My adventure at Camp Rowallan

By Ezra Bosire

One chilly morning, at the crack of dawn, I jumped out of my cosy bed as if it was on fire. I took a cold bath which left me feeling as cool as a cucumber. It was the school’s closing day but scouts were not going home — we were going camping.

About 27 scouts were going to the Rowallan Scouts Camp in Nairobi. We boarded the vehicles and carried some firewood to use at the camp.

When we arrived at the camp, which is in Ngong Forest, we saw encouraging signposts. "A scout is honest, clean, courageous and active," one of them read.

Ezra enjoyed a camping adventure that included sleeping in tents, sightseeing and cooking outdoors. Photos: Courtesy

We erected our tents under the guidance of patrol leaders. Later we made supper. We were as hungry as wolves and gobbled up the meal. After a bit of rest we got into our warm sleeping bags. In the morning, we showered, dressed and after a good breakfast we assembled and raised the flag because it was a Friday. Then we studied and held discussions under a shade.

Late in the afternoon, we went for a swim. On Saturday, we did the same activities we had done the previous day but after lunch we went on a nature walk in the forest. We returned to the campsite to find that baboons had broken into the tents. The first thing we checked was the food. The baboons had not left a single grain of rice! Our teacher informed us that a camera was also missing.

Suddenly we felt angry and hungry. We went back into the forest and started throwing stones at the baboons. Three big baboons began chasing us. They stopped when our area commissioner threatened them.

That evening we sat around the campfire and had fun. The following morning, we broke camp. I happily waved goodbye to my friends as my father and I drove away.