Mt. Kenya, Various Ascents. In late February, Benny Bach and I spent a month on Mt. Kenya, making ascents of several of the bigger summits (Batian, Nelion, Point John, Point Lenana) by their standard routes, then climbing several obscure but excellent routes, including the Point John Couloir and the Point John Minor Original route, which we thoroughly recommend. In getting to the major peaks, we followed various routes, but the most interesting was the Burguret Route. A rough bushwhack, the Burguret Route closely follows the route taken by Felice Benuzzi and his companions during World War II. Benuzzi’s story is documented in the book No Picnic on Mt. Kenya.

While on the mountain, we were involved in the rescue of an African schoolteacher, who came down with altitude sickness at the Austrian Hut. We helped carry her from the Austrian Hut down to MacKinder’s Camp. She recovered shortly thereafter.

Cameron M. Burns