Mount-Kenya.com

It's difficult to comprehend the monumental impact that glaciers have had on the extinct volcano we call Mount Kenya. Many of the individual quirks that make Mount Kenya a climber's delight can be directly attributed to glacial erosion.

Much of the rock on the lower slopes of Mount Kenya has its roots in the volcanic explosion 3 million years ago. Consisting of lava and fused together fragments of volcanic rock, it is largely unaffected by the glaciers that can be found on the mountain. Higher up the mountain, one can witness the affects of glacial erosion on the igneous rocks that created Batian and Nelion. This wearing away of the rock by massive ice sheets has caused some of the most breathtaking scenery imaginable. Glacially formed lakes (called tarns) spot the rocky valleys. Streams from glacial drainage cascade down the mountain. Ridges of gravel and boulders, carried and moved during millions of years of glacial shifting, form waves of pattern that dot the landscape.

Mount Kenya is a climber's dream. With several peaks and a varied terrain, Mount Kenya offers an appealing challenge for every skill level. The love-affair between Mount Kenya and climbers is a relatively short one that began the moment Dr. Johann Ludwig Krapf, a German missionary, set eyes on the peaks and mist of Mount Kenya in 1849. Krapft was the first European to see the mountain and found, after discussing Mount Kenya with the local Embu tribe, that no one had ever attempted to climb it. Accustomed to an equatorial climate, the tribe was unfamiliar, and understandably concerned, about the white substance they noticed on, and sometimes rolling down, the mountain. Krapf went on to spread the knowledge of Mount Kenya and its unsullied, snow-covered peaks to all of Europe.

Early Attempts to Climb

Attempts to climb the mountain began in the 1880's. Leading the charge were European Count Samuel Teleki, British geologist Dr. J W Gregory and German Physician George Kolb. Count Teleki was the first European to actually climb any part of the mountain. His team did not succsessfully reach a peak, but they were able to travel up 4350 m before running low on food.

In 1893, Dr. J W Gregory made it slightly higher up the mountain (4730 m) but still, a peak had not been reached. He was, however, able to study the plants and geology of the mountain. He was also able to confirm the suspiscion that glaciers existed on Mount Kenya.

George Kolb also made an impressive journey to the mountain. In both 1894 and 1896, Kolb went as far as the moorlands on the east side of the mountain.

Successful Attempts

The first successful attempt to ascend the mountain was in 1899 when free trade proponent Halford MacKinder successfully climbed Mount Kenya and crossed through the Gates of Mist and over Diamond Glacier. The trip was not easy on the group, who encountered famine, disease and the death of some members of their original party as they made their way to the mountain. Not to be deterred, MacKinder and his guides followed the siren song of the mountain and conquered the mountain's two highest peaks, Batian and Nelion.

It was thirty years before another successful attempt to ascend Mount Kenya would be made. In 1929, Eric Shipton and Percy Wyn-Harris ascended Nelion by a different route than MacKinder had. After climbing Nelion, Wyn-Harris and Shipton, both established mountaineers, proceeded from into the Gates of Mist and immediately conquered Batian. The route Wyn-Harris and Shipton used is now known as the Nelion Normal Route. In 1930, this route was used by Shipton and fellow mountaineer Bill Tilman. Batian was their objective for this trip, and they succeeded in climbing the peak.

The emotional tug of the mountain is felt by each of Mount Kenya's climbers and explorers, but perhaps not quite as strongly as it was felt in 1943 by Felice Benuzzi, Dr. Giovanni Balletto and Enzo Barsotti. Languishing in a POW camp near Nanyuki, Kenya, Benuzzi spent months gazing at the mountain and hatching a plan for escape. Escape not for freedom, nor for his Italian homeland, but escape for the sole purpose of climbing the mountain that was calling to him. After hoarding food, drawing maps and escaping the camp, Benuzzi and his companions climbed the mountain by using make-shift mountain climbing supplies that Benuzzi made out of bedding canvas, blankets and hammers. In 18 days they were able to climb the mountain's third highest peak, Lenana (4,985 m). Once at the top, Benuzzi commemorated his accomplishment by planting a small Italian flag in the soil. After conquering the mountain and rejuvenating their mental state, they traveled down the mountain and made their way back into the POW camp, where 28 days of solitary confinement greeted them.

Establishing the Routes

Later climbers discovered and developed many of the routes climbers use today. In 1944, Britain's Arthur Firmin and P.H. Hicks traveled on the maiden voyage of the North Face Normal Route to Batian. Firmin was an especially prolific climber, climbing Batian five times on every possible route excepting the west face. Many lines were opened in the 1970's, locals Ian Howell and Iain Allan helped to open major lines and Howell, along with D. J. Temple opened the Diamond Buttress original route.

Over a half-million travelers visit Mount Kenya each year. With them, they bring their own experience, ability and understanding. In their trek up the mountain, through the trails and lines brimming with history, they leave a piece of themselves. Their history mixes with the history of MacKinder, Benuzzi and other dreamers and doers. When you answer the call of Mount Kenya...what history will you bring?