Rwenzori Mountains Expedition

7th-14th February 2005

On the 7th February 2005 a group of 5 highly skill-less, but none the less keen, mountaineers set off to conquer the highest peak in the Rwenzori Mountains. At 5109m, Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley is the 3rd highest mountain in Africa, but it is the least accessible and most romantic. First described by the Greek geographer Ptolemy, the 'Mountains of the Moon', as the Rwenzoris are known were only fully explored in the 20th Century. Sitting on the border of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, they have seen their fair share of conflict, but they remain amongst the beautiful landscapes in the world. And we got to see it all first hand.

It is strange to think that Glaciers can exist so close to the Equator, but here in the Rwenzoris there are Glaciers galore. However it's not all good, as global warming threatens to change the landscape forever as the Glaciers which inhabit the heights of the Rwenzori Mountains are receeding fast (fast by glacial standards that is. We didn't have any problems getting onto them).

So who are these intrepid adventurers?

	Rob Jennings - Expedition Leader Rob (41) is the General Manager at the Kasese Cobalt Company Limited (KCCL) in Kasese, the nearest town to the Rwenzori Mountains. He has climbed Margherita peak before but bad weather meant that visibility was restricted to about 20m, so he didn't get to enjoy the views. Sadly Rob is addicted to Milo, and can often be heard to say "so shall we have a brew then?" and he has had to hire an exra porter just to carry his 'fix' for the week.
	Danny Brennan - Driver Danny (33) works with Rob at KCCL. Danny's loves freeze dried food and spent his life's savings buying stocks of the stuff for this expedition. He doesn't like mountains or trekking, but it sounded like a good laugh and also an opportunity to indulge his love of dehydrated foods.
	John Nitschke - Demolition Expert John (51) used to work for KCCL, but has returned to live in his native Australia. He made the trip to Uganda especially for this expedition, along with his son Peter. John's most valued possession is his pair of gum-boots which he wears everywhere and he expects to be leading the line on the mountain, as he has a plane to catch.
	Peter Nitschke - First Aid Specialist Peter is John's son and at 21, he is the youngest member of the expedition. In addition to English, Peter speaks French, German and Spanish. He is also studying Politics at university. Of course none of this is going to be of any use on the mountain.
	Peter Warrell - Cook Peter (31) is by far the most handsome, intelligent and likeable person on the expedition. His cooking skills in difficult conditions are unsurpassed and he has experience of many mountains, including Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Elgon and Mt. Olympus. Peter was a computer programmer before coming to Africa, and so he is in a great position to make himself sound good on this website.

Now that you know these intrepid souls, please use the menu at the top and bottom of each page to view photos from a specific day of the expedition or click here to start with Day 1.