A Change In Altitude - Facts

 The novel is set in Kenya. 

Nairobi is where the characters live. Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya. 

The novel starts with some expats coming together to climb Mount Kenya. Mount Kenya  is an extinct volcano in Kenya and the second-highest peak in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. 

Before they undertake the climb, they practise in the Ngong Hills. The Ngong Hills are peaks in a ridge along the Great Rift Valley, located southwest near Nairobi, in southern Kenya

The characters mention diverse conditions likely to affect them when climbing.

AMS is Acute Mountain sicknes, which is a harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. People's bodies can respond to high altitude in different ways. Symptoms of altitude sickness may include headaches, vomiting, tiredness, confusion, trouble sleeping, and dizziness. 

High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is a life-threatening form of non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema that occurs in otherwise healthy people at altitudes typically above 2,500 meters.

High-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) is a medical condition in which the brain swells with fluid because of the physiological effects of traveling to a high altitude. It generally appears in patients who have acute mountain sickness and involves disorientation, lethargy, and nausea among other symptoms. It occurs when the body fails to acclimatize while ascending to a high altitude.

The first person to see Mount Kenya was Johann Ludwig Krapf. Johann Ludwig Krapf (11 January 1810 – 26 November 1881) was a German missionary in East Africa, as well as an explorer, linguist, and traveler. Krapf played an important role in exploring East Africa with Johannes Rebmann. They were the first Europeans to see Mount Kenya with the help of Akamba who dwelled at its slopes and Kilimanjaro. 

The first European exploration of Mount Kenya was performed by Count Samual Teleki of Transylvania. Count Sámuel Teleki de Szék (1 November 1845 – 10 March 1916) was a Hungarian explorer who led the first expedition to Northern Kenya. Count Samuel Teleki led the first expedition to penetrate the forest zone of Mount Kenya in 1887.

Sir Harlford John MacKInder reached the summit. Sir Halford John Mackinder (15 February 1861 – 6 March 1947) was a British geographer, academic and politician, who is regarded as one of the founding fathers of both geopolitics and geostrategy. In 1895, he led an expedition of the first Europeans to climb Mount Kenya.It was during this expedition that eight of his African porters were killed; it is disputed as to who killed them, as both Mackinder and another man, Edward Saunders were recorded issuing death threats.

 

The characters make reference to Jimmy Carter being elected president. James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924 – December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.

The characters often mention Karen Blixen, the author of Out of Africa. Baroness Karen Christenze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote in Danish and English. Blixen is best known for Out of Africa, an account of her life while in Kenya.

Margaret is almost attacked by a lethal snake, a black mamba. The black mamba  is a species of highly venomous snakee. It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Patrick has to go to Lamu for two weeks, and Margaret goes there to spend the weekend with him.