Category Archives: Africa

Lolapange – 2019 Kili Initiative # 11

After dawn the Kili 2019 crew washed in small individual bowls. Face, hands, and arms. I hit everything. Old men smell bad in the heat. We gathered their packs, as Johnny folded the tents to transport to our next campsite. I put my backpack on the three-wheeled tuk-tuk. “You aren’t carrying yours,” asked Vanessa, as […]

2019 Kili Initiative # 10 – Another Night Walk – Illasit

As the sun dropped to the west of Illasit. I stood on a hill to contact Tim Challen, the Kili Initiative director, in Geneva. Somehow a signal connected us and my friend asked, “How is everyone?” “Better than good. They made it here on their own. It’s not easy for anyone to read a map.” […]

2019 Kili Initiative – Arrival in Illasit # 9

After crossing ten miles of the arid savannah Ma’we and I reached the road to Illasit, an isolated Masai town in the late afternoon. The equatorial sun was dropping to the west. My backpack weighed a ton. JM the guide had warned about carrying any extra weight and I thought about throwing away my toothbrush. […]

Ma’We and JM – Illasit, Kenya

Ma’we and JM have been hiking through the Tsaavo Plains since 1989. Both were teachers training the Kenyan army through the auspices of Outward Bound. The two men have been accompanying the Kili Initiative teams for over a decade. Neither thought they would be friends at first, but friends they are. To hear their tale, […]

Peter Beard in Paradise

In 2008 Peter Beard defied the death. Not only had the famed photographer survived a goring by the tusk of an African elephant, but even the ravages of his own excess. Bravo for a new life in St. Tropez. Here’s an elephant attack joke: This tourist returns from Africa and calls his doctor. “I was […]