“I BELIEVE, BUT I’M NOT SAVED.”

So right alongside reaching the Summit of Mt. Kenya, the other “mountaintop experience” of my Climb happened our last night.

Old Moses Camp

After we got settled in at Old Moses Camp, my guide Zach asked me if I would join him and the other two men on my climb support team for dinner in their “porter’s kitchen.”  On the first day of our climb, I had told him that I wanted to eat my meals with them, but it was pretty clear that this was not customary, so most evenings Zach might join me, but not Naftaly or Josephat…so his offer was music to my ears.

So at 6, I joined them in their kitchen: a small 8 x 8 room with one small window, a small sink with a faucet and a wood chopping block.  They cooked as they had every night over a small camp stove and we had our fourth night of rice, mystery meat (four days old, no refrigeration), veggies and hot tea.  But the best part of the night wasn’t food, but the incredible fellowship and real life discussion that followed our meal.

It went something like this:

Josephat: “We see you read your Bible each day, can I ask you a question.”

Me: “Sure thing.”

Josephat: “Can I be a believer if I don’t go to church on Sundays?”

…which led to a ½ hour discussion of what the Christian life is really about and how we need each other as the Body of Christ

Zach: “I believe, but I’m not saved.”

Ned: “What do you mean by that?”

Zach: “Because I haven’t gone forward in my church and been anointed by my pastor, I am not saved in the eyes of my church.”

Ned: “Well I don’t think that’s what the Bible teaches.”

…which led to another lengthy discussion about what Jesus and Paul taught about being saved and how we can enter the kingdom of God on our own without the help of any others.

And our discussion continued on like this for more than an hour, one question after another in the dark of the small porter’s kitchen, three brothers in Christ enjoying a beautiful fellowship.

It truly was a mountaintop experience and was a perfect way to end the Climb To End Poverty.

DAY 4 (9/15) – SLIDING AND SLOGGING TO OLD MOSES CAMP

We made it back down to camp at Upper Simba Tarn (Lake) from the Summit at about 8:30, had a quick breakfast, packed our big packs and were off by 9 am.  On the descent down, I figured out why they have you make the Summit in the dark – because I think most people might quit if they saw how steep and long the climb is to the top.



The climb down from the Summit



Base camp below (yellow tents)



But we still had a long way to go to make camp that night so Zach said “Twende” (come on) and off we went.  The climb down from the Upper Simba Tarn to Lower Simba Tarn was very difficult and steep and full of lose rock.  With both the weight of my pack the weariness of my legs, I tripped and fell my way down the 570 feet “cliff” from the upper lake to the lower lake.

The good thing was I could see how far we had to go – the bad thing was I could see how far we had to go!!! 

I since have learned that Upper Simba Tarn is the highest lake in Africa and the 28^th highest lake in the world at 14,960 feet -- no doubt I will always remember Upper Simba Tarn as “the lake that almost killed me”!!!



Looking down at Lower Simba Tarn



Looking up from Lower Simba Tarn



About thirty minutes further from the lower Tarn was Shipton’s Camp where there were lots of climbers and porters, as Shipton’s is part of the Sirimon route which in one of the most popular ascent routes.  We didn’t stay at Shipton’s longer than to take a pee and a bottle of water before we headed down through Mackinder Valley. 

Mackinder Valley really was a welcome change as we were now on the “downhill” side of the Climb, but it was fairly steady and away from the barren rock of the mountain.  As we wound our way down the valley following some small creeks and a descent path, the whole setting reminded me a bit of a wild west scene.  With tall rock walls on both sides and large cactus (giant lobelia) dotting the landscape, it wouldn’t have surprised me to see either smoke signals or a band of Apaches appear.

It was beautiful – but I wasn’t much in the admiring mood – so we marched on…and on…and on.



Mackinder Valley



Giant Lobellia



About 2 pm we hit the moorlands – and a freezing rain with small ice pellets.  It really was miserable as we made our ways across the soggy moorland with sleet in our face.  3 hours later, the sight of Old Moses Camp was a welcome sight as I knew a warm meal and a mattress awaited me.  Summit Day was over – my longest day with 12 hours of climbing and hiking behind me.



Sleet and ice on the Moorlands



Finally -- Old Moses Camp after a long, long day



DAY 4 (9/15) - SUMMIT DAY!

Zach woke me up at 4 am after another pretty sleepless night.  Naftaly had a hot cup of tea and biscuits waiting for me as I shook the ice off my tent.  I got into my 3 layers of clothing and strapped on my LED headlight and was ready to go at 4:30 to start to the summit.  Into the vertical darkness we headed.

It seemed like the climb started from where it had left off the day before – a complete step-by-step trudge with my body crying for oxygen.   Zach and I were climbing alone, but I could see further up the mountain about 200 feet the headlights of the French team that had started out 30 minutes before us.  Although the moon was out, it was still the best I could do was to focus on the next step my headlight illuminated and make sure I somehow kept up with Zach.  He pushed us hard so to make Summit by sunrise.



The First Wall (done in the dark)



Base Camp Below (yellow tents)

The final summit ascent was 1,573 feet – but it might as well have been 15,730 feet.  The first “wall” we hit was all scree (loose rock) and seemed to go straight up.  It was a real struggle and within ten minutes I had broken into a full sweat, despite it being about 20 degrees F.  Two steps forward – slide one step backwards.  The altitude impact continued to hammer me, although I was so thankful for the 1,000 feet we had gotten behind us the day before.  

But we kept pushing on…the sun was starting to light the horizon line and we really did want to be on the Summit at sunrise.  So we kept climbing and closing the gap between us and the light beams ahead of us.  The last 300 feet or so involved some hand-over-hand rock climbing – nothing dangerous, but for me it was a welcome change from the steep assault on scree that made up most of our early morning climb in the darkness.

We could hear shouts above us as two teams from other camps had reached the Summit and it provided me an extra shot of adrenaline to really push me past the point of exhaustion.  I finally reached the last ladder and Zach gave me a hand up to pull me to the top plateau of Pt. Lenana.  He greeted me with a great big hug and I was so thankful that he had been my guide.  We had made the Summit! 



Day Break 1



Day Break 2



And then, no more than 3 minutes after we had reached the Summit, the sun burst over the horizon and lit up the blanket of clouds that lay spread before us covering for as far as the eye could see.  We both climbed up to the Pt. Lenana flagpole – at 16,335 you wouldn’t think you would have to wait in in line.  But there were teams that had started before us and we waited for a Japanese team to get all their pics.

Finally, as I stood there on the very top of Mt. Kenya with the Point Lenana flagpole in my hand, a few thought raced through my mind:

-          Praise to God for the incredible journey He had called me on to Mt. Kenya

-          Thanksgiving for all of the supporters of Climb To End Poverty

-          Hope for all the people of Kager and Kochia who would benefit from the medical clinic expansion


Teams at the Summit



The Climb Team at Summit - Zach and Ned



Point Lenana, Mt. Kenya - 16,335 Feet

For just a few minutes, I was overwhelmed by the whole situation -- physically, emotionally and spiritually.  It truly was a vision from God that had come true  – and then it was quickly someone else’s turn to get their picture taken at the top of Kenya.

And with the suddenness of a high altitude sunrise, we snapped a few more pics and our time on the Summit was over.  Certainly, there was no rest for the weary as we still had 9-10 more hours of hiking ahead of us.  And down we went…

DAY 3 (9/14) - ON TO MINTOS AND BEYOND

Good night’s sleep last night, although I am still waiting for a better invention than the mummy sleeping bags – keeps you warm but if you’re a side sleeper, it doesn’t give much flipping room.


Plains Moonscape



Sunrise on Outhouse

Awoke to the sounds of a song bird battle at about 6 -- just in time for an incredible light show by God.  Sun rising to the east over a valley of clouds, moon setting along the mountain ridge to the west.  Then as the sun topped the horizon, the mountains just lit up in reds and oranges – a small glimpse of what the Glory of God must look like.

Today was the first day to be drinking stream water.  I had treated it last night and it had two very interesting layers on it this morning: a layer of ice on the top and an interesting copper colored sediment layer on the bottom.  I know I would have had a hard time convincing Melissa it was safe to drink, but by drinking real slow, the sediment stayed asleep on the bottom.  Slight headache this morning -- fairly typical at this altitude -- a lot better than the poor Belgian guy that blowing chow for the whole evening.
The hike to Mintos was breathtaking through the Gorges Valley – you can tell that a glacier used to be there because it’s completely carved out.  Vivienne Falls, about midway through the valley, was absolutely beautiful.  The valley stretching before it and steep cliffs to both sides – and Mt. Kenya in all its majesty looking down upon it.


Zach and I at Gorges Valley

Our original plan was to camp at Mintos at 13,776 feet and then summit from there the next day (3 am start).  After we got to Mintos, Zach asked me if I wanted to keep going to Upper Simba Tarn and gain another 900 feet and shorten our ascent on Summit Day by 1.5 hours.  It was only 2 and I was still feeling pretty strong so I said sure – little did I know what I was saying.
So off we went and the first 45 minutes were pretty easy and just a steady climb – and then before me was a 200 feet wall of rock that looked to go straight up.  We started up it and it was as if every ounce of oxygen had been sucked out of me.  We moved up the wall through a series of 10 or 12 foot switchbacks that just kept getting steeper and steeper – and I was completely gassing out.  For the next 90 minutes, it was a battle between knowing I had no other option to climb (where else could I go?) and wondering if I really could physically do it or not.  It became a battle of measuring off 40 half steps at a time – 38, 39 and 40 and then resting for 2-3 minutes before starting again.  I think only two things got me to the top: 1) knowing the cause I was climbing for and heading back down wasn’t an option, and 2) the prayers of many back home.  It truly was the most physically exhausting and mentally challenging thing I had ever done in my life.

At 5:00, we finally crested the top and trudged into camp.  All I could do was grunt hi to Josephat and Naftaly, drop my pack to the ground and pass out on my sleeping bag for an hour.  They served me dinner that night, but between my exhaustion and the thoughts of eating 3-day old meat (no cooler) and spaghetti, I really didn’t eat much at all.  It was freezing cold and there was a sleety drizzle, so I ate dinner in my tent alone.  I packed my stuff for the next day and knew my 4 am wake-up call wouldn’t be long for the ascent to the summit.

DAY 2 (9/13) - BANDAS TO "THE GATES"

I fell asleep last night at about 9 (not much to do with no electricity), woke up at 11:30 and then pretty much tossed and turned until 4.  I don’t know if it was jet lag, the altitude, my excitement or if God just wanted me to pray through the night, but last night was indeed a terrible night of sleep – but a great night of praying.  So I got up and caught up some on my 90-Day Trust Challenge (way behind) and had a good time journaling about JVP, E91 and all sorts of other stuff.

The great thing about being up was that I was up for both moonset and sunrise on Mt. Kenya.  It truly was a glorious sight to see foot hills first lit up and then the face of Mt. Kenya.  First by the moon as it slid over the west horizon.  Then by the sun as it rose almost simultaneously from the east.  It was like a choreographed light show with perfect clockwork.

Mt Kenya Moonset



Mt. Kenya Sunrise from Bandas

 As I stood there and looked up to Mt. Kenya, four things struck me:

-          How far away the mountain is

-          How tall the mountain is

-          How incredibly beautiful it is

-          In three days I would be climbing it!

I have to say it was just a bit intimidating when I realized I huffed and puffed to get to 9,800 feet and I still had another 6,700 feet to climb.

After breakfast, we set out for our shortest trek of the Climb, just 7.5 kilometers and about a 1200 feet rise.  Zachary said it was an acclimation day and after we got to camp, we would rest and then go out for a small hike.  We crossed through some open plains and wound our way through some forests.  The grazing herd of water buffaloes didn’t seem that concerned with our being in their turf, but we didn’t stay around to try to make friends, either.  We arrived at camp within about 4 hours amd enjoyed my traditional tea, biscuits and popcorn.



Tea Time

 I completely crashed for two hours in my tent (thank  God for air mattresses) and then we set out for an afternoon hike to Nithi Falls at the bottom of the Gorges Canyon.  The climb down the canyon was pretty subtle all the way to the top of the waterfall.  It was drop dead gorgeous and reminded me of Kauai.  We then decided to go to the foot of waterfall and headed down the cliff that was pretty much straight down for 60 feet or so.  It was way too much fun grabbing branches and rocks as we scaled down to the bottom.  At the bottom, it was even more impressive as the waterfall had two tiers and a huge pool.  For a split second, the thought of a cold dip to take two days of sweat and grime was tempting, but I didn’t want to starlet my guide with a white “mzungu” skinny dipping before him.  Needless to say, the climb back up wasn’t as exhilarating as our descent.


Nithi Falls



"African Sunrise" -- Beautiful Flora of Mt. Kenya

As we walked home, the mist and fog completely set in and it appeared we would be socked in for our first night if tent camping.  It gets dark in Kenya at 6:30 so we ate dinner with our headlamps burning by dessert.  I knew I was starting to feel the effects of both the climbing and the exercise when I went to be at 8 – all my muscles were sore and as I lay in bed my resting heart rate as 96.  That night, I decided to see if the Double A’s of altitude climbing would help – Advil and Ambien.

DAY 1 (9/12) - STARTING THE CLIMB

I woke up to a gray and rainy day at the HEART Lodge -- certainly not what I had been hoping for the week.  We left by station wagon at 8 am for the town of Chogoria (about 3 hours) with Evans (guide operator) and Josephat (porter) and had lunch at the Miandas Café, where I met Zachary (climb guide) and Naftaly (cook).  It was these three men that I would come to be friends with over the next 5 days as they would serve as my climb team. 

We then transferred to a vintage Range Rover for our 4x4 ride to the Chogoria Park Gate.  The road we took was a red ribbon of snot-slick mud and foot deep ruts.  We rocked and rolled and bounced half way there.  We stopped as the driver announced “we had to add chains because the second half was ‘going to get rough’"…my kidneys fully agree with that understated assessment of things to come.  I think if you could package this ride and put seat belts on it that it would be a real hit at King’s Island.

Not your typical "Hoosier snow chains"



From Chogoria to Bandas

With about 10 kilometers to go, we unpacked and Zach and I headed out a 2.5 to 3 hour trek to Meru Mt. Kenya Bandas (Huts) where we would spend the night at 2,900 meters (9,512 feet).  The rain had stopped, but there was still a heavy mist in the air which made visibility only about 500 feet or so.  The first half of the walk was uphill with some flat spots of relief --- I was thinking this wasn’t going to be too bad.  But the second half was a steeper uphill climb and it never broke --- I quickly changed my mind as I huffed and puffed for the next hour.  Clearly, my walks in the Indiana flat land had done me no real good to prepare for this altitude.



Zach leading the way

With my steps getting closer and closer together, it really gave me a lot of time to enjoy the hardwood and bamboo forests we were walking through.  Although we saw no big game, we saw plenty of signs of big game: big piles of elephant dung and water buffalo hoof prints in the mud.  As we made it to hiking cabins, I was completely drenched in sweat despite it being about 50-55 degrees.

The “huts” were rustic, but at least they had a mattress and a toilet.  Dinner fixed by Naftaly over a camp stove was a homemade delight (squash soup, tilapia and mash potatoes).  As I went to sleep that night, I looked forward to my last comfortable night before sleeping in tents and much colder weather as we ascended the mountain.



The "Huts" in the mist



They discouraged us from taking "night hikes"

REFLECTING ON ALTITUDE

Well, made it to London with no issues and now on our BA 747 headed to Nairobi.  As we lifted off from Heathrow and flew over the English countryside below, I have to say I had more of a sense of altitude than I ever really have before.

I watched the little map and flight report in my seat front monitor and noticed a couple of things.  I looked out the window when we reached 10,000 feet and still could see houses (but no longer cars), but they sure seemed pretty far down.  At 14,000 feet, I really noticed the temperature really starting to decrease quicker and the cloud cover was picking up.

At 16,318 feet, we were cruising at 510 mph, but as a forecast of things to come, the air temperature had dropped to 10 degree F.  This is about the altitude of the peak of Point Lenana (plus 15 feet) we will be summiting at sunrise --- brrr!  I also opened up my window shade and looked out to see what I might see on summit day and it was pretty incredible --- we were several thousand feet above the cloud layer and could see for miles and miles.

Of all the things I am most apprehensive about with the Climb, it’s the altitude and the cold that cause me the most concern.

But no doubt this Climb is about going on an adventure and experiencing a new edge of life – pushing myself to a place I’ve never been before.  On my flight to London, I watched “The Way” with Martin Sheen playing a 65-year old man walking the 800 km Camino de Santiago in the Pyrennes.  In the movie he encounters a Spanish woman and asks her if she had ever taken this national pilgrimage, and she said:

            “When I was young, I was too busy.

              When I was older, I was too tired.”

What a great reminder this serves that life in the 40’s (very late as in 49) and 50’s is the perfect season of life to do things I’ve never done before…like climb a 16,000 foot mountain in 10 degree weather.

THINKING ABOUT MOGAI

The following is an excerpt from Facing Mt. Kenya, a book written many years ago by Jomo Kenyatta, one of the original rebels and founding fathers of the country of Kenya:

"According to the (Gikuyu) tribal legend, we are told in the beginning of things, when mankind started to populate the earth, the man Gikuyu, the founder of the tribe, was called to Mogai (the Divider of the Universe), and was given as his share the land with ravines, the rivers, the forests, the game and all the gifts that the Lord of Nature (Mogai) bestowed on mankind.  At the same time Mogai made a big mountain which he called Kere-Nyaga (Mount Kenya), as his resting place when on inspection tour, and as a sign of his wonders.  He took the man Gikuyu to the top of the mountain of mystery, and showed him the beauty of the country that Mogai had given him.”

While I’m not Kenyan of the Kikuyu tribe, I have to say this story touches deep inside my soul.  Just like Gikuyu, God has taken me to the country of Kenya and showed me the beauty of this country and her people.  Experiencing Africa has deepened my life and put me in touch with a part of my soul that had been dormant under the busyness and demands of every day American life.  On this Climb, I have a great anticipation for getting to climb Kere-Nyaga and listen to what Mogai has to say to me and teach me during this Climb.  I think He has called me to this Climb for a special personal purpose in addition to raising money to help expand the Kager clinic.

In this day and age where we are “always on”, I’m looking forward to “turning off” for 5 days – to being alone, walking for hours and just soaking in the majesty and wonder of God’s Creation called Mt. Kenya.  I’m looking forward to making new friends with my guide, porter and cook and hope they will be open to teaching me about their country and customs and cultures.  I hope along the trails we climb and at the huts we stay, Mogai will put in my path some interesting people for me to meet.

The Bible has many stories of people meeting God on a mountain…I hope I get to meet Mogai on Mt. Kenya.

TRAVEL DAY

Wow, hard to believe but after five months of planning, my trip to Kenya has started and I left Indianapolis today at 2:30 pm.  This will be my fourth trip to Kenya since 2008 -- and I must say leaving Melissa and Kelsey at the airport was hardest one yet.  As we prayed over our lunch from QDoba (5 stars for the BBQ mole burrito!), the lump in my throat was pretty big and I shed a tear or two when  Special K said “I'll miss you daddy.”

Last night was a sweet night just to spend at home with Mel, grill filets, share a bottle of Old Ghost and pack bags together.  I really am blessed to have a strong and independent wife that supports me in traipsing halfway around the world and to leave her home alone for 15 days.  I hope some day she will find the courage and hear the calling to visit Kenya and meet my friends of three years in Kager village.

As I was in the Indy terminal, I watched the Flight 93 memorial dedication today on TV...a sober reminder that flying is not without risk.  GWB said in his speech, “Evil is real, and so is courage” and these words really spoke to me as I begin this adventure. 

The realities facing our world today are very real – evil, oppression, injustice, poverty – they lurk in the darkness and strike terror in the hearts and lives of many.

But we do not need to live in fear if we walk in step with God and trust Him to be our provider and protector --- courage, compassion, love, sacrifice – they are the tools He provides for us to become overcomers and to help the poor.

As I leave our great country on this great adventure, I look forward to being an ambassador:

• an ambassador for Christ: to share the good news with those I meet
• an ambassador for Indiana: to share of the good works Hoosiers are doing all across Africa
• an ambassador for the USA: to share the message of life, liberty and justice for all around the world
• an ambassador for the Jubilee Village Project: to share with others that it really is possible to change the world, one village at a time

I am so thankful for the 70+ Climb supporters that have pledged over $19,000 to help expand the medical clinic in Kager.  I am so thankful for my fellow Team Indiana members as they have encouraged me with their examples of service and sacrifice.  I am so thankful to Al and Keith who will meet up with me in seven days and experience life in the village with me. 

This morning, I opened my email and was gladly greeted by this message to all of JVP Team Indiana by Apostle David Kayando.  It was a real encouragement to me and it never ceases to amaze me how David is used by God to minister and teach me through his words:

“Greetings to you in Jesus Name.  It is my prayer that this email finds you all alert in the spirit and continues with the spiritual warfare amidst the cloud of confusion within our world.

I know in the USA memories of the 9/11 is beginning to take toll in the hearts of the people, especially the affected families whose relatives and friends perished in the demonic acts by the al-Qaida group of terrorists.  It is indeed sad and regrettable of what happened.  I know the same feat continues to hurt many families each year when the day comes, and I know a lot of security checks are always in place to curb future occurrences.

On the same reference, I have wondered each time what security checks we have put on our Christian lives not to live in fear any longer from the threats of the devil, and to be sure that our security is well taken care of by the heavenly father, so long as we remain in Him and He in us?  Do we know that He is our rock of refuge, a strong tower and that we belong to the City who gates are guarded by the heavenly angels?  I would love to reflect on this and trump fear each time the devil brings a threat and know how great our God is.

I wanted to remind you of this, since this has struck my heart, for our brother Ned leaves the country today for Kenya and Keith and Al will leave for Kenya next week.  Already there is suspected terrorist attack threats which I know is not taken lightly by the security agents.  I would love for us to commit the next three weeks to be ringing an alarm of prayer for the families of Ned, Keith and Al that they be in perfect peace as their partners travel abroad.  That they may be assured that the One who is in us is greater than him who is in the world.

So no fear should grip their hearts.  As our brothers travel, they will find every door open for their entry, and no customs challenges will be on their way.  During this time, let's all lift up the American families all over the world, and most importantly that we will all come to know Jesus as our Savior and the way to heaven.

Dear Partners, I pray that God will keep you safe this time and renew your strength and desire to live to the calling of serving the people of Kager as your brothers.  Thank you for understanding them, praying for them, encouraging them and loving them without boundaries.  You have wiped the times of weeping on their faces and they have begun to see the light and most importantly the joy of salvation.

May His love be with you today,

David.”

FINAL TUNE UP

Well, the last days before leaving to Kenya have arrived.  Had a crisp walk this morning for about 4 miles and 65 degrees after a blazer on Saturday at 98 degrees and about 6 miles.  Not too much to do now other than hope and pray the altitude doesn't get to me.

I've been in contact with Evans at Mt Kenya Guides and it seems all the arrangements are made -- I just hope they show up at 8 am next Monday morning at the HEART Lodge to pick me up on this adventure.

This week I've got to go to Atlantic City for work -- last time I went to Kenya I was in Las Vegas the week before.  Seems a real irony that I leave from where people throw away money left and right to go to a country where they really don't have any money to throw around.  Hope to get a couple of good walks in this week and not fall off the wagon -- hard to do on a business trip though.

For sure I am getting excited about getting on with this Climb finally after months and months of preparation!!!!