Trekking the Abaderes

Pretty Misty Mister....

Hiking the Abadares is indeed an adventure of Harrison Ford-esque magnitude. It's an Indiana Jones-like experience a trekking through bamboo forests and exploring fantastic waterfalls shrouded in magic, mist and mystery. Vines hang from somewhere above, caves beacon, and our guards with Kalashnikovs at the ready keep an eye for the dangers of elephants ..... or buffalo...or bandits.
I am under no illusions as to my fortune on this day. The chance to explore these wonderful places is a gift that I am so pleased to have been given in my life. A moment here to remind of the wonderful opportunities that present when we have our health, and a vigorous unquenchable spirit for adventure.

The hours of sweating, sliding and climbing through the forest seem like a lot of effort at times. After all, it's a relaxing Saturday morning somewhere on the east bank of the great Rift valley in Kenya. Why all the effort? It's a mere 2 hours away from the city but a universe away in terms of the unspoiled natural environment. Pictured on the left, my friend and fellow adventurer Florence (previously introduced snorkeling on the South Kenya Coast) smiles in a friendly way that belies the reality of the tough terrain we tackled on the day. Looking ahead the trail ( if there is one) looks flat.....but was anything but! The green bits cover a slick red mud that ensured each of us ended up on our asses on more than one occasion.


As our group of about 20 intrepid hikers tentatively made our way down the muddy slope to the canyon bottom below, our senses were on overload. The roar of the waterfall crashing meters from us, the mist more like angry swirling rain and finally green green green leafy plants; trifids taking back the earth.

The hours of sweating, sliding and climbing through the forest were well worth it for this spectacular treat of the senses. The canyon was cool - cold actually, and we were all soaking wet within minutes. We definitely were uncomfortable but we stayed entranced by the water cascading from above and plunging at our very feet; so near were we to the waterfall.

The waterfall is nicknamed "General China" a freedom fighter who hid in this area during the Mau mau insurrection. A colleague of Dedan Kimathi mentioned previously, they led the Mau mau (along with a couple other notable leaders) against the British in the 50's. General China (actually Waruhiu Itote) was captured in 1954 but worked out a deal to bring an end to the insurrection in exchange for his life. It's said that he ventured to the caves in the Abaderes and met with Dedan and others trying in vain to talk them into surrender. In the end, he was unsuccessful and was sent to an interment camp where he met Jomo Kenyatta and became a close friend. Jomo, of course, went on to become the first Presie of Kenya and took General China into his government once formed in 1963. General China died in 1993 of a stroke at the age of 71.

Sitting in the cave looking out at the waterfall my thoughts fell to these men and what they must have endured at the time. On the run hunted and hated, they lived under the harshest of conditions to stand for what they believed in. Now that's leadership.

And I know of few who lead and inspire others so well as my good friend Chris. Pictured here looking fit and friendly - he volunteers his time in Africa pursuing justice for scumbag poachers. A member of the legal team at Wildlife Direct, their work is as important as it is frustrating. Funding is hard to come by, bad guys almost impossible to convict ...and see justice served....all the while the crisis becomes more and more serious.

It's a thankless job that I can only hope someday gets the recognition and required resources it deserves.  Shame on those who profit from the destruction of non-renewable natural resources knowing all the while that when the last Rhino shudders fails and falls to ground that we have failed miserably as a species and stewards of the land.

I doubt Chris gives much thought to how others view his contribution but I have to say that he's a solid guy and I'm proud to be associated with him.

To my fallen comrade in Central African Republic..... RIP my friend.

I read recently that the number of humanitarian workers who die each year is more than the number of peacekeepers. What the fuck? How can this be? Does this mean that NGO's are reckless with their behavior? Does it mean that intelligence and security measures are not sufficient within the NGO sector?

Or does it mean that as a community we have a peacekeeping construct that is remarkably ineffective from an operational perspective?  In the same way that MSF has chosen to  withdraw from the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit, my sense is that we are spending far too much time administering and talking about peacekeeping and not nearly enough time actually doing it.

My heart goes out to my colleague who lost his life last week while on the job giving selflessly of himself to make the world a better place. And shame to those who perpetrate violence on this who so clearly are well-intensioned and giving in their duty.
Robbery I understand... the act of desperate people in desperate times. The act of killing for the sake of killing is a heinous and despicable event that deserves an measured and equal response in my view.

Thanks for reading.....Layno