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Rift Valley

Writer's picture: Heather KirkbyHeather Kirkby

After Ol Pejeta Nature Conservancy we spent a night camping on an escarpment overlooking the Great Rift Valley, two thousand feet below. About 25-30 million years ago Africa and Arabia split apart. The Red Sea was formed and the Rift was born. Archaeologists have found some of the earliest known human remains in the rift valley.


We arrived before sunset to breathtaking views.



Our support team tripled in size for the night. Jean had probably hired 1-2 night guards, and 2 local Samburu guides for the hike the next day but with the “bring a friend” African approach to life, 3-4 became 9+. Plus 1 gun. Far more interesting than the gun was a legit spear. Later on in the trip we met a young man that had twice killed a hyena to protect his goats. Once with a fit-for-purpose mallet, once with a spear. These are not decorative props! I feel so safe everywhere that I later asked our guide if these armed guards were really necessary. He looked at me a bit like ‘white lady, seriously?’ and said “yes”. As we got farther north we had fewer guards and there were no guns. Not being a member of any tribe made it safe for us. The fact we had no goats or cows made us even more useless to the northern tribes people. Our team during our time at the escarpment, and this doesn’t even include Jean, Muya and David!


The next morning we went on a 3-hour hike with our two Samburu guides through a mix of forest and open space to an even grander overlook of the valley. They moved effortlessly with unbelievable grace, as though designed for speed and agility in the wild. Of course the fastest runners in the world come from the nearby Kalenji tribe.



Always love seeing the colors in the forest:



Did I mention our hiking guides were wearing sandals made from tires? This turned out to be standard Kenyan tribal bush footwear. Costs two hundred Kenyan Shillings ($1.50) and they last five years.



How often do you feel compelled to say “sir, would you mind moving your spear?” during a family photo? I had the urge but obviously didn’t act on it.


Big milestone for Hazel as we camped above the rift: her first pit toilet experience. For the uninitiated think outhouse with a hole in the ground, you straddle, squat and go. It was a 1am number two no less, and she was expecting some kind of seat in the outhouse. Sorted out the logistics and got it done. Proud of that girl.


The luxuries of this trip are (1) it’s private, i.e. this moving and evolving team is all in service of our family, and that privilege / opportunity/ gift is not lost on any of us and (2) our cook David is sensational. The food is cooked with experienced hands and so much care. He worked in a restaurant for 15 years before becoming a Kilimanjaro and Mt Kenyan porter and cook for many years. This was the last time we would be cool and wear warm clothes for weeks. In fact, we might not be wearing this gear again until May.





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Great job Hazel! Way to straddle that poop hole

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