Lets Drift: Your affordable and accessible hiking group
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 week and while at it, say goodbye to sunscreen for a while (and replace it with a hat when it gets too hot) so I get to soak in the sun more. I figured walking twice a week in my neighbourhood would get boring after a while and I needed to look for something more exciting to be able to sustain the habit - then I remembered my friend's narration of Lets Drift - they gladly connected me and I signed up, and I was spoilt for choice! I'm delighted that now my Vitamin D levels are thankfully quite high, to the point that the doctor was curious what I was doing differently and we had a chat on my new normal (while talking about this, please have your levels checked -just because you live in a tropical/hot climate doesn't mean your Vitamin D levels are adequate, and moreso ladies - our love for wearing high SPF sunscreen protection throughout the day may be our own undoing). Moreover, my outdoorsy lifestyle has flourished - I now also get to hike just about every other weekend - and so can you! How you ask? Well... SoulBoosters is excited to introduce you to Lets Drift too, and no better way than to hear from the head of Lets Drift, Alex, and also get a taste of his transformational personal and Lets Drift journey - let's get started!
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| All photos courtesy of Alex Kamau |
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SoulBoosters got the opportunity to chat with Alex (above), and this is how our conversation went:
Tell me more about yourself – who is Alex? And how would you describe your personality?
How did you get to start hiking? And what has inspired you to keep it a consistent habit?
Graduating in 2017 from college, my first venture was as a junior designer in a start-up business magazine business that didn't sail through, that led to my second venture - Quarterlife - another youth magazine that the same entrepreneur co-founded with three of his friends but it also went down after two months. The failure of both businesses led me to a 'soul-search', finding the meaning sort of life period that eventually birthed Lets Drift. It started as a transition hobby with few friends joining the adventures on weekends and quickly evolved to an active community
From all the hikes you’ve been on, which is your favourite trail, and why?
About my favourite hike ... well, that's a hard one because as a guide I get to attend a lot of trails and enjoy all of them so it's really hard to pick up my favourite. However, I have special affiliation with Kijabe Hills because it was basically the first place we started hiking
Beyond
the physical fitness benefits of hiking, how else has hiking influenced your
life? On a soul-level, has there been one soul-boosting lesson that has stuck
out the most for you from your various hiking adventures?
Hiking has had a lot of influence on my life, not just the physical practice but also spiritual and emotional. I would say that it has brought a wholeness in my life. Meeting and serving new people everyday is something I really look forward to.
When did you get to start Lets Drift? And is it a solo business or who else partners with you?
We officially registered Lets Drift in 2018. For the last 3.5 years we have had multiple partners most of them being our guides who facilitate the experiences.
What
inspired the name Lets Drift?
In the beginning we had in mind a travel blog that we called Drift diaries but when we went to search for that username on instagram we couldn’t get that name so we ended up looking for a convenient name and settled on Lets Drift which was memorable and actionable.
What would you say is the most unique aspect(s) about Lets Drift– what makes you stand out from the rest in the hiking business?
Affordability and accessibility. We charge our members a monthly subscription of KES 1,000 (about USD 9) with which they have access to as many hikes as they would want to attend across the month at no extra fees (just with the exception of selected premium hikes such as those in the Aberdares ranges such as Mount Satima, which we dub as "Above The Clouds", but again these stand-alone costs are also discounted for subscribed members). Besides this monthly subscription, we also have quarterly and annual subscriptions. Our community is open and friendly and anyone can join - you're welcome to get membership details on our website.
Lets Drift has made a huge contribution in enabling young travellers to tour Kenya on shoestring budgets, which has also been well articulated in this insightful newspaper piece that zooms into Lets Drift hikers' personal experiences.
Speaking of Lets Drift website, where can we get a calendar of hike events that you offer?
https://letsdrift.co.ke/calendar/
Do you cater to both newbie and seasoned local (Kenyan) hikers in your planned hikes? If so, could you give us a flavour of hikes that are coming up in the next one month or so for (i) newbies, and, (ii) seasoned hikers?
We cater for all levels of hikers from beginners to seasoned hikers. On our calendar we rate each hike and where applicable, offer additional guidelines, so as to help our members find the hikes that suit them best. We have more than 30 trails happening every month. For beginners you can find trails like Cianda, KEFRI, Kibathithi and more. For those seeking more challenging trails, the Gicheru mines, hikeathons, and any hike in the Aberdares ranges will work best
What
one advice would you have for someone looking to incorporate more hiking and other
physical activities this year?
There are lots of myths out there about hiking; some say it's for millennials while others think it's expensive or inaccessible. For those who want to start hiking, this is the best decision you can ever make for your overall well-being. I advise newbies to get the right gear, create a hiking schedule and always have a positive attitude on the trails.
Do you also cater for international (non-Kenyan) hikers as well? If so, one common trip most liked is Mount Kenya – what is unique about Lets Drift Mount Kenya trips?
We cater to non-kenyan hikers too. Mt. Kenya is a thrilling experience that I wish every person would get to experience in a lifetime. Challenging yourself to go after the second highest peak in Africa is unarguably a decision no one will regret!
As we wind up our eye-opening conversation, we hope you have been inspired to make a move to join Lets Drift so you can move more and boost your soul, emotional and physical health.
Have we whet your appetite for more? We hope so! Here's an extra treat - to get to know even more about Alex and Lets Drift, enjoy the below video - as we wrap up here, we hope to get to see you in person soon enjoying a taste of some (or all) of the many trails that Lets Drift offers!
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