Six days with no exercise was too much. There has been no opportunity to even walk more than a few steps in the last six days. Staci and I were going stir crazy.
Plans were all set. We ate early, and were at the Voi Gate of Tsavo East NP to pick up the Rangers at 7:00 a.m., as planned, so we could get an early start. There were no Rangers there to hike with us. Ndra was a Ranger working the front gate. She had become friends with Staci from our first visit. When she saw the dilemma she went into action.
She went up to the barracks, got a hungover Ranger, who was supposed to be on a day off, and pressed him into duty. Then she left her post at the entrance gate with two other non-Rangers handling visitors entering the park. Ndra, and our hungover Ranger Ali, were our protection for the day.
They weren't as fit or prepared as our previous Rangers.
This stretch hiking along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway is one we had not been looking forward to. The railroad tracks ran parallel to the highway, we decided to walk on those. This isn't the new, high speed track being built, but the hundred or so year old line still in use.
Luckily, adjacent to the track for most of the way was a flat, open, area perfect for a footpath. It wasn't the most scenic or exciting day of the hike, but it was one of the more safe and efficient hiking days.
Due to the mix up with Rangers, we had a late start, and pushed a bit. The Rangers traded back and forth, and still struggled to keep up. Ali ended up hiking quite a bit. He did better in the afternoon. I don't believe he appreciated this hangover cure. He had no idea what he was getting into. We don't understand much Swahili, but heard and saw his quizzical/shocked "TIMBEA?" (Walking) when he was already in the rig, and he was commited. His boots gave out from the hike. He had to take them in for repairs at the end of the day.
There was some wildlife along the way.
Ali has had better days.
It was nice to hike and not be along a road, and not around too many people. With the exception of three workgroups along the tracks, we saw nobody else. Only one passenger train came by.
Our six day break made this 30 km difficult, aided by the late start and hiking quickly. However, we succeeded.
Apparently there is an old movie called Ghost in the Darkness, about the Maneaters of Tsavo. The movie is supposed to be based on a true story, and a famous classic. A hundred or more years ago, when they were building the bridge over the Tsavo River for this railroad, a couple of lions apparently killed over a hundred, they say up to 150, men working on the bridge. The bridge is right across the highway from the Tsavo West gate where we ended the hike.
When we got to the Tsavo West Gate they told us a lion had killed a man around here just last week. I think they were pulling our legs, but I'm not sure. Either way, it probably wasn't a bad idea that we had an armed escort. This really felt like the safest day of the hike yet.
I fell today as a rock gave way. My hand was cut a bit, and my hip got scraped/bruised. It wasn't bad, but apparently as I fell it looked a little worse to Ali and Staci. When I was able to clean up it all looked good.
All is well.
DECEMBER 17th-Zero Day
The next five or six days will be key to Staci's completing this adventure. If all goes as planned we will be through Tsavo West NP, and through the last of Kenya, and entering Tanzania on December 23. Nothing seems to go exactly as planned, but that is the plan. This is a preparation day for this upcoming important stretch.
As we started this trek we were informed there pretty much aren't washing machines in any of the areas we were headed. It is inexpensive to hire someone to do laundry by hand. Logistically, it is usually easier to just do it ourselves.
One quirk is they will not wash underwear. It's taboo.
It's a typical chore of a zero day, done early, so it can dry during the heat of the day.
Staci brought two sleeping bags for the trip. Her heavy bag is for the Mount Kilimanjaro, her lightweight sleeping bag for the heat of Kenya. It seemed crazy to me, I just brought the heavy bag I borrowed from my daughter Ashley, and am using it the entire way. The heat, and sweating, have created a less than pleasant odor. Airing out is necessary, common, and not entirely effective. If a serious cleaning is not effective upon returning home I may owe Ashley a new sleeping bag.
While hiking the PCT I gained an enhanced appreciation of the importance of water, especially clean drinking water. Amazingly, the appreciation is even greater now. There is no such thing as free drinking water.
We try to just drink bottled water. When we must drink from any other source, be it a stream, or from a faucet, we must treat it. Even at a restaurant, if you ask for water, you get bottled water and must pay. Planning ahead to ensure there is plenty of water for multiple days ahead is a steady chore. I catch myself being careful even when brushing my teeth, not to waste a drop.
Gathering water is a primary chore for virtually all who live out of a city. Generally the task falls upon the women and children. One Ranger told that his chore, every day, was to get 20 liters of water to his home. This was common. Children became innovative as to how to complete this chore, so they could then play. We saw a set of young kids carrying some water, and kicking, like soccer balls, water containers down a road.
