had picked up and now it was really blowing. I started on the next pitch and was now having to sweep snow off the rock to get a hold on it.  My sunglasses were even collecting snow on the inside! We made it up the 8th pitch and, with great relief, I saw the large inclined scree field called the Amphitheatre. Julian said we would set up camp here for the night.  

Whilst at the Amphitheatre we learned of another group higher up on the mountain that had got stuck while descending into Shipton’s notch. Their rope had frozen and snagged. It was too late and there was too much snow for Julian and the other rescue climbers to provide any help that evening, so those unfortunate climbers were stranded out there in the cold and wet night. I tried to imagine being stuck on an exposed cliff in these conditions. We hoped they would be okay and carried on dealing with our own problems. The warmth of our bodies was melting the snow and we had a small stream flowing through our tent.  Luckily it was not too difficult to fix by making a bridge out of all our sleeping mats.  We ate some dehydrated packet meals that weren’t the best meals I have ever had, melted snow for water, then climbed into our sleeping bags and tried to get through the night with as little suffering as possible.  It was tough but at least we were all squeezed in together which kept us fairly warm despite the 4cm of snow that fell that night.

Corey Harris 13 years Old. March 2022

In the morning our tents, the whole Amphitheatre, and the rock faces around us were covered in a thick carpet of snow – an absolutely incredible sight!  

We radioed the stranded team and established that they were alive and moving again, having sorted out their rope.  We left them some food and water and contacted the rescue helicopters. 

Unfortunately, it was too dangerous to continue our attempt on Batian with the amount of snow that had fallen overnight, and Julian was forced to call off the climb.  We packed up camp and rappelled down as fast as we could to avoid the melting snow flowing off the mountain as it tends to come down with rocks and debris which can be a problem.  Our fingers once again went numb and froze but soon we were at the bottom and back at base camp, ready for a hot lunch.

As we walked off the mountain the next morning, part of me was quite relieved that we had to turn back; it had been quite scary up there in the wind and clouds and snow.  Rather than feeling defeated, I was thrilled that I had made it up that far and I was thoroughly inspired to try again another day.

Back at home, we made plans to try again with Julian and African Ascents.  This time the six day adventure would be a Harris family affair.  Dad was inspired by my dream and was going to make the attempt with me, and my mum and brother were going to come along to attempt Point Lenana. Dad and I started to train together. We set the date for Christmas day 2021, and everything was looking good.  Then, just as we were packing backpacks and ticking off our lists, the whole family went down to covid and the trip had to be cancelled. We were all devastated.  Climbing Mount Kenya is very much constrained by weather and the time of the year and I knew that once I started school in January it was unlikely that we would get this opportunity again with Julian for a very long time.  It just seemed so unfair.

Then while I was at school, out of nowhere I got a phone call from Kenya. Mum and Dad had been talking to Julian. African Ascents had received a last-minute cancellation in peak climbing season and Julian was suddenly available over a period which partially overlapped with my half term holiday.  The dream was still alive!  I flew home to Kenya in late February in high spirits.

Having been close to sea level at school, I needed a few days to acclimatise at higher altitude to avoid altitude sickness on the mountain.  This time we would be attempting to climb Batian at 5199m from the South East ridge.  So base camp would be Austrian Hut at 4790m.  We hiked up there in three days following the Chogoria route, camping the first night in a cave and fishing for little brown trout in the stream, then up to Lake Michaelson set in the breath-taking Gorges Valley, where again we caught some bigger rainbow trout. The last day up to Austrian hut is through scree and barren high-altitude desert with giant groundsels and ostrich plume lobelias that look like tall, shaggy creatures dotted through the landscape. It was a tough walk.  Here the altitude starts to pull you down and breathing gets more difficult. That first night in Austrian hut, my little brother Tiki, who is only 9, started to feel a bit scared from the headache, the strong pulse and the difficulty breathing.  I think we had just told too many stories of what altitude sickness can do! 

The next day was an amazing and important day acclimatising around Austrian hut. We explored the Lewis glacier and scree fields in the area. My Mum and Dad had pictures from 23 years before when they had last been at this point and it is sad to see how much smaller the glacier has become.  Tiki saw his first snow and iced-over ponds and the excitement cured his altitude fears.

The SE Ridge of Nelion on Mt Kenya

My Dad and I sat opposite the great cliffs and towering peaks, trying to figure out what the route could be.  The magnitude of what we were taking on really started to sink in.   There is so much rock and, as the clouds whizzed past and the wind whipped at our puffer jackets, I have to say the scale of our challenge seemed almost too big. My Dad went very quiet, and I could see that he was worried.

That afternoon we scrambled and slid past Lewis Glacier and round the edge of the cliffs to the base of the climb up to Nelion peak. When the scree is warm and no longer frozen together this scramble is almost one of the scariest parts of the ascent. Several times we trod on rocks that toppled off and started loud and alarming rock falls which ran for several hundred meters below us.

Ciaran Brown and James Farr, both experienced Kenyan climbers, were also joining us on our quest and they came up with Julian from the mountain rescue huts to meet us at the base of the climb for a bit of a practice session. We kitted up and spent about 2 hours climbing up the first few pitches, getting used to the simul-climbing system that Julian likes to use and getting familiar with safety and protocols. Back at the base of the climb, I felt hugely encouraged and full of excitement. I now felt more prepared and ready to take on this challenge.  Dad too had brightened up and told me that this practice had done him a great amount of good.

While we were busy on Nelion, Mum and Tiki had hiked and scrambled up to Point Lenana at 4985m, which is the peak most people aim for on Mt Kenya. They came back happy and full of stories. It’s a huge achievement for Tiki at his age and I am very proud of him.

That night we prepared our gear and listened to climbing stories.  From the South East ridge, one must summit Point Nelion at 5188m then descend off the other side into the Gate of Mists before climbing up again to Batian at 5199m. Then this must all be done in reverse to get back to Nelion and down to base camp. Our aim was to get up to Batian and back down again in one go. Julian told us it could take up to 16 hours to do this if all went well. Wow! Sixteen hours out there, exposed and moving over rock and ice!  The longest we had spent climbing up to this point had maybe been 8 hours over the course of a day and much of this time involved sitting in the shade watching other people climbing.  

Sitting in the wood-panelled warmth of Austrian hut we test-fitted the crampons to our shoes. Crampons!! I have never even held one of these and now I was going to have to use them on the top of a mountain!  The ice axes were equally exciting.  I had no idea at this point what we would be on when we would need to use these.

We woke at 4:30 am and by 5:30 we were wrapped up tight, picking our way over the frozen scree. At first light, we kitted up. It seemed crazy pulling off our big puffer jackets, but Julian said we would warm up as we climbed and would over-heat as soon as there was sun. 

We had no idea what the next 31 hours had in store for us. Dad was again quiet as he looked up at the walls of broken rock stretching up into the sky.  The peaks, now golden in the early morning sunlight, seemed miles away. Then, all of a sudden, we were roped in, Julian was off and Dad and I followed.  The real quest had begun! 

We made really good progress and it did warm up. James and Ciaran climbed together.  James was taking photographs and the talk was fun and encouraging. The ground dropped ever further away and, somehow, after a short time that distance and drop down to the bottom of the valley just became normal. The climbing was not so hard, Julian was very careful and the pitches flew away.   We made it to Bailey’s Bivi – roughly half-way up Nelion - by 9:30 am and it seemed we could even get to the top quite a bit ahead of schedule. 

Then we turned the corner onto the west facing slopes and into the shade. Like in a movie, the shadows were unsettling, the rock was still frozen, and we now edged up to one of the more technical sections, DeGraff’s Variation.  It was trickier for sure, but what was disturbing was that my fingers froze this time somehow even more than when we were caught in the snowstorm on the other side of this mountain. I have done most of my climbing in the low country where the rock gets almost too hot to hold. Now I couldn’t even feel my fingers for the cold.  They still worked and I could make the right shapes with my fingers but could not tell whether they had actually gripped onto the hold above my head. In the end we all sent this section which felt so good.  We were back into the sunlight.  Our fingers thawed out and wow that was painful! 

Soon after this we reached the main traverse around an exposed column of rock. Here I did feel very vulnerable as the cliff face drops off forever and stretches up forever and, looking past the column, I could only see sky, as though the column stood out there on its own. At the edge of the column, I had to swing out and reach up to catch a hold which I had been told was there but couldn’t actually see for myself.  Being small, I had to wonder if I was going to reach it.  I just had to believe. I don’t know why I did not want to use the assist rope that was placed there to help people swing round.  Instead, I stayed close to the rock, reached over, pushed off and my fingers found the hold, stuck fast and I was round. 

Then it was tiring but relatively easy climbing as again we made reasonable headway and the pitches moved fast. Almost unexpectedly, Julian turned round and said, "Welcome to Nelion!  Well done!".    Awesome! We had a snack and a rest at this point and investigated the little tin box which is Howell Hut and imagined how tough it must be to sleep in that tiny space up in this thin, cold air.

Looking over at Batian from here, it literally looks like you could throw a rock and hit it. However, Julian reckoned it would take 4 hours to get there and back.  We would leave our packs and main puffer jackets behind on Nelion.

Taking water, snacks and our ice gear, we set off. We did our first rappel of the trip into the Gate of Mists which is stunning – the world drops off on either side of this knife edge ridge between the two peaks. On the northern side of this ridge we reached the ice. The rappel had got us to a point where we could basically cling onto rocks with our feet on the ice and slide our way around and up to solid rock again, so we had no need for the crampons. But it was enough contact with ice to realise just how slippery it is.  Putting a foot on this sloping glacier makes the edge seem so much closer, especially when just over the short ice shelf, the next bit of land you can see is near to the Kami base camp where we had camped back in August, a thousand metres below.

Again, things went smoothly and the last bit of climbing up to Batian was such fun. There we were! 5199 metres above sea level. On top of the world! Dad and I sat together on the peak, soaking it all in.  It felt almost unreal.  But when I looked down it was almost too real.  The world was so far below and in the back of my mind it was hard to forget that we were actually only halfway through the challenge. 

It was around 4pm. We had been climbing for 10 hours and we did not hang around. The weather was good and we were all set for the descent into the night. 

Then the Gate of Mists, or rather the ice sheet, threw us a curve ball. Nothing really went wrong.  Yes, the rope we had rapelled off had got snagged and took time to release.  It had to be removed which meant we could not use it to help us get back round on the ice field.  Julian had to secure a new anchor point and figure out how to scale the ice field safely and all this takes time. Where before we had been moving in two climbing parties, now all five climbers were moving on one rope… and it was slow going. 

The Gates of Mists

Out of the sun and hit by a cold wind that whistles through the Gate, we sat waiting as the shadows lengthened. Shadow, wind and now cold.  Dad was suffering, shaking badly from the cold.  We did not have our puffers and we were tired.  Sitting watching the line of sunlight climb up over the ice and disappear out of sight somehow pulls doubt and fear into your mind. Could we manage another six hours of rappelling in the dark? 

The crampons and ice axes were great fun and things felt better once we were on the move again. We got back over the ice to Nelion but it had taken seven hours not four, and we were now behind schedule. We were cold, especially Dad, the sun had just set and the idea of carrying on was scary. I am so grateful to Mr Ian Howell who, over 13 climbs, singlehandedly hauled the pieces of this small tin hut from the Lewis Glacier up to Nelion. What incredible dedication! The small tin ‘sardine box’ that Howell built offered us shelter, and the chance to spend the night up there, which we gladly took up. It is the highest bedroom in Africa I expect. We had not planned on overnighting so had no sleeping bags, but there were five of us stuffed into the tiny box and we had our climbing clothes, and the odd emergency blanket. Between us, we had some salami, snickers bars and ‘birthday cake’ flavoured protein bars (how do you even come up with birthday cake flavour?). The birthday cake bars were all eaten but I don’t want to see one again for a very long time. Luckily James had brought a jet boil so we could melt snow for extra water and make a warm brew of ‘electrolyte mix’ which again is not my favourite!

The Howell Hut on Nelson 5188 meters

That was a long night with every piece of clothing on and our feet shoved in backpacks, trying desperately to gain some warmth.  Dad gave me the one emergency blanket he had carried which helped a lot but it’s so cold up there and sleep is not easy to find with the thin air and a headache, not to mention the crowded conditions. My small amount of water even froze solid in my camelbak, right next to my head!

The first signs of light through the cracks in the walls were so very welcome. Outside, the wind was howling but the sunrise was incredible and with it came hope. I am so glad we went through that hard night because now we could rappel down in the daylight and I was ready and excited again. We split a snickers bar between us, washed it down with some melted ice and set off down Nelion. 

Dropping down over the top of Kenya was awesome. At times more tiring than I had expected. We worked our way down using both climbing ropes, leap frogging with our two teams and making a smooth decent. The weather was stunning and the world so big as we passed through the 18 rappels and traverses and scrambles. We even rappelled over a team ascending DeGraff’s with much humour.

Johnny Harris, Julian Wright and Corey Harris

At about 11am we were finally down at the base of the route. There was still another 2 hours of steep scrambling to go down to the mountain rescue huts where our team was waiting. It was a wobbly walk down but as we dropped and the air got easier, my headache eased off and it started to sink in: I had done it!  We had done it! 

Mum and Tiki were so excited and relieved to see us. They had been watching and cheering us all the way the day before and had been able to see us through the binoculars as we made our way to the top of Nelion and had even spotted us as we crossed the Gate of Mists and climbed up to Batian. The unplanned bivouac had worried those who were waiting for us but now we were back, and the relief and laughter was wonderful.

What an epic adventure!  

None of this would ever have happened without the encouragement, support and training of Julian and his belief that I could do it. His professional approach and personal experience of the mountain is amazing and that really counts up there.  Ciaran and James’s support was also fundamental to the Quest and I am so grateful for that and for the awesome photographs that James has taken and shared of our adventure.  Thank you also to Jamie and the team at the Mt Kenya Climbing Gym and, ironically, to the covid pandemic that allowed us so much extra time to practice and become inspired.  

Finally, I couldn’t have done it without the support of my mum, my dad and my brother.  Dad was especially awesome.  He had to get back into climbing again and train hard for the mountain.  He was such a strong support to me all the way and I am so lucky to have him by my side.

I hope my story can inspire other young people to realise that these adventures and dreams are within our reach. 

Ciaran Brown and Corey Harris

The Greying of Everest - on Altitude and Ageing

Mt Everest

Have you ever wondered whether you’re “too old” to try your first high altitude trip?

Or whether you’ll be able to keep doing high altitude trips as you get older?

Or “How old is too old to climb Mt Everest?”

In this blog post Jeremy Windsor, Anaesthetist and curator of a popular Mountain Medicine blog, looks at the evidence from Mt Everest on summit success rates and risk of death and how they change with age. The good news? Over the 20+ years of the study, the risk of death has gone down and summit success rates have increased across all ages.

You can read the whole article here.