Hiking in the valley
We then hiked halfway up the valley where we made our camp. Many of us packed lightly which made it a relatively easy climb. Others were not as lucky and had to haul heavy bags up the steep hill. The 13.5 km walk lasted four hours owing to our many stops on the way up. Night found us still struggling to navigate our way through the bushy trails. With perseverance, all groups made it to the campsite where we quickly delegated duties to make sure we had dinner in good time.

The exciting trek
We kicked of the next day at 5:30 am with morning exercises to warm us up. We then dug into breakfast, some had sausages while others enjoyed bacon and ham sandwiches intended for later in the day. Despite the scorching midday sun slowing everyone down, the walk up to the top of the valley was much shorter. The intermittent cool breezes and water sources that greeted us along the way were a pleasant balm, soothing us from the sun’s heat.

Challenges and a sense of achievement
It was a relief to find ourselves back in the middle town at the end of our journey. We all had made it back safely and the relief was evident on our smiling faces. Before boarding the bus back to Turi, all three groups prepared skits to present to each other and the assessors that accompanied us on the trip. These were highly amusing. We all acknowledged Ayanfe Kosoko for digging deep and persevering through the hike, aided by her supportive group members! Special mention also goes to Fortunes K’Odhiambo for attempting to conquer his fear of heights.

Students achieve PAS Bronze Level
We would especially like to thank Mr Njoroge, the team of assessors of PAS Nairobi, all accompanying staff and the School drivers. It truly was an adventure and resulted in the PAS assessors awarding all participants the PAS Bronze Level.

By Rolf Kihara, Richard Kizza, Myrah Oloo and Tamunomiete Whyte