It’s been an absolute whirlwind trying to settle into this journey while navigating the extreme nature of it. It hasn’t been easy, that’s for sure but it is all part of the adventure.

Upon arrival in Nairobi, Kenya I met up with my fellow riders. There are 33 of us crossing ages 30-71! The majority come from Europe and Canada with only 3 of us Americans. 15 of the gang started their journey in Cairo, Egypt. The rest of us joined them and will carryon to various end destinations. Many aim to make to Cape Town, South Africa as I do. In addition the riders there is a phenomenal support crew which I’ll describe in a separate post.

With a few days of preparations and introductions, we hit the road. We headed south along the Great Rift Valley with runs north to south in Kenya. This valley is a merging of rift and fault systems. In some areas you can see the actual rift walls. It’s ancient and spectacular.

Our first days ride was 90 miles/ 144km. The temperatures hit high 90’s F and the radiant heat from the road raised it into the 100’sF. It was rough. This will be my Achilles heal. I’m doing everything I can do to stay hydrated and covered but it’s a serious struggle for me.

The first few night we ‘bush camped’ under the stars on a Masai family tribes land. Bush camp is something we will do often….its a spot in the open plains with no facilities. None. We get two small bottles of water to wash off with and a pit toilet. It works and we all make the most of it. The best part about it is sleeping in nature.