There was a mixup in the morning and after Staci and Douglas took off we couldn't find them. After two days of hiking I decided not to hike the entire day and let the two of them get some quick, early miles.
We eventually found them. What a relief. The coordination between Samuel and Douglas was mixed up. It's challenging to be out of the loop due to the language barrier.
We came across some Somali goat herders, which made the guards nervous. They actually gave a little information about Staci and Douglas' location which was useful. It was a bit of a sign language game because the Somalis didn't speak Swahili.
The guards explained that it's the Somalis who are the primary culprits in wildlife poaching, which is a huge issue here.
When we caught up with them I started hiking again. At the end of the day I hiked about half the distance. Staci did a big 40km (24 mile) day. She said the same thing I had thought, the mileage is harder here. The heat is brutal. Also, there is absolutely no hiking in the dark. Daylight is basically 5:45 a.m. until 6:15 p.m..
It was a good thing I didn't hike the entire day.
The solar charger is a lucky, last second, add on for the trip. The brutally hot sun, near the equator, at noon works the best :),
Our guards Samuel and Douglas. These guards use a different tactic than Saleem and Samson. One rides for a day in the car and one walks. This was Samuel's day to walk. He had no pack, just a rifle and a camelback. Staci had a full pack. Samuel couldn't finish so Douglas had to do the last couple of hours. Samuel is 25. He told me no Kenyan man my age could hike as much as I do. He made Staci and me feel good.
Staci saw some neat wildlife today, I didn't see as much. Saw a pigmy falcon, and a goshawk, then a lot of baboons.
You can almost see the goshawk in the top of the tree. Not the same as the goshawks at home.
This dead monitor lizard intrigued me. It was about 1 1/2 feet long.
The evening ended with a thunderstorm and rains at times through the night. It was a great campsite in a very rural area. Didn't even cross a single village, or a hut, today.
I worked on my Swahili, and can now count up to 19.
