From Freepedia
(Redirected from
Mt. Kenya)
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Coordinates:
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0°9′ S 37°18′ E
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Type:
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Stratovolcano (extinct)
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Age of rock:
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Last eruption:
<td style="border-top:1px solid #999966" width=220>2.6-3.1 Ma
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First ascent:
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1899 by
Halford Mackinder
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route:
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Mount Kenya is the highest
mountain in
Kenya, and the second-highest in
Africa (after
Mount Kilimanjaro). The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (5 199 m), Nelion (5 188 m) and Lenana (4 985 m).
The mountain is an extinct
volcano standing alone, which last erupted between 2.6 and 3.1 million years ago. Its slopes include several different
biomes; the lowest parts are dry upland forest, changing to
montane forest of
juniper and
podocarpus at about 2 000 m, with a belt of
bamboo at 2 500 m that changes to an upper forest of smaller trees covered with
moss. Twelve small
glaciers may be found scattered among the complex of seven summits.
The area around the mountain is protected in the
Mount Kenya National Park.
The
Kĩkũyũ people believe that their supreme being
Ngai lives on Mount Kenya, which they call
Kirinyaga.
The missionary
Johann Ludwig Krapf was the first
European to report a sighting of Mount Kenya, in
1849. The first recorded ascent of Mount Kenya was made by
Halford John Mackinder, C. Ollier and J. Brocherel on
13 September 1899. The highest point (Batian) is a
technical climb; the classic Diamond Couloir
climbing route is a
Grade IV of about 20
pitches, up to
YDS 5.9 in difficulty. Nelion was first climbed by
Eric Shipton in
1929, and Shipton and
Bill Tilman completed the traverse of ridge between the two highest peaks.
Point Lenana, at 4,979 metres (16,335 ft), can be reached by a hiking trail. Mount Kenya is best climbed in January or February on the south side and August or September on the north side.
Mount Kenya is home to one of the
Global Atmosphere Watch's atmospheric monitoring stations.
On
July 21 2003, a South African registered aircraft, carrying 12 passengers and two crew, crashed into Point Lenana — no survivors.
External links
