Girls Hitting the Trails

When we returned to Nairobi, it was back to the routines. A full month of activities was already waiting for us. After heading back to the office that first Monday in somewhat of a jet lagged stupor, we very soon began to launch into the events of the new year.

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Cross Country

At the end of our first week back, we had a cross-country running event for both girls. It was a particular challenge for Kiran in that she would need to wake up at 5am the following morning for an all-day hike with her hiking club. I don’t know how ready they were, but they participated anyway.

Kinaya nervously making her way to the start

As I mentioned previously, the French are sometimes not good at organizing things. This event was yet another example. Some of the lapse has to do with logistics, but a lot of it is just poor communication. Parents were confused in the days leading up to the event regarding timing of the races. I suppose in the end it didn’t matter since they were unable to bus the kids to the event on time. Signage was terrible. Parents were wandering around the forested area with no idea which way to go. I often wonder the degree to which technology is dumbing us down, erasing centuries’ old instincts of navigation and non-technology communication. We no longer have the ability to navigate without a phone nor can we explain to people how to find things without the crutch of technology.

Kinaya on the left, recovered from her post-run ills

Anyway, the event itself went okay. The course took the kids on a windy trail through the forest. I love trail running and this place was quite nice given its proximity to urban sprawl. Both girls felt they could have done better, and they were exhausted when it was over. Kinaya ended up in an ambulance after her race, though it sounds more dramatic than it really was. She developed a migraine (as she frequently does) and she just needed a place to lie down. One of the guys wiped out later on and she would need to cede her gurney to him. Thankfully, she was feeling better by then.

Kiran finishing lap one

For French school events, you need to plan accordingly. The last race began over an hour after it was supposed to and we didn’t get home until about two hours after the time we should have. But, as I said, it ended up being a lot of fun for the kids and time for parents to hang out.

The Short Hike

As I mentioned, the next day Kiran had to get up early to go on a hike in the Aberdare Range in central Kenya. The trek would take all day (including an hour and a half of driving each way) and was a preparatory hike for a week-long hiking trip the club would do a week later. 

Kiran in the light blue, making her way along the ridge

I give the school a hard time about their lack of organization ability, but this is one of those things they do well, or at least the teacher who is running this does very well.

Reaching the summit at 12,000 ft. (3,658 m.). Kiran on the right.

I was a sports (and English) teacher for eight years in Switzerland and I organized dozens of school trips. Some of them were more complex than others. I took kids on excursions around Switzerland as well as to other countries, including taking a group to Canada for a basketball tournament in mid-winter. We did weekly ski trips in the winter as well as hiking trips in the autumn and spring. I worked at a summer camp for a couple of years which included many more hiking trips with kids. Afterwards, when I was at grad school, I was a bicycle tour guide in southern France and northern Italy.

Taking kids on a hike in the Swiss Alps in the early 90's

All that to say, I know what it’s like and it’s not easy – especially when you’re working with kids from an international school located in a country that is not your own. All indication is that this teacher at the French school knows what he’s doing. He’s well organized. He seems to know how to motivate the kids. Though he had a couple of lapses in communication, I thought he did that well too. He took lots of great photos and even produced/shared a cool video of the trip which arrived on WhatsApp even before they even arrived home.

Posing with colleagues and students in Champery, Switzerland, after a hike in the early 90's

You have to be a bit fearless to do this sort of thing. You have a group of kids that are in your care and the range of things that could go wrong is immense. It makes my stomach tighten up thinking about it. As much as I like hiking, I wouldn’t want that job anymore.

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The Monster Hike

The big hike came a week later. Kiran’s hiking club would depart on a 5-day, 4-night trek again in the Aberdare Mountains of central Kenya. They would have porters to carry the overnight gear/food and the kids would carry day-packs. It would be the longest that she would be away from home, without her parents. In addition to being away from home, it would not for the faint of heart, for many reasons.

Off to a good start

The trek would be rather arduous. Though most days were of reasonable length, on one day they hiked for nearly 19 miles. That’s a long day for anyone, especially for kids that aren’t in great physical condition.

Kiran holding a chameleon

They would also reach an altitude of around 13,700 ft. (3,870 m.), which is the highest she has ever been – exceeding the highest point in Idaho. Thankfully, we live at about 5,900 ft. (1,800 m., the same altitude as the base of a ski mountain near our house in Idaho), an altitude that provides Kiran a decent base lung capacity and makes a small contribution to acclimatization to higher altitudes. It’s much more advantageous than when we lived at sea level.

I have to say, I was quite jealous

Another challenge would be that she was one of the youngest to take part in the hike. Most of the kids were the equivalent of high school age. For a girl who is a bit introverted, it can be a challenge to spend all day and evening surrounded by a couple dozen other kids.

So cool

We would receive occasional communications and photos from the teacher when he had phone connection (which was encouraging for anxious parents), but there were long stretches, particularly towards the end, when there was radio silence. We just didn’t want it to be a disaster for her so that she would be encouraged to do more of this sort of thing. Either way, we figured, it would be a growing experience.

Diverse landscape

In the end, she did well. She was able to keep up with the other kids, both physically and socially. She returned on Friday evening exhausted and smelly. But she was pleased with how it went – a big relief for all of us.

Mission accomplished

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Kinaya’s Hike

Troublemakers

Not to be left out, Kinaya would have a hike of her own the following week. It was the same teacher that organized all three of these. Hats off to him.  I was thinking that if I were to step off from my job at some point, and the kids are still in school, I would be tempted to volunteer to support some of these hikes. I know I said I wouldn’t want that job anymore. But if I was not the organizer, and was just there to support the hike itself, I could see myself doing that. Not now, though.

Kinaya’s hike, though not massive in length, was massive in numbers. There were two full bus loads and had a broad mix of ages. It would be less than six miles with nothing technical for the hikers to navigate, which is a very good thing when you have such a large group. It did have a waterfall which is always nice on a hike, even if you don’t brave the cold water and jump in. Kinaya, my pride and joy, did (as I would have done).

Snaking through the tea plantations

Braving the cold water

She also returned tired and smelly. Though I would say, she’s quite fit and my only concern for her was the potential for a migraine (as I mentioned above when discussing the cross-country event). Kids don’t always think about drinking water and taking in electrolytes, and in her case, it can be more problematic than for other kids. In the end, she had no issues and was beaming with joy as she entered the apartment, anxious to recount the exploits of the day.