Climbing Mount Longonot

Sammy, Dorothy, Sibel, Garret, Kimberly, James, Helen

There is a reason why everyone in this photo looks pretty happy.  I am quite pleased with myself because I am thinking (mistakenly) that the hardest part of the climb up is behind us just because we are at the top.  I had never hiked around the rim of a volcano before and I still had a few things to learn.

The view back from the summit of what we had just come up
Those Ridges were pretty tough

Greeted by Giraffes as we approached the trail

I guess my first problem was I had just not gotten used to the metric system yet.  I have been on enough hikes to at least check on how high the hill is.  Well, it started at about 2150m, and goes up to 2780m.  That's only 630, not bad.  Through the miracle of the Internet I now realize that the 6450 ft I was starting at is almost as high as the summit of the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi (good old Mount Mitchell NC).   Then the slog went up 1890 feet to 8340.  The air was just a wee bit thinner than it should have been.

The view from one side of the crater

The climb was essentially in 3 sections - first get up the darn thing, then yoyo up and down around the rim, and lastly roll back down it.  There was actually a fair chance of rolling down into the crater on the trip around the rim - a good part of the way consisted of knife edge ridges.  Luckily I had planned for that and was far too tired for the fear of heights to kick in.

to the other side - the summit is the biggest little bump

See that little bump on the rim in the bottom photo - the tallest one?  That's the summit.  Here is what I was thinking when I first got over the edge of the rim:  Really doesn't look so bad to get over there, does it? Just a few bumps before and after the summit. This is where you should be rotflyao.

Sibel negotiating one of those little bumps

I mentioned earlier that I had more than one problem manifest itself in my preparation for this. Luckily I had been doing 30 minutes on the elliptical and treadmill every day since I got here so I was in better shape than normal. (translation:  still pretty sad) No, this was another mental problem. I had the expectation,  formed from every US national park I have ever been to, that there would be some kind of trail maintenance program.  You know, that is where they put in some steps here and there, maybe zigzag the trail to ease the steepest bits, and where it does go vertical there might be a ladder or at least something to hold on to and keep from falling down the whole way.

Nada.  All the steepest bits were scrambling up or down massive erosion gullies.  We did find lots of steps but they are the kind hikers kick and dig into the dirt so they have a something to grip onto.

Another ltty-bitty bump on the way to the summit

What a beautiful place

Garret, Kimberley, Sibel, Helen, Dorothy

All Whining aside, This was an incredible introduction to the National Parks and a day we all will remember forever.  While I can't say I kept up - I can say I finished,  And I have to thank my friends for all the help they gave me on the way.

Did I mention the thorn bushes?