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When I first joined scouts, I never for one minute; imagined that one day I was going to end up running round in the middle of Kenya being chased by elephants or woken in the middle of the night by lions! If you had told me that three years ago you would have probably got a reply like;
"What me in Kenya, I don't think so some how, that’s where they have big animals and insects and snakes!" Well what a difference 3 years can make!!
Looking back though, it dose seem hard to believe that I actually got there! It's still overwhelming to think that a month ago I was in the middle of one of the most beautiful places in the world with some of the most amazing people I had ever met! The fact that it all seems so surreal is that we found out about it over a year and a half ago and every single part of my life from that point seems to have been geared to going on the trip.
The journey getting there was almost as challenging as the trip it's self. As well as attending the training weekends and selection day, we had the daunting task of raising £2000 expedition fees as well as the money to buy all our kit and not forgetting the vaccination and medical fees! I know for sure I wouldn’t have been able to go if it wasn't for the support and help everyone gave me, especially JCH, the Brian Sellars Scout trust fund and the Alec Oats funds. With out them I wouldn't have made it and I know I'm really lucky that I got so much help and support.
The first day was an early start, as we had to cover a lot of distance in one day on pretty poor roads if we wanted to arrive at base camp 2 in daylight. We were crossing the country in giant army trucks; this was the first real glimpse of Kenya that we got. The crowded dusty roads, the busy cities and the quiet mud hut villages. The journey lasted 8 hours plus two stops, as it was a scouting expedition we decided to stop at Baden-Powel’s grave to pay our respects and then gate crash his bungalow.(Where spiny now features in the guest book!) However the majority of the journey was spent in true scouting spirit, singing songs or using our amazing ability to be able to sleep anywhere.
Thankfully the rain only lasted two hours, so we ended up putting up camp in the setting sun. Our team was on the first nights "Watch." It was essential to have a night watch rota whilst we were out in the bush, otherwise we may have woken up with some not so friendly neighbours. (Although from experience I can tell you that not even watches can prevent this some times!)
Watch consisted of getting out of your lovely warm sleeping bag, and bumbling over to the fire, where you were handed a hot drink by the pair before you; and then you and your partner spent an hour drinking hot drinks, scanning the darkness surrounding you with a torch and building up stupidly big fires. It was one of the scariest yet exiting feelings in the world when your torch hit a pair of eyes coming out of the bush. I was so glad that I got put on watches mainly with people who knew what to do. (The Kenyan scouts, and the camp leaders)
Then we met the camels we were surprised at how big they were, and how ugly! They looked nothing like the camel Amy and I drew at our training weekend (MR.DARCEY)
I'm not going to subject you to a day by day account of the trek as I don't think I’d fit everything one post! But a basic day went like this;
5:30- Get up
6:30- Have camp taken down, camels loaded and set off walking.
7:00 to 7:30- stop for breakfast. (A yummy packet of Alpen. yay! can you detect the subtle hints of sarcasm?)
WALK- between 10 and 20Km a day.
Around 11:30-12:30 - arrive at the day’s camp. (Usually a random spot next to a river or dam.)
From 12:30 to 6:30- Set up camp, do slightly crazy scoutish things eat two meals, do some project work, do more stupid things and then go to bed.) (Setting up camp involved, lighting fires, putting up shade sheets, digging toilets, ECT.)
Whilst we were walking we managed to stop and do some weird and wonderful things, ranging from spotting 78 different species whilst we were in Africa, most of which we were some of the luckiest people in the world as we got to see some of the rarest animals in Africa on foot within a distance of 20 meters. (Wild African Hunting dogs.) we even got pretty close to some elephants.
6:30- Have camp taken down, camels loaded and set off walking.
7:00 to 7:30- stop for breakfast. (A yummy packet of Alpen. yay! can you detect the subtle hints of sarcasm?)
WALK- between 10 and 20Km a day.
Around 11:30-12:30 - arrive at the day’s camp. (Usually a random spot next to a river or dam.)
From 12:30 to 6:30- Set up camp, do slightly crazy scoutish things eat two meals, do some project work, do more stupid things and then go to bed.) (Setting up camp involved, lighting fires, putting up shade sheets, digging toilets, ECT.)
Whilst we were walking we managed to stop and do some weird and wonderful things, ranging from spotting 78 different species whilst we were in Africa, most of which we were some of the luckiest people in the world as we got to see some of the rarest animals in Africa on foot within a distance of 20 meters. (Wild African Hunting dogs.) we even got pretty close to some elephants.
We did the walking and thankfully the camels carried out kit. It was a good job, as we weren’t used to temperatures of high 30s and 40s. It was very intensive and we had to stop a lot, as people were getting slightly dehydrated and suffering from mild cases of heat stroke.
1) Being in a tree during a tropical storm; on the first night of the actual trek, we found ourselves being washed out by more pouring rain. We spent the rest of the night all staying up round the fire so we didn’t get hypothermia, as our sleeping bags were drenched. They even sent rescue trucks out to us; however they soon went back when they found us eating popcorn and singing round the fire.
Other slightly interesting aspects of the walks included, watching the guys who were meant to be in charge of the gun, jump of a 40ft waterfall to have a swim.
However most days I have to admit I was relieved to get to camp. Desert boots are not comfy. Never have been, never will be! How I missed my normal walking boots!
I loved being on camp, it was awesome. We spent the time we weren’t doing jobs, working with the Kenyan scouts to learn Swahili, Learning about the wildlife and surrounding area, completing small projects that related to camp and generally learning a lot of stuff. However my 4 best camp experiences were;
1) Being in a tree during a tropical storm; on the first night of the actual trek, we found ourselves being washed out by more pouring rain. We spent the rest of the night all staying up round the fire so we didn’t get hypothermia, as our sleeping bags were drenched. They even sent rescue trucks out to us; however they soon went back when they found us eating popcorn and singing round the fire.
2) Swimming in Hippo infested Rivers: Yes, defiantly not my brightest moment! But it was so hot and the river was nice and cool. We did check for crocs before we got in. (using a very reliable method of lobbing rocks into the river to see if anything moved.) Me, Lizzy and some of the guys went swimming every day. Whether it be in dams or rivers. (Yes we braved tropical diseases to splash about.)
3) Being charged by a very angry Elephant; again this was due to a lack of common sense and basically the fact that we were scouts and not guides. We were sat round camp, when we heard an almighty crack and turned round to see the top of a tree fall to the ground. Intrigued we decided to go have a look. It turned out to be a rather large bull elephant. So typically out came the cameras and we got some rather good shots. However the elephant didn't like the attention and started to walk away, Guys will be guys and decided they would follow it, which made it a very angry elephant, which turned on us and charged.... In blind panic we ran into the bush. I have never run that fast, and the only thought that kept in my head was "I'm safe, there’s 6 other people behind me!"
4) Being woken in the middle of the night by a lion; this was something that wasn't anything to do with us being stupid. The whole camp suddenly awoke to a very loud grunting noise. Petrified we sat up in our beds. We had no idea what it was, and the people on watch were in a total tizz as even the bush hard camel men were looking worried. All I remember is some one shouting its a buffalo and some one going its to loud to be a buffalo its an elephant! I was relived when Will one of the Kenyan scouts tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the shade sheets at the other end of the camp beds, at least whatever the animal was it could eat 15 other people before it got to me! I thought to soon however, as the buses started moving, I slunk into my sleeping bag, not daring to breath. I waited for what seemed like forever. And slowly undid my bag. We asked our leader Adam what he thought it was; we told him to shut up and stop joking when he suggested a lion, but he wasn’t joking.
The last night was full of emotion, we had come to the end of our journey, we just sat there, not knowing what to say.
The whole trek was mentally and physically demanding, however it taught us all things that we might never have learnt. We saw things that the human eye seldom gets to see, and we experienced so many emotions in such a short space of time; from fear, awe, excitement, exhaustion, determination, panic and freedom. Not one of us left the trek the same as we had started it. We grew individually and we grew as a team.
Back at Base camp 1 in Nairobi it was nice being able to get a shower , however it was slightly disappointing to find that out tans were Infact mud ! Our stay at base camp 1 was short lived , as they day after we set out for the Masi Mara.
The Mara was amazing. Whilst we were there we got to see the Wildebeest migration. I can't begin to describe how breathtaking it was. We had some interesting brain lapses , like getting lost in the middle of the bush in the middle of the night. It was one of the greatest feelings in the world, driving through the Mara listening to the Lion King sound track , however cheesy it was! There was nothing in the world that could have taken away the feeling of complete freedom and peace that I felt in Africa
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Kenya has changed my life, I wouldn't have had this opportunity if it wasn’t for scouts, so I recommend that if someone offers you a trip like this, just go for it and don't look back. There is so much out there that we may never get to see! I know for one thing, Kenya has inspired me to get out there and do more, and I hope that if you ever get the chance you will too!
