Slaying the home turf

Some time mid last year I joined an amazing group of Ugandans who go hiking and mountain climbing once every month. It was completely unplanned but now features high on my list of 2016 highlights. I have always thought myself an outdoors person and my wanderlust levels are above normal but I had never thought of mountain climbing or even hiking as my regular kind of thing. Clearly I was under utilising my outdoorsy self and I was about to find out just how much.

Enter MSU

Out of pure curiosity I said yes to an invite to go on this trip to go climb Mt.Kadam in Karamoja just so I could tick it off my list of places I’ve been to. One trip led to another and by the end of the year I was a member of Mountain Slayers Uganda . The most exciting thing about it is I got to see a lot more of Uganda for a lot less than I had ever imagined. Not to mention how much fun it all was. Just to show off, by end of 2016 I had visited and camped in (yes right in the middle of) Kidepo National park, climbed the Tororo rock, toured the Nyero rocks, attended an Imbalu ceremony somewhere in Sironko district and the cherry on top being climbing Mt.Nyiragongo an active volcano with the largest lava lake in the world!

Staring at the lake of fire. Photo credit: Timothy Latim

Have you heard of Kilembe? It’s an old, beautiful mining town deep in the bowels of Mt.Rwenzori. It’s a quaint little place with a rich history, it’s also my home ♥♥. That was our destination for this month’s slay .So 2 weeks ago we and a number of guest slayers, 35 in total headed out to Kasese for what was supposed to be a 34(or more)km hike from Simba Safari Camp on the fringes of Queen Elizabeth National Park to Kilembe Mines. It was a little daunting for me but I was mentally prepared for my longest hike. However, I assumed we would be hiking in the low lands and the last thing on my mind was climbing, never mind that I know how mountainous Kilembe is. I even switched my hiking boots for regular sneakers deciding that I wouldn’t need them SMH. I even neglected to do some necessary last minute checks like shortening my toenails because I thought it was “just a hike”. Long, but just a hike.

This is the only way in and out of Kilembe besides the mountains but somehow I thought “just a hike”

Now, if there’s one thing that keeps hiking with MSU fresh, it has got to be the spirit of rolling with the punches. I don’t know a more resilient bunch of people that takes on unexpected challenges with so much glee like these guys. Anyway, we left camp after a leisurely breakfast for the start of the trail and as we got off the buses with our FOMO at 100%, the guide dropped a bomb! Kilembe is a whooping 60kms away  he said, *insert collective jaw drop*. I must add he wasn’t the most enthusiastic of guides, in fact his declarations of 60kms seemed to be aimed at discouraging us but he didn’t know what he had on his hands. After some back and forth to establish whether he meant 16 or 60, we asked how many hours he thought it would take us to get there and he assured us that if we set off at 11am we would be in Kilembe at around 5 o’clock. Phewks! no way was that 60kms.

16 or 60 We go! We go!

 

It wasn’t 60kms and we got there a little after 7pm but for all the climbing we did that day, it might have as well been 60. I wasn’t ready!! However in true Mountain Slayer style, we took it as it came and slayed it good. Of course I had some near-tear moments and at some point the shoes came off for a while (RIP my socks) but it was all worth it.To be able to see places I had heard of all my life but never imagined I would see was quite an experience and not to mention the views. Those are always worth the pain. We have a beautiful country that’s enough reason to enjoy the outdoors as often as we can. 

Ps: Check out the MSU Facebook page to have a look at the exciting 2017 calendar, drop them a message and let’s #TembeaUganda