January 23 | Kenya, Africa: Mount Kenya
I began this morning standing at the foot of Mount Kenya, which is located in central Kenya, about 95 miles north-northeast of Nairobi. Its 5,199 meter (17,058 ft.) summit was quite an impressive sight. Mt. Kenya is Kenya’s highest peak and, throughout the entire African continent, it is second in height only to Mount Kilimanjaro. Mt. Kenya is an extinct volcano, and even though it is located just south of the equator, twelve glaciers crown its summits. The land surrounding Mt. Kenya is home to several tribes, including the Kikuyu, Embu, Maasai and Wakamba. The mountain is central to their culture and some of the tribes consider the mountain to be home to their gods.

At the base of the mountain, Mount Kenya National Park, a designated UNESCO World Heritage site, receives about 15,000 visitors annually. Many people come to view the mountain and take in the beauty of the cool highlands that surround its base, and others come to try their hands at climbing the mountain itself. Today, I went on one of the eight walking trips up the peaks of the mountain. I chose the Peak Circuit Path, which is a six-mile trek around the main peaks. I was one of the people who finished the trip in one day. Its takes some people two or even three days to make this trip. The landscape was so beautiful I hated to see this part of my trip come to an end.