Simien, Ethiopia. October 2012
Simien mountains is a large mountain ridge, sitting on the northern part of Ethiopia. For generations, this mountain ridge was protecting the only non colonized country in Africa. It is a beautiful place for tracking, with wonderful scenery and very wild nature. Simien has been a great attraction for walking safaris for years now, but even when you come to northern Ethiopia to visit the historical sites, without any wishes for too much walking, it is a well worth place to visit.
When we bring groups to Simien we take them for short walks, escorted by an armed ranger and a local guide.
I find that when guiding people on walks, I sometimes need to save them from themselves. Many times it's luck of experience, others will be too competitive, but the majority of people that I have guided walk "ahead of themselves", walking much too fast for their abilities. It becomes everyone's problem on high altitude.
I find that when guiding people on walks, I sometimes need to save them from themselves. Many times it's luck of experience, others will be too competitive, but the majority of people that I have guided walk "ahead of themselves", walking much too fast for their abilities. It becomes everyone's problem on high altitude.
During the last trip in Simian, we had a young energetic local guide named Yonas. We were already 2 guides in this trip, myself and Binyam, a great Ethiopian guide, but entering Simien you must have another guide.
Yonas was great, he was very informative and very helpful, but he was also very young, fit and energetic. Few of the people in the group could very well be his grandparents, but as much as I tried to slow him down, he was walking too fast and I saw that too many people are trying to kip up and will finish their strength too fast for the length of walk we were planning.
Binyam was trying to slow him down by telling him, then by walking near him, but nothing helped. Yonas was just too fast.
I then asked Binyam to help the people on the back and walked behind Yonas to be the one that set the pace. After several minutes of quiet walking Yonas turned to ask if I was trying to slow him down.
Yonas was great, he was very informative and very helpful, but he was also very young, fit and energetic. Few of the people in the group could very well be his grandparents, but as much as I tried to slow him down, he was walking too fast and I saw that too many people are trying to kip up and will finish their strength too fast for the length of walk we were planning.
Binyam was trying to slow him down by telling him, then by walking near him, but nothing helped. Yonas was just too fast.
I then asked Binyam to help the people on the back and walked behind Yonas to be the one that set the pace. After several minutes of quiet walking Yonas turned to ask if I was trying to slow him down.
"Not you, but the clients, you are much too fit for them", I answered.
"By the way", said Yonas, the way he liked to begin ever sentence.
"This is my top maximum slow speed"…..
"This is my top maximum slow speed"…..
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