What if the mountain you're afraid of... introduces you to the strongest version of yourself? My first hike. Seven hills. Unforgettable and Life changing lessons.

This story is not really about hiking. It is about how one intentional decision in March 2025 transformed my lifestyle, my discipline, my confidence, and eventually my mindset. 

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My Bucket List Experience

Conquering Ngong Hills One Step at a Time

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My Wellness Journey Started Long Before the Hike

Since March 2025, I intentionally started my wellness journey.

Not because I wanted to lose weight.

Not because I wanted the perfect body.

Not because I wanted an "A figure."

I simply wanted exercise to become part of my lifestyle.

I wanted it to become as normal as brushing my teeth or taking a shower.

Something I don't negotiate with.

From March 2025 until January 2026, I went to the gym almost every day, Monday to Saturday without fail.

The interesting thing is that the gym changed far more than my physical body.

It changed my mindset.

It taught me discipline.

It taught me consistency.

It taught me to wake up earlier because I had to be at the gym before reporting to work at 8.00 a.m.

One good habit breeds another.

Even today, although I haven't been back to the gym for almost two months because my body genuinely needed a break, I have never stopped moving.

I still sometimes choose the stairs instead of the lift.

On Saturdays, I sometimes go for walks in Karura Forest.

The gym may have paused, but the lifestyle never stopped.

That is the difference between a temporary fitness challenge and building a lifelong habit.

One thing I am still struggling with?

Sugar.

I absolutely love sweets treats. 

That is one battle I am still intentionally working on.

Progress doesn't mean perfection.

It means continuing.

Two Years Ago This Would Have Been Impossible

Anyone who knew me two years ago knows this.

My legs were always swollen.

Walking even short distances felt difficult.

I hated exercise.

If I exercised at all, it was probably two or three times a year.

The desire was there.

The willingness was there.

But intentionality wasn't.

Then life happened.

I went through one of the most stressful seasons of my life.

My health worsened.

My swollen legs became worse and one of my legs started becoming darker than usual.

And I finally realized that nobody was coming to rescue my health.

I had to take responsibility for my own body.

That decision changed everything.

Tick Off Your Bucket List.

One week ago another department at work organized a hike.

Immediately I registered.

Not because I wanted to impress anyone.

Not because I was trying to prove how fit I was.

I registered because hiking had been sitting quietly on my bucket list.

I had never hiked before.

Just like last year, another bucket list item had been the Ice Challenge.

I remember standing in front of that ice plunge in the middle of a cold July morning wondering whether I had lost my mind.

Years earlier I even feared cold showers.

Yet there I was climbing into a tub full of ice cubes.

That experience rewired something inside me. I am not scared of cold showers anymore. 

Since then I have realized that many of our fears exist only until we confront them.

My First Hike Ngong Hills

Today, Saturday 27th June 2026, I finally ticked another bucket list experience.

My first ever hike.

At the famous Ngong Hills.

Ngong Hills is one of Kenya's most beautiful hiking destinations, located about 25 kilometres southwest of Nairobi along the edge of the Great Rift Valley. It is famous for its seven rolling hills connected by one breathtaking ridgeline, offering spectacular views of Nairobi on one side and the Great Rift Valley on the other. The full hike is roughly 16 kilometres if you return to your starting point, involves climbing and descending seven steep hills, reaches about 2,460 metres above sea level, and usually takes between four and six hours depending on your pace. It is less about technical climbing and more about endurance, determination and mental strength.

Before today I remembered hearing gym members preparing months in advance for hikes.

They trained their legs.

They built stamina.

I hadn't.

Apart from climbing the 36 floors at work a week earlier, another challenge set for myself. I had done no special preparation.

Many people honestly thought I wouldn't make it.

Some doubted I would even complete the staircase challenge.

But surprisingly...

I completed both.

On my first attempt.

"Will You Make It?"

We arrived around 6.30 a.m.

We prayed together before beginning.

Within the first ten minutes I was already breathing heavily.

The hike starts by climbing.

There is no gentle warm-up.

One young Gen Z lady looked at me and said,

"You know it will be like this all the way?"

I smiled.

"Yes."

Then she asked again,

"Will you manage?"

Again I answered,

"Yes."

One thing about me...

When I decide to do something, I don't easily quit.

Unless God stops it, I keep going.

She smiled and said,

"Then I'm not leaving you."

And she didn't.

She stayed with me the entire hike.

Every step.

Every hill.

Every stop.

Every moment.

Lesson One: Don't Compete. Walk Your Own Pace.

There were many moments I had to stop.

Sometimes I sat down.

Sometimes I slowed everyone behind me.

I kept telling her,

"I'll finish... but at my pace."

That sentence stayed with me.

Life isn't a competition.

Sometimes the race is career.

Sometimes it is business.

Sometimes it is marriage.

Sometimes it is healing.

Sometimes it is building a dream.

Everyone has a different pace.

Had I tried matching everyone else's speed, I know for sure I wouldn't have reached the summit.

Your pace is your pace.

Never apologise for it.

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Lesson Two: Sometimes God Gives You a Different Route

Because we were behind the group, a police officer stayed with us.

For safety, he couldn't leave anyone behind.

At one point he looked at us and said,

"Let me show you another route."

It was shorter.

Less steep.

An easier stretch.

Meanwhile the faster group continued climbing one of the toughest hills.

Before long...

We reached the meeting point before them.

Everyone laughed when I shouted,

"The first shall become the last!"

But inside I reflected deeply.

Sometimes people seem miles ahead of you.

Career.

Business.

Life.

Marriage.

Success.

But you never know the route God has prepared for you.

He may lead you through a completely different path.

Not because you are less capable.

But because He knows what you need.

Never compare your journey with someone else's.

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Lesson Three: Positions Keep Changing

Throughout the hike positions kept changing.

Sometimes I was last.

Sometimes I wasn't.

Sometimes others overtook me.

Sometimes I overtook others.

Nobody stayed in one position forever.

And that's life.

Sometimes you lead.

Sometimes you're behind.

Sometimes life seems stuck.

Sometimes everything flows.

No position is permanent.

Keep moving.

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Lesson Four: Sometimes You Achieve More Than You Planned

When I registered, I had already decided.

"I'll only do three hills."

That was my goal.

Imagine my surprise when someone finally announced,

"We've reached the seventh hill."

The summit.

I couldn't believe it.

Without planning to...

I had completed all seven hills.

That reminded me of something I once heard billionaire Aliko Dangote say.

He shared that he never imagined his businesses would grow as large as they eventually became.

He simply focused on doing the work faithfully every single day.

That stayed with me.

Set goals.

Pursue them intentionally.

But don't limit what God can do through your consistency.

Sometimes your destination becomes much bigger than your original dream.

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Lesson Five: Encourage Others

Coming down the hills taught me another lesson.

Those descending kept telling us,

"You're almost there."

"Keep going."

"You can do it."

We would answer,

"Well done."

"You've done it."

Later, when we were coming down, we became the ones encouraging those still climbing.

Life works exactly like that.

Sometimes you're the one needing encouragement.

Other times you're the one giving it.

Never withhold encouragement.

You never know whose breakthrough is waiting for one sentence.

There were slippery sections where complete strangers stretched out their hands to help others down.

That is life too.

Help where you can.

One day you will need someone's hand too.

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Lesson Six: Sometimes God Doesn't Show You the Whole Mountain

Perhaps my biggest lesson came after the hike.

When we started that morning there was thick mist.

We couldn't see the seven hills.

We couldn't see how far we still had to go.

We simply kept walking.

Later in the afternoon, while coming back, the skies had cleared.

Now we could see everything.

Looking back, I honestly wondered...

"If I had seen all seven hills from the beginning, would I have started?"

Probably not.

Sometimes God hides the full journey from us.

Not to deceive us.

But because if we saw everything ahead, many of us would never begin.

Faith is often taking the next step without seeing the entire staircase.

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Lesson Seven: Different People, Different Journeys

As we were descending, another group was just beginning.

Under the hot afternoon sun.

We had climbed in the cold morning mist.

Different conditions.

Same destination.

It reminded me that there are many ways to reach a goal.

Some people start early.

Others start later.

Some move fast.

Others move slowly.

Some climb in sunshine.

Others climb in fog.

The important thing is not when you start.

The important thing is that you keep climbing.

The Greatest Reward

The best feeling wasn't reaching the summit.

It wasn't taking pictures.

It wasn't telling people I had completed all seven hills.

It was proving something to myself.

That I could.

A woman who once hated exercise.

A woman whose legs were constantly swollen.

A woman who could barely stay consistent.

Now standing at the summit of Ngong Hills.

Bucket list ticked.

And ready for the next challenge.

Because every challenge we overcome introduces us to a version of ourselves we had never met before.

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So let me ask you...

What is on your bucket list?

What have you kept postponing because it looks difficult?

What challenge have you convinced yourself is impossible?

Perhaps today is your day to register.

To start.

To climb.

Not to compete.

Not to prove anyone wrong.

But to prove to yourself what is possible.

Because sometimes the greatest mountain you'll ever conquer is the one inside your own mind.

MN Collective Quote

"The strongest people are not those who climb the fastest. They are those who refuse to stop climbing. Walk at your pace, trust God's route, encourage others along the way, and one day you'll look back from your own summit amazed at how far you've come."

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MN Collective Insights Unfiltered 

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