Number in series 70; Year of publication 1986 - Fell and Rock ...

13 MILES FROM THE EQUATORRay CassidyA couple of years ago I managed to get involved in the InternationalMountaineering Jet Set. A mate called Dave persuaded me that Peru would be agood idea for the summer of '82. It was; but it didn't go down as an epochmaking trip. The 'training route' on the S.W. Face of Alpamayo took two goes,and we had no grub left for a try at anything else in the few days we had left. Isuppose we did learn one or two things; that high(ish) mountains areknackering, and that dead Frenchmen last at least two years on snowy slopes.My appetite was whetted, but it came sort of unwhetted when I tried to explainall the minus pounds to my bank manager. Banking traumas come and go.About a couple of weeks later, at a leching-the-nubiles session in theGloucester in Penrith, Steve Howe said to me. 'Fancy coming to Kenya nextsummer?', to which I replied. 'No thanks mate, I've just had severe banktrauma!'. Needless to say after a further couple of pints and a few eyefuls ofunder age beauty, it was all arranged. Nairobi in late July and via Moscow for alarfl!Well, Moscow, Simferopol, Cairo, came and went, to leave us two innocentsabroad trying to coax the Nairobi phone service into connecting us with Rodand Bar Bennet, our friendly local contacts for floorspace and shelter. And whata fantastic pair of people they turned out to be. Nothing was too much trouble!If you turn up in Nairobi with a few jars of Marmite it seems you can turn anyof the expatriate community into the most hospitable people on earth.After a couple of days shopping in Nairobi we left the care of Rod and Bar andheaded off up country on the good old Mombassa country bus, which doesn'tappear to go within 200 miles of Mombassa. Naro Moru Country lodge was anoasis of ex-colonial charm (does that sound right?). The following morning wegot our first view of Mt. Kenya, a great upturned saucer with what looks like alittle burst nipple on top. It was pretty neat, so out came the cameras for loads ofpiccys. It took us most of the day to get transport, porters and loads sorted out.We started to get a bit horrified by the cost especially as the Russians inMoscow had charged us £113 each for excess baggage on the way out. Luckily afairly tough-looking female surgeon from New York and a Swiss lad called Petercame to our rescue, and split the price of the jeep. At about 3 o'clock in theafternoon the jeep, with about 10 people including porters hitching a ride home,pulled away and eventually deposited Steve and myself, the surgeon, and theSwiss lad plus porters at the Met Clearing. A couple of days later we hadhumped all our gear from Mackinders Camp, where all the touroids hang out,to American base near the bottom of Midget Peak. This is a really smartcamping spot; it is off the main tourist tracks and gives an excellent view of thesouth face, whereon lie the classic ice routes of the equator.291