UPDATE - Issue 32 - Winter 2008
Hikers raise £300,000
All ninety-three Hikers for Hope II gathered at the airport, everyone excited, but many with considerable trepidation about the challenge ahead. An overnight flight transported us to Nairobi from where we were catapulted along unspeakable roads to Fish Eagle Camp where we spent the first of our five nights under canvas in two-man tents. During that night hippopotami could be heard wallowing in the lake nearby. The trekkers were all either supporters of Prostate UK or Wellbeing of Women (WoW), mainly doctors, nurses, patients and relatives of sufferers, and around a third were hardened veterans of the first Hike for Hope across the desert from the Dead Sea to Petra in Jordan.
'five nights under canvas'
Even the toughest of the Hikers for Hope were somewhat disconcerted by the thought of abseiling into Hell's Gate Gorge but one by one they were lowered, some tearfully, over the edge and down a vertical rock wall into the deep river valley. A scramble along the bed of the canyon ensued. This involved clambering over slippery rocks and wading through warm pools fed from the hot geysers that provided the Hell's Gate Gorge with its name, followed by a steep climb and trek across the savannah back to our second camp overlooking the Rift Valley. Eagles circled above us and below, zebra, giraffe and buffalo could be seen grazing in the evening light.
The toughest challenge of the trek involved a steep climb to the top of an extinct volcano, Mount Longonot - made more difficult by the hot equatorial sunshine directly overhead. Each and every one of us got to the top for a team photograph and a very touching one minute silence held for departed friends and relatives. More than a few tears flowed and Terry, one of our trekkers, sorrowfully buried a piece of embroidery in memory of his best friend who had recently succumbed to prostate cancer. A four hour vertiginous hike around the jagged rim of the crater ensued with spectacular views of Lake Naivasha from the highest point of the Rift Valley. Peering into the crater one could see the lush vegetation undisturbed by human activity and buzzing with animal life.
Two more tough days of savannah trekking ensued before a journey to Lake Nakuru, famous for its pink flamingos and an excellent game park with many lions and rhinoceri. To round off the hike a dinner and impromptu concert was held to celebrate the £300,000 raised, and to announce plans for Hike for Hope III. This will entail a mountain climb and five day, 100 mile hike across the Sinai Desert to the Red Sea in March 2009. Anybody keen to sign up, join me, Roger Kirby, Marcus Setchell and the team for H4H3.
Report by Roger Kirby