- Beyond -: Simien Mountains

By Sabrina Anderson, Rebecca Anderson and Ian Anderson

The Simien Mountain National Park in Ethiopia is a treasure unknown to many. Its spectacular landscapes provide an exceptional habitat for a unique flora and fauna, including several threatened and endemic species. The book tells a personal story of an eight-day adventure through the park and is the fulfilment of a promise to the beautiful souls we encountered and our best efforts to capture the beauty and spirit of this land. We became enchanted with the Simien Mountains. Perhaps you will too.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Dec 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9781728385433

Sabrina Anderson

Sabrina Anderson, Rebecca Anderson, and Ian Anderson journeyed on a trip to Ethiopia in 2014. Both of Ian’s daughters had spent time there previously during their medical studies. Sabrina had adopted her daughter Sofia, who was orphaned at birth, while interning at Gondar hospital. The return trip was the perfect opportunity for Ian Anderson to see what had attracted them so intensely and to discover the birth country of his granddaughter, Sofia, who joined them on the trip.

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2019 Ian Anderson. All rights reserved.

Photography by Sabrina Anderson

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,

or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/13/2019

ISBN: 978-1-7283-8544-0 (sc)

      978-1-7283-8543-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019902638

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

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- BEYOND -

SIMIEN MOUNTAINS

Sabrina Anderson

Rebecca Anderson

Ian Anderson

Contents

DAY 1: GONDAR - DEBARK - SANKABER CAMP (3,200 m)

DAY 2: SANKABER (3,200 m) - JINBAR WATERFALL - GICH CAMP (3,600 m)

DAY 3: GICH CAMP (3,600 m) - IMET GOGO (3,926 m) - KEDADIT

(3,760 m) - GICH CAMP

DAY 4: GICH CAMP (3,600 m) - INATEYE (4,070 m) - CHENNEK (3,600 m)

DAY 5: CHENNEK (3,600 m) - BWAHIT (4,437 m) - SONA (3,500 m) - SONA CAMP (3,020 m)

DAY 6: SONA CAMP (3,020 m) - MEKAREBYA (1,900 m)

DAY 7: MEKAREBYA (1,900 m) - MULIT (2,050 m)

DAY 8: MULIT (2,050 m) - ADI ARKAY (1,665 m)

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Source: Simien Mountains National Park 1:100000 2010 edition (University of Berne)

Photographer’s Prologue

As a medical student, during a long stay in Gondar 2004, I had been lucky to adventure, with a group of friends, into the spectacular Simien Mountains and reach the Bwahit Summit. With few resources and the help of our local friends, we prepared what was to be one of the most remarkable trips of my life. We had purchased all the provisions by ourselves and were using old tents that our dear friend Berhanu had provided. At the camps, we would fetch wood and water to make the fire and cook. The villagers were so welcoming, and we would humbly accept the invitations from the local families to their very simple huts (conceived for co-habitation of cattle and families) to enjoy together a simple but delicious coffee and some kolo (wheat seeds). I will never forget the sight of the Simien fox in the snowflakes as we peered out of the stone hut in Gich camp or the silence and magic of the sunset at Chennek, peering over the ridge into the deep valley, glimpsing the occasional ephemeral shooting star and accompanied only by a dozen or so Gelada baboons. I wanted to repeat this experience, to once again feel the sensation inspired by being on the roof of Africa…

Sabrina Anderson, October 2018

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My Motivation

From a young age, the curiosity for the African continent and culture grew in me. This inspiration cemented during my medical studies, with the motivation of combining both humanitarian work and travel to this part of the world.

The bond to Ethiopia, particularly, began and strengthened with the arrival of my niece Sofia into our lives in 2004, and I was able to discover the country with my own eyes in 2006 while completing a medical rotation at the Gondar University Hospital. One of the highlights of my stay was going to be the seven-day hike to the Simien Mountains that my friends and I meticulously prepared with the help of our habesha (local) friends, but as we arrived at our first camp in Sankaber, I became sick with measles and had to abandon the hike, returning to Gondar with part of the group while the rest continued the trek - an unfinished dream.

A measles epidemic was spreading through the country at that moment, and unlike