SoulBoosters

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 . A vividly human spot (be on the lookout for it while on the Rurimeria trail), as if checking "are you speaking to or about me''😀 This has been a tough post to write, and it's taken long to gather my thoughts. You see, Paul Muchene , who was my  close hiking friend, passed away two weeks ago, on 6th August 2022, from a tragic fall off a cliff while hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro. This time, he was using the most difficult route on Africa's highest mountain, the Arrow Glacier route, just metres away from the summit. To add salt to the injury, he had already climbed the same mountain twice before (albeit using other 'easier' routes) and he passed away just three days shy of his 42nd birthday...I guess he'd hoped to mark his birthday in a unique way.  While he met his death while on a solo hiking mission with his own guide and porter support team (rat...

This post has been read  To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here . When someone mentions Coastal Kenya, what comes to mind is the blue waters of  the great and vast Indian Ocean, the sandy beaches, the sweet aromatic Swahili food, the two great national parks of East and West Tsavo, and many other ‘soft life’ tourist attractions. The question some ask is- how about good hiking and camping spots around for the hike lovers?   At a distance of about 120kms from the highest point of the coastal region – Vuria hill in Taita-Taveta County, lies a hidden and shy gem sandwiched in between Tsavo East and West. This under-rated beauty is Mount Kasigau, which is part of the Eastern Arc Mountains of Taita Hills which are located near the Tanzanian border.  Away from the city, the mountain provides an unmatched serenity and solitude – our new home far away from home for the next two days.   On our first day, w...

This post has been read  To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here .   Buxton tunnel is Kenya's oldest and longest railway tunnel. It is located in Limuru town, which is about 30km from Nairobi Central Business District. While too short to narrate a detailed itinerary, this miniature but transformational trail  mimics the literal tunnels we sometimes need to navigate through in life. Thus, one can draw  out  some valuable life lessons from this gentle walk - here are the ones that resonated with me:  1. Trouble is temporary - it doesn't last long. Did you know the Buxton tunnel is only less than 2km long! Switch from a 'forever' to a 'soon' mentality - you will make it to the other end sooner rather than later. This too shall pass. 2. And if you know the down moments are temporary, you will enjoy the ride. Stay in peace and relax. 3. There really is light at the end of the tunnel -keep hope alive. Friends...

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 .   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...

This post has been read  To receive auto-notifications on new posts, click  here . Contact SoulBoosters  here .   “Each fresh peak ascended teaches something”  – Sir Martin Conway Table Mountain is the shortest but steepest of the Aberdares ranges. While the shortest in distance, don't underestimate the time it takes (it's the steepest)! Here are six lessons I learned from my  adventure at Table Mountain   …hopefully, some or all of these add fuel to your everyday life walk:   1. Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you are climbing it (quote by Andy Rooney) That's how the starting point looks like 2. Hiking is a bit like life. You can’t climb up a mountain with downhill thoughts Keep looking up😄 3. If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill - learn to enjoy, bloom and thrive at your current life station Learn to enjoy and embrace every moment 4. When everything feel...

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...