0

No products in the cart.

Conserving Mt. Kenya through Photography

Evans Ogeto
August 31, 2022
6 Comments

Finally happy to share some good news here.

2022 has been great so far and I look forward to sharing more this year.

In May 2022 Mt. Kenya came calling again, this time round I was up there documenting the journey of CS. Najib Balala Cabinet Secretary, Tourism and Wildlife as he led a group of the corporate partners who were willing to support and contribute towards making Mt. Kenya a better hiking destination.

I got really excited when this brief came in, I felt like I was ready for it. Forget about shooting but you must be aware that Mt. Kenya is 4,985m above sea level, it is not a place you walk up and come back with else, you must prepare with prior hikes. It was impromptu but I was happy. We had one pre hike, coupled with my football endavours, I felt I was more than ready. I was there less than 1 year ago.

One of the most important lessons I learned from https://outdoorer.ke about mountain climbing is patience. This is the weapon I need in everything with regards to preparing for the hike, acclimatising and the actual climb. I’m actually a slow climber, that way I give my body time to adapt.

Off we went and it took us 5 days.

I will now share a few pictures of our journey.

We left Nairobi and spent the first night at the camp right at Chogoria gate. We enjoyed some sunshine during the day but the night was as cold as we expected. Just. what we needed because the next 5 nights we’re going to get even more colder.

DAY 1

The next morning off we went, the hike was officially flagged off.
We spent the night at a special camp just 4 kilometres from the Chogoria Gate to give everyone time to acclimitize.

DAY 2

The next morning we were up by 6am, took breakfast and at 7.00am ready to hit the trails. Plan was to be at Lake Ellis for the afternoon
Meet Nesh my colleague
Beautiful trails here and if you are strong enough you will get to see Nithi Falls.
The road to Lake Ellis.
You can actually drive up Lake Ellis, you just need to have a good 4×4 car. Lake Ellis offers day hiker’s great opportunities. You can actually drive from Nairobi to Ellis, camp for a night or two and come back to the city.
Destination Lake Ellis. Everyone so tired.
Was lucky, someone snapped a photo of me at Lake Ellis
Later that afternoon we went out to fish.
Mr. Njihia, C.E.O Sahihi Builders trying his luck with the fish.
The tents
We had our oxygen levels checked every evening

DAY 3

Heading to our new destination Lake Michaelson
Could not resist
Up the hills the pace was slow
These are the most hardworking individuals I have met. You will leave them at the camp, they will pack all your things including the tents, they will walk past you and set up the next camp you are heading. By the time you get to the next camp you will find everything ready including the food. Mountain porters are the most amazing and hardworking people ever.
Sitted CS Najib Balala (left) and DG KWS Brig. (Rtd) John Waweru having a break
Just a nap!
We were just getting started
The whole team. From LEFT Mpesa’s Sitoyo Lopokoiyit, CS Najib Balala, VISA’s Eva Ngigi, KWS DG Brigadier (retired) John Waweru, Sahihi Builder’s MD Njoroge Njihia(second from right), Thorn Muli (far right)
Beauty
The views.
Njihia promised us fish and Lake Michaelson’s fish were friendly
DG Waweru needed rescue. He could not continue
The food
Almost. Simba tarn is just up there.

We spent the last night here, Simba Tarn just below the summit point Lenana. The next morning we were up by 2.00am and ready for the summit.

DAY 4

Our senior Director Tony ready
The promise of a sunrise kept us going
Mpesa was here!
Here comes the sunrise
Finally
The whole team

While having dinner at Lake Michaelson. CS ordered that we must hold an exhibition featuring the best images we have. The exhibition was slated towards end of July in Nairobi.

The exhibition aims to showcase the Mountain and everyone will be allowed to buy the pictures. The funds raised from the sale of the pictures will go towards improving the trails and the hiker’s experience as well as help with the conservation efforts within the eco system of Mt Kenya.

On 28th July 2022, the ministry of Tourism & Wildlife launched The Mt. Kenya Photo Exhibition at National Museum of Kenya.

Photos by Francis Kiguta and Paragon Timelapse
From left Nesh-the drone guy, myself and Director Ogega of Frinant Pictures. Picture by Francis Kiguta
Posing for a photo with Ms Wausi Walya, Head of PR & Corporate Communications, Kenya Tourism Board.
Picture by Francis Kiguta

I would like to personally invite you to check out the exhibition which is currently running until 2nd Sep 2022 at the Kenya National Museum. Buy a print or two to support our dream to make Mt. Kenya a perfect hiking location.

See you next time. Stay blessed.

More to come!

Categories: Documentary, Photo Exhibition, Photography for social change
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
previous post

Comments (6)

  1. Mwarv
    01 Sep, 2022

    I’d heard about the expedition but reading about it here has given me a greater appreciation of what you guys did. Thank you for sharing the story and congratulations on the photo exhibition.

    Reply
    • evanso
      03 Sep, 2022

      Thank you Mwarv. It was a tough expedition I must say but looking back especially with these photos, it reignites the joy of being there.

      Reply
  2. Beks
    01 Sep, 2022

    What an amazing project. Well done!

    Reply
    • evanso
      03 Sep, 2022

      Thank you very much for the read Beks.

      Reply
  3. Eric
    03 Sep, 2022

    Thank you for sharing the story. It gets us to appreciate environment conservancy. Looking forward to experience the fun while at it

    Reply
  4. evanso
    03 Sep, 2022

    Thank you Erick, reminds me of our experience when we went there in 2020. Lovely place.

    Reply

Leave a Reply