US MARINES SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE ‘THE LEGIONNAIRES’ EXPEDITION.

Early October 2012, A group of five US Marines and one Navy Corpsman  arrives in Kenya for their Joint Training from Camp Lemonier in Djibouti.

Having come face to face with some of the continents harshest and most extreme terrains, exhaustion and dehydration in Djibouti one of Africa’s hottest and driest deserts.

They set foot for Kenya for their joint training which involves hacking through the dense jungles and training in the semi-desert badlands of Northern Kenya.

They are excited about the idea of climbing Mount Kenya, and for some fortunate reason, they opt for the company that would give them the nature of expedition they require.‘The Legionnaire’s’ Expedition, after an extreme expedition done with two former French Legionnaires, which involved trekking from the base of the mountain 2000m to point Lenana 4985m(16355 ft) and back in two days .

However; for this to happen, the marines have to get permission from their United States Africa Command boss in Djibouti.

This is eventually granted at the end of their training in Kenya  and we set out for the expedition. Marine Sergeant Copping  also makes plans to have his girlfriend (whom he termed as 'athletic')fly in and do the expedition along with them.

As it would turn out, none of them had done a mountain before, except for Engineer Curtis who had done a mountain in Colorado by car.

It was definitely going to be a formidable task!

In full mountain gear and 4800 Calories of MREs  for each from the US Millitary  Menu we set out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We successfully complete the expedition in two days, and the hard trained soldiers all agree on one thing, they should have done the expedition as their first thing on their arrival in Kenya. It would have exposed them to the high altitude they needed for their training.

TYPES OF EXPEDITIONS

1)DAYTRIP


A Daytrip can be a very popular form of recreation or leisure to people whom the logistics or cost of a night away from home or work may be prohibitive.
On a day trip to Mount Kenya, where you get is determined by several factors.
A Trekker may choose to start the Trek from the Narumoru gate walk through the dense bamboo forest or may opt to drive 9 Km from the gate to Met Station and start the trek. From this point, it is possible to gain some good height with spectacular views. You would probably reach the caves or the Lunch point.
No special gear is required on this adventure, only appropriate hiking footwear, warm clothing and a rain jacket in the event of rain.

2) AN OVERNIGHT

Just like the daytrip; the Trekker, may choose to start the Trek from the Park gate or the Met Station. On this expedition, the Trekker gets far above the heights of 3500 m as the first night is spent on the Mountain huts (Bandas) along the way and descends on the following day.
Food and accommodation is provided, however; one is expected to bring along a sleeping bag and an extra set of warm clothing.


3) FOUR DAY TRIP (3 Nights at the mountain)


This is a one way trek that gets you to Point Lenana (third highest peak 4985 m)
(Package includes food, accommodation,porter and guide services)
It is the ideal trek for anyone who hasn’t had any exposure to high altitudes or climbed a mountain before.

Day one : Trek starts at Mount Kenya National park gate. 9 km trek to Met Station through the podo zone and the dense bamboo forest. Presence of wildlife and birds. Buffaloes, Waterbucks, occasionally elephants and a variety of monkeys and birds.
Day one ends, accommodation at the Met Station Bandas.

Day Two: Day Two is a bit more tasking but more rewarding. Includes a 3-4 hour trek to Mackinder’s Camp ( base camp)
Short rests at the caves and lunch point with bitings or sandwiches.
The trail cuts across the hagenia zone, heather and moorland, alpine meadows and giant lobelia to the base camp.
Have lunch and rest. Take a short acclimatizing walk to Lake Tuttan, a small stretch lake uphill the base camp.
Day Three: Arise at 3 am in the morning and head for Point Lenana. This is particularly done such early to enable catching the amazing view of the sunrise at the Osterrian hut, en route to Peak Lenana. The ascent is physically taxing as it is very steep with strong winds at the skew line and probably snow hitting on your face!
45 min stop at peak Lenana then descend back to Mackinder’s camp for breakfast.
Enough rest, early lunch and descend again to Met station. Descending takes relatively shorter.
Last supper; with day three night spent at Met Station.
Day four: Descend from Met station and exit the park through Narumoru gate.
Get picked by a vehicle to your lodge.


CIRCUIT TRIP:

(Package includes food, accommodation,porter and guide services)

Close to the Four Day trip but with a different exit route and takes relatively longer.
Entry at Narumoru gate and Exit through the Sirimon Route.
Upon getting to Point Lenana on Day Three; the walk down takes another route to the Shipton’s camp. Again, descending is relatively easier. Day three night spent at the Shipton’s camp.

Day Four: Start another walk down from the Shipton’s camp to the Old Moses camp.
Day Five: Final trek from Old Moses to the Sirimon gate.
Get picked by a vehicle to your lodge.


THE LEGIONAIRE’S EXPEDITION:


Gained its name after an extreme expedition carried out with former French Legionnaires.
Involved setting out at Narumoru (alt 2135 m) and spending the first night at the Osterrian Hut (Alt 4790 m)
Vertical ascent on a single day is 2655 meters / 2.65 Km.
This type of expedition is only for people who have had prior exposure to very high altitudes and with an extremely good level of physical fitness.

Carry own luggage and MREs (no porters).


Descend on day two and leave the mountain.

Very over ambitious mountain climbers can gain altitude rapidly resulting to mountain sickness.
When climbing Mount Kenya, altitude sickness can be a major problem thus it’s advisable to take at least 3 days to point Lenana.


TECHNICAL CLIMBING


This involves usage of ropes to get to the highest peaks. Nelion and Batian. We have experienced guides specifically for this task. It’s more than an adrenalin activity!


While your safety is our first priority, when climbing any mountain, caution and safety measure should be adhered to and climbing Mount Kenya is no exception. Unfortunately, accidents do occur; anything from minor fractures, dislocations to fatal ones. Incase you are not medically fit or lack the right gear to ascend, do not attempt climbing Mount Kenya.