What does it take to get to the peak of the 3rd highest point in Nigeria? That was the unanswered question in the minds of 7 adventurous young men & women as they set out for Shere Hills on a lovely Saturday morning from the capital city of Abuja, Nigeria.
Shere Hills – The History
Shere Hills is the highest point of the Jos Plateau and they form the third highest point in Nigeria after Chappal Waddi on the Mambilla Plateau in Taraba state & Mount Dimlang on the Shebshi Mountains in Adamawa state. The highest peak of Shere Hills reaches a height of about 1,829metres (6,001feet above sea level). The hills also served as hide outs for inhabitants of the surrounding areas during wars in times past.
The Hike
I have always wanted to climb Shere Hills and although I spent a part of my childhood in Jos (See Journeyman – My Story for full details), Shere Hills has always eluded me. When I saw the ad by the adventurous @StridesNG team for a day trip, I was no.1 to sign up. No way I was passing up on this opportunity!
The trip from Abuja to Shere Hills took about 3 hours 30 minutes. Conversations on the trip ranged from Politics to Sports and before we could say Jack Sparrow, we had arrived at our destination.
We met up with our guide and prepped up to begin the hike. The hike up Shere Hills was the most challenging climb I have done in my life. It involved crawling, sliding between rocks, walking, jumping, getting pulled up between rock barriers and lots of “ginja” to summount the challenging terrain.
After navigating the terrain for about an hour, we finally arrived at one of the peaks of Shere Hills (I can’t really say if that was the highest peak as we didn’t carry the world’s longest measuring tape to find out?).
The peak allows you to take in a gorgeous view of the Jos Plateau. It is literally a “top of the world feeling.” At that moment, you are one with nature in its purest form!
Hiking Advice for Shere Hills
1. Please wear long sweatpants and long sleeve sports tops. This will protect you from potential bruises while slipping through rocks on your way to the top.
2. Sneakers/boots with a firm grip will be your best friend as it will greatly help your climb.
3. The weather in Jos can get really cold during certain seasons so depending on when you want to do the climb, it is advisable to take a jacket, head warmer & probably gloves as the peak can be quite chilly.
The Descent
This was relatively easy as we had acclimatised to our surroundings and we were down in no time. It made for a really adventurous hiking experience and I have definitely got my sights on Chappal Waddi very soon.
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