SoulBoosters

This post has been read  To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here . Which is the third highest mountain in Kenya? Until late last year, I didn’t know this is Mount Satima😅, when I finally got to spend time there. Mount Satima is officially referred to as Ol Donyo Lesatima, though more commonly as the dragon’s teeth mountain, due to the unique rocks on this trail....I hear there are other closely similar dragon teeth mountains across the globe - if you may know more about these, do let us know.  The trail is spotted with these rocks and some more can be seen from a distance Mount Satima is still my favourite of the Aberdares trails due to these unique rocks - and most adventurer seekers share this love for the mountain. Most would also describe it as a gentle hike. For Kenyans, this would be your Karura forest version of the Aberdares ranges. The caveat is the altitude management angle, which is why it is recommen...

This post has been read To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here . I first got to hear about Lets Drift hiking group in 2019 while on holiday where I shared the hotel with a bubbly and well-travelled adventurer - now my friend. One thing that stood out for me from narrating their many travel adventures was how they spent most of their weekends hiking. I had to ask - how do you afford to go for hiking every other weekend? You see, for me, I considered hiking to be an expensive hobby  - one that you do a few times in a year - not every other weekend - and also a cumbersome affair given all the planning involved.  My friend described Lets Drift a bit, and I left it at that … that was October … in December, when I went for my annual health check, I sadly found out that I had Vitamin D deficiency (thanks to COVID-19 related indoor lifestyle) and my weight had skyrocketed. The solution? Walk outdoors for at least 10 km twice a w...

This post has been read  To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here . Is making it for early morning hikes standing in the way of  keeping up with  a  regular hiking schedule... and  ... experiencing unique moments? A friend was recently keen to get to start hiking more  regularly, but their  practical  challenge was how to make it to Nairobi Central  Business District (CBD)  by 5am or even 6am, given that they live along Mombasa  Road (while only about  20km from Nairobi CBD, this area is known for its  notorious traffic, which is  worsened given there’s currently also ongoing road  construction, making  travelling on that route a pain for most). I told my  distressed friend ''No worries -  I understand you - I have another friend, Njambi  Wainaina, living along Mombasa  Road too - she impresses us with making it for  the 4.30...

This post has been read  To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here . All you can reap when you let go of excuses This week, SoulBoosters would like to inspire you through the hiking journey of MaryLiza (I fondly call her ML) - my dedicated and consistent hiking friend. Despite residing two hours away from Nairobi city, the epicentre of most popularly organized hikes in Kenya, she's an evergreen enthusiastic hiker. When I am looking for an extra push to keep it going, I lean in on her for some of her inspirational spirit to rub off on me, and SoulBoosters would love to introduce and share the same with you. Let's get started! Who is ML? I allow people to have their own version of who they meet in me, but I am sure I am an awesome person 😊. Professionally, I am a research scientist majorly working on plant breeding and biotechnology. I guess this is the background that has fueled my interest in exploring nature in the lab and be...

This post has been read  To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here .   Located at the Aberdares Ranges, what’s with the (in)famous Elephant hill besides the sometimes scary stories about this trail? Well, there have been so many reviews on this trail that it takes a bit of time to find your own voice and a personal take from all the well-meaning info out there. Hiking at a moderate pace below is an average hiker's most likely expected statistics from this trail.  There are five key trail markers while at elephant hill, that is, (i) starting point, (ii) bamboo gate, (iii) desperado (a point of despair), (iv) tail, and, (v) summit. Some say these five all come together to form the shape of an actual elephant, while others say the trail is named so because elephants pass enroute. Below is a video on the overall elephant hill trail (video courtesy of Jambee): The bamboo gate stands out in its beauty and magnificence. Howeve...

This post has been read   To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here .   Emily Dickinson’s famous ‘I dwell in possibility’ poem encapsulates my Mt. Kenya hiking experience from  20th to 24th December 2021 from all angles. The key lessons that hiking Mt. Kenya taught me was (i) the trail is very doable, to the point where one of our hikers inspired us with a 40-day to Mt. Kenya successful summitting mission, and how to navigate with varied emotions and fear of heights on summit day (ii) there are simple antidotes to zero altitude sickness (iii) seeing opportunities in your valley life seasons.   Besides the amazing itinerary (more details shared on this post ), what stood out for me at Mt. Kenya was the serenity, simplicity and magnificence of the expansive area. I had thought it would be one huge climb from bottom to top (this only happens on summit day on your way up to point Lenana)…turns out Mt.Kenya is...

This post has been read  To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here .   When is the last time you cycled? When asked this question, I used to say never, until mid-2018 when I decided to learn how to bike (again, for the third time) and this time it worked...and such an exciting, liberating, and even more gratitude-filling experience as an adult..my friends who learned cycling as kids may not fully appreciate the unprecedented joy of the first time when you get to balance and make corners without falling...Anyway, fast forward after cycling in the parks (and any other place very far away from any motorist) for about three years, I decided to give it a go with my first tarmac road/highway cycling experience.  To provide some context for our international readers, most Kenyan roads are not cyclist-friendly – there are no lanes dedicated to cyclists as yet (but this is likely to change on some major highways, so they say). C...

Table Mountain offers a 4-minute cable-way option to the top To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here . Until mid-2023, I had only been to Table Mountain in Kenya. More info on my Table Mountain Kenyan version experience is here . In July 2023, I got to experience first-hand Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa - such a magnificent sight that surrounds the city.  Table Mountain's magnificent view as seen from Waterfront area of Cape Town Unlike the Kenyan Table Mountain version, it's accessible to not only hikers but also people from all walks of life, given the cable-way 4-minute option to get to the top. There is also a wheel-chair accessible path at the top as well as restrooms and a restaurant, quite a touristic experience! While I am more accustomed to basic and old-school hiking, I found it a refreshingly elegant and time-saving way to see the must-see signature mark of the town. You see, hiking on foot to and fro tak...

This post has been read  To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here .   All photos and videos courtesy of Lucy Mwambia I got to know Lucy when I was preparing for Mt. Kenya – I saw her encouraging Mt. Kenya post and pictures on Facebook and requested advice, especially on tips to avoiding altitude sickness – and they worked like a gem.  Since then, we have had common online groups where we have been interacting, and her prowess and ‘out-of-the-box’ perspectives have been enlightening. For example, I learned about the new Table Mountain route she embarked on recently with her team, among other new and fresh ideas. SoulBoosters would love to introduce you to Lucy as well. Here’s what our conversation was about. We'd love to know more about you - who is Lucy Mwambia? I am a fitness enthusiast and I have a passion for whatever might be classified as exercise. This is to say that I am an all-around athlete - I run, hike, a...

This post has been read  To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here .   I got to learn about Millennial Summit Hikers from a work colleague at a gym changing room – we are both weekend hikers and we talked about the peculiarities of different hiking groups and how they’d finally found one that was offering more than just hikes – the Millennials Summit Hikers. They informed me that everyone is invited to join the group since it offers a unique opportunity to also know and connect with God not only through nature but also by bible study sessions held while hiking in the big mountains. Even for the other lower-altitude hikes, my colleague pointed out they are still inspired by the aura that Millennial goes beyond the physical activity that hiking is perceived to be. With this, I decided to give it a try. For my maiden hike with Millennial, I was very impressed with their unique slogan ‘breathe, sweat as you pray it out’. This ...