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KAI FITCHEN | Adventure Journal

making mountains metaphors

KAYU Adventures – Travel & Tours
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KAPE 2 KENYA ’12
KAPE 2 ATACAMA ’14
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Welcome to My Journal!

I post things that matter most to me and it’s been a long, and wonderful learning curving getting here. Share. Be inspired. lets Make Mountains Metaphors

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The mountains are calling and I, for now, must study French Subjunctive…

There are many things that I want to achieve in my life. I have my rather long- slightly-deranged- pipe-dream goals which include an 8000m peak without oxygen. Then I have my more realistic goals (this doesn’t mean that I’m not very much bent on doing the whacky pipe dreams) …. these realistic ones are broken […]

Read More The mountains are calling and I, for now, must study French Subjunctive…

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I'll be leaving for an expedition to Saudia Arabia in the next few days for a conservation mission in the Sarawat Mountains. That's exciting enough, but in the meantime, I've launched a travel and adventure business named KAYU Adventures. It is definitely not the best time to be in the tourism industry but we're aiming to iron out all the bugs in the coming months to be ready to fly when things get going. If you have experience with websites or you'd just like to help, please give it a look and drop me a DM via KAYU or on IG. There are still things to refine for a global audience so let me know! Link in bio

At 2pm (CET) tomorrow I’ll be talking to @goodwallapp for their #bettertogether series. We’ll be chatting about adversity and how we deal with it. There are likely to be a lot of mountain climbing metaphors, so brace yourself 🤗... you can watch live and there will be a Q&A 💪🧗🥇🌍♻️

Hey! I’ve learnt a lot climbing and exploring the world. From Himalayan expeditions with @mikehornexplorer to crossing the Atlantic Ocean and then organizing social outreach in schools (#Kape2Kenya ) along the way you learn a thing or two about taking on adversity, goal setting and adapting to new challenges. Join me on 13th August @14:00 CEST on #IGTV for a #bettertogether on @goodwallapp discussion. It’s going to be RAD #climate #health #selfimprovement #sports #environmentactivist #explore #socialimpact

21 hours later, I give you a 2nd attempt at a baguette 🥖 I think they’re pretty legit 🇫🇷

Yesterday I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was guiding on Lionshead when the fire on Table Mountain broke out. With the raging winds and the fact that we were on the other side of Lionshead, we had less than 30min until it had jumped the road and my little adventure mobile was engulfed by the flames. I got my clients out safely. We stayed calm and moved efficiently but it was like a war zone up there. Shit can get wild on mountains and wildfires can devour anything and everything in its path with little to no warning. Anyway, I thought it would be good to make people aware of what a cigarette butt (very likely the cause of this) can do to our exquisite mountains. The Climate Crisis is also exacerbating the potential for wildfires. Be aware of our impact. K

I’ve been influenced by many strong and powerful women over my life, however Marine Drouilly (@mdr_conservationist ) has definitely been both my partner in c(l)imb as well as a complete inspiration and role model over the last 6 years. She has constantly blown me away by her ability to stand up for what is right while preserving her dreams. On this #internationalwomensday , Marine has gone from growing up in French country side to working on bears in Alaska, zebras in Zimbabwe, jackals in the Karoo, lynx in the French Jura and many more beautiful yet threatened creatures. Her compassion is fierce and so is her drive, thus recently she archived her PhD (with full marks) and secured her dream job for @pantheracats where she will be THE regional coordinator for cat species in central and west Africa! .

Back to back days in and around #capetown. It’s been a pleasure to enjoy the mountains with so many interesting and fun people from all over the world. Including moving 60 pax from Mumbai off Paarl Rock with @adventureworksza ... it’s all been a time of learning and moving 🌟

The classic barefoot full exposure shot 😂 Pic @jedjohnson001 .

It’s been too long since @jedjohnson001 and I had a big day out. We both, eventually, decided to slog our way up Exposure in F Major in Du Toitskloof. Its a proud line, not hard but exciting. The crux was the approach and descent, but we got to test out @andycourt22 and @teodor__iliev ‘s abseil points, which are WILD- thanks oaks- my knees thank you 🙏 .

We succeeded, well mostly, to avoid the gale force winds of the MC 🤗 I guided Edyta, now a regular hiking buddy, on one of my favorite hikes on the #tablemountain 🌈 Crowd free and tired legs are a good way to start the weekend 🌟

Throughout the many mundane tasks that make up our lives there are relatively few number of experiences that define us and make us. Yesterday, Celestial Journey was that event. .

It’s been a busy couple of weeks working with @vertigo_adventures ! One of the highlights has been getting to know Johan ( @borgstam ) over the last 2 weeks. We sampled the lesser trodden crags and walls where we were able to get away from the tourist hubs and focused on getting into some of the best areas in the western cape. We definitely worked hard on certain pitches but the jokes and conversation were always flowing (like the milkshakes and pale ales!) .

@borgstam experiencing the granite domes of Paarl and just living the vertical life 🏔🙌

Back to back days in the mountains! Guiding Edyta up one of my favorite trails on #tablemountain . We knocked off Kasteels, the reservoirs, and echo valley. We saw a handful of hikers and you wouldn’t believe that we were on the mountain during “silly season “ 🏔🏖🧗‍♂️🧗 .

The North Peak on the Drakensberg Mini Traverse. Its a ramp souring to above the 3000m high escarpment. We crossed the source of the Orange River as well as coming across a Vulture colony on this day, snapping photos of what I never thought to be such an elegant animal (pics to come) 🦅

The Amphitheatre. A short hike with a little bit of ladder climbing will give you this view. It’s a thin 3000m up here and with the Devils Tooth in the back with this sea of cloud, it was an epic way to kick off the Traverse 🏔👣👣👣👣

Exploring the northern beaches and wetlands around St. Lucia. We didn’t see them but I’m told that Hippos wander the streets come nightfall- wild! .

The king of the savanna 🐘I was kakking off a bit when this giant got up close and personal (not sure how the ranger in front managed to stay so mellow!).

All things big and small 🦎 South Africa 🇿🇦 has it all 🙌

When you’re really looking forward to having a cookie 🍪 .

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