The Kape 2 Kenya Mission:
Climbing with a Conscience! With this motto acting as the catalyst, KAPE 2 KENYA or K2K for short was to be the blueprint for future My KAPE adventures.
The goals set for K2K were, firstly, to have as small a carbon footprint as possible when travelling, and secondly, to meet young people and share ideas with them as to how they could live both efficiently and sustainably on this extraordinary continent that is Africa.
The Objectives:
- The ascent of a Seven Second Summit;
- Be carbon neutral; and
- Get talking to the youth.
The apex of the adventure was summitting Africa’s second highest mountain, Mount Kenya, which stands at 5199m above sea level.
However, instead of flying, which would produce over 2205kg of CO2, K2K would be Carbon Neutral. This meant travelling more than 14 000kms, from Cape Town to Mount Kenya and back again, by basic public transport (taxi, bus, bicycle and foot power) only.
Why travel like this?
Many big mountain expeditions seem to be doing more wrong than right. Litter is scattered around camps while the lump of carbon sent into the air due to all those connecting flights has begun to destroy these icy giants.
Why Mount Kenya?
As one of the Seven Second Summits, its one of the few true alpine climbs in Africa.
The glaciers on Mount Kenya, which provide 70% of this eastern African nation’s water supply are retreating rapidly. In fact, it is so bad that experts are predicting that within the next 30 years, there will be no ice left on Mount Kenya. The possibility of this happening is something that couldn’t be ignored.
It’s just too damn awesome!
The K2K Vision:
- To share the importance of environmental awareness;
- To encourage African Youth to value and conserve the natural heritage of their local environment and to realise their own vision for the future of their continent;
- To discover the beauty and diversity of Africa through sustainable travel and going on wonderful adventures; and to… Make Mountains Metaphors
To view a sample of the school programmes that the team followed the KAPE 2 KENYA expedition, click here or on the images to see more.
Was it a success? YES!
Our Impact:
- Summited Mount Kenya’s highest peak, Batian, which stands at 5199m, on 20 June 2012;
- Met over 600 students at their schools;
- Traveled over 14 000kms by public transport and sustainable transport only;
- Kept the awareness up by talking to the press along the way;
- Explored the wilder side of each country, including the Namib Desert and Malawi’s Mount Mulanje; and
- No gear was couriered for the mountain.
Big thanks to our sponsors and everyone who helped to …
Make Mountains Metaphors!
KAI FITCHEN | Adventure Journal 