The famous Mt.Longonot!

The gorgeous low flat plains catch your attention as you approach the Great Rift Valley. Its exceptional scenic beauty offers unforgettable sight. We are headed to the silent wildness of Mt.Longonot with one mission-to hike to the rim of the crater and run two laps in the loop encircling the crater. We are told 5km makes up the distance to the crater and 12km add up the distance encircling it. Hence 34km in total would complete our mission well.
Iam accompanied by three friends; John, Sonya and Cathy. `It feels great to be away from helter-skelter town life’ John said with abroad smile on his face. The hike looked very promising and we were certain it would reveal more beauty. My blood boiled with anticipation. At the park gate, we had to prove our nationality with Identity card. My two friends were non-citizens and that costed them five times our charges. But the beauty ahead was worthy every cent.
Full of energy –like the biblical grain of the mustard-seed, we set off the climb. The start was easy and encouraging. Its beauty completed by zebras grazing and others lying lazily on the ground. We eased the climb more by creating jokes .some cracked our ribs to an extent of robbing us the valued energy for the hike .Cathy seemed so out of her mood that she dint get any humor from the jokes. She turned emotional and boiled with anger when we passed jokes her way. She instead complained of every step she made. All our effort to make her hike enjoyable was fruitless .she worked harder to stay negative and moody. Fearing we might get enticed to her mood, we distanced ourselves from her and hiked on.
The terrain turned so rocky at some point. Some hikers strained hard, breathing emotionally back and forth .some crawled through. A glance at them and a fair judgment of-you are so unfit -crossed my mind. The rocky terrain wind and dust blew the weak hearted ones to a give up corner just when they were about to make it to the crater. ` If you are planning to hike here fitness is a must. a walking stick would also be crucial and would really help through the tough rocks.adviced a ranger
We got to the crater faster and easier than we thought .The vast crater is awesome- spectacular views of rift valley and Naivasha unfold below. Small dwarfish trees cover the crater floor and small steam vents around the walls .As the other hikers shouted –`phew! At last we have made it’ ours had just begun.
It is hot and dry up there. We change to more comfortable wears and setoff the run. A glance at the loop left me thinking-this flat loop `gonna’ be easy. But I was so wrong! The rocks ahead were so steep and no easy to run through. Volcano rocky soil hardened our run further. We run where we could and walked up the steep rocks .Sweat sprayed my skin with each foot strike I made. I ran in a hot mist of my own creation mixed with the dust the rocks were throwing at me. Each step I made revealed a different rock with unique beauty all worth while each drop of sweat and muscle cramps.
The silence and solitude revealed a sense of awe and gratitude. It got incredibly hot .fatigue and dehydration creaped in -wearing us completely out. We alternated running and walking but still our bodies begged for some water desperately. I was giving up on the second loop .The terrain was too tough to repeat. I needed the rocks photos –I needed something to prove to my friends and family that toughness is made of persistence. I knew mouth words would not be taken seriously yet I had no camera with me. I had left it in my bag at the starting point. That meant only one thing-to repeat the loop!
The determination to complete the second loop strengthened me. My legs began to move and my thoughts began to flow. I felt energized and paced on. Sonya retired and slowed down. I dint want to leave her alone in the middle of nowhere. I stood and shouted; `You are strong Sonya, pace on! We got another 12kms to go’. I stood there-Jogged on the spot as I chilled for her. Her face had turned worriedly pale. She wanted to talk but couldn’t. Her mouth was so dry to utter a word. Miraculously a hiker passing pass revived her with some water. Boosted, she assured me of her safety and argued me to proceed with my run. She gave up on the second loop.
`Go! Go! Go! Strong girl, go!’ These are the cheering shouts that greeted me as I approached the finishing point. My friend John had mobilized a number of hikers to cheer me at the home stretch .he was there too, waiting with a gold of the moment-water! My legs wobbled .my head was spinning fast .I could hardly hold firm the water bottle as my hands trembled terribly .I garrlwed a whole half little bottle of water down-which felt like a drop of water in a desert. I packed the rest in my water bag and secured it around my waist. My whole body begged for a stretch and John easily helped me out.
The second loop was as different as two hands from the same source. The terrain, the rocks everything even the hikers. But John insisted the loop was the same one. The hikers were the same we meet and passed on the way. I was the one who was getting different-with weary! The hikers we had passed were astonished to see us on the second loop-running! Their eyes showed admiration .they wished they could at least climb with ease before they consider running. Out of about 200 hikers that day, we were the only ones who considered running through the rocks –not once but twice! It felt great and special to do great things differently.
Suddenly things turned out bad. I started feeling sick and dizzy –I contemplated sitting down for a while. I leaned on the rocks breathless. I needed a rest. John got worried and confused. Just then a hiker passing by comes to my rescue. He had equipped his hiking bag rich with water and fruits. He handed me and orange and advised me to garnish it with salt. I was almost instantly rejuvenated .my stomach felt better and I re-started the run slowly. By this point my legs were letting me know I haven’t done this kind of running before.
Towards the finish some hikers thought it was more fun to run than walk-if not they were so tired and the fastest way to finish was to run. Determined to out do us they took to their heels only to run out of breath barely 1km away. This laid a perfect example of real life-most a time we tend to follow people`s dreams –chasing them step by step without sheer consideration of their past experience. Our finish was a great success.
Sonya patiently waited for us. She looked dead tired and bored. Cathy had long climbed down with heap of complains. Her day had turned out as a cramp –she stubbornly refused to enjoy all the beauty of everything and saw only the negative side of the dusty rocks.