Hiking Mt. Longonot, Kenya or the story of when I thought I would have a heart attack hiking a dormant volcanoโฆ
Once upon a relaxing time, Mark and I were relaxing in a very relaxing wayโฆ
and then, he basically said โThis relaxation and enjoyment is too much! Would you like to suffer? Letโs go hike Mount Longonot!โ
Me: โYou mean a 5-hour hike? No, thanks! As stated many times before, I am an โenjoymentโ wife, not a hiking wife! Please find attached further evidence of the aforementioned.โ
Obviously, my message did not get delivered because we began to plan for the hike to Mt. Longonot. Mark advised that I started exercising, so I put all my effort into itโฆ
The D-day arrives and we drive out of Nairobi towards Lake Naivasha through the Great Rift Valley, stopping at a vista point to enjoy the viewsโฆ
In another 30 minutes or so, we arrive at the Mt. Longonot National Parkโฆ

We get our bags searched, pay the entrance fee and begin our hikeโฆ
Five minutes in and I can feel my heart pounding and my breath becoming strained. Five minutes! Well, I am too ashamed to admit this after a week of bragging about my spectacular hiking and endurance skills, so I keep trudging onโฆ

Here I am, suffering and smilingโฆ

After one hour, we get to the top! At long last, we are at the summit!
Or so I thought! Anyway, I casually say to he group โYou know, some people do a loop around the crater!โ
They respond, โWe are โSome People'โ and just like that, our hike continues. A few hours later, we make it to the actual summit!
I couldnโt have been happier! I feel on top of the world!
We begin our descent shortly after that. They said it would be easier. They lied!
Five hours later, we end our suffering hike. The funny part is that we end at the same time as a Kenyan runner who had run around the crater 3 times! Can never be me! Anyway, goodbye Longonot! The evil you have done is enough!
My group is planning a hike to Mt. Kenya but I have left the group with swiftness and thatโs how this story ends!
A full blog post on Mt. Longonot is available here and if youโd like to follow my adventures on Instagram, hereโs a link to do so!