Assal to Kilmanjaro on a bike?

 

A review of From Afar - One man’s human-powered adventure from the lowest point on the African continent to the summit of its highest mountain, a memoir by Kyle Henning, self-published, 2021.

 I enjoy African travel stories. In part this is because I traveled extensively in Africa including overland traverses of the continent from the Cape of Good Hope to Tangiers and from Mombasa to Doula.  I also often journeyed around East Africa, including Kenya’s forsaken northern deserts.  Finally, I too have stood on the salt shores of Lake Assal, the continent’s low point, and on the snows of Kilimanjaro, its highest. (Lake Assal in Djibouti, formerly the Territory of the Afars and Issas, provides the pun for the catchy title).  So, I was predisposed to like this memoir.

Henning was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, when he became fixated on a bicycle trip from Africa’s lowest point to its highest, i.e., Lake Assal to Kilimanjaro. He carefully planned, rode miles in preparation, acquired a suitable bike. Upon termination of his Peace Corps service – casting other alternatives aside - he put his dream into effect. Thus, the chronicle of the expedition begins. It was not an easy trip. It took a physical and psychological toll replete with second guessing about the quest, but he persevered. The memoir recounts numerous instances of challenges from people or equipment offset by unexpected generosity by strangers and friends alike.  Henning had a good eye for scenery, situations and events and describes them well.  Those stories are what combined to make the trek memorable.

The memoir is however, more than just the recitation of the trip it is also a record of Henning’s personal growth, of finding his way, floundering, and ultimately getting back on track.  A reader won’t be surprised to learn that he made it to the top of Kilimanjaro.