So this is one of those moments I know that I will for sure be telling my grandkids about one day. Hiking through the middle of the Ugandan jungle. It's been almost 8 hours. I'm exhausted, literally, my only source of energy being the pack of crackers I scarfed down about 6 hours into the hike. Every few minutes, my misery is interrupted by a brief flash of lightening and the angry rumble of thunder over head. I'm soaked to the skin, goosebumps quickly rising. Any semblance of a trail in the dense undergrowth has quickly transformed into a muddy, slippery mess. On inclines, I push myself forward, desperately grabbing for limbs and branches to keep myself from slipping, losing all the progress I made. As we descend, I spend most of the time on my butt, the steep inclines, mud, and my lack of good hiking shoes meaning any hope of remaining upright is lost. I'm covered in mud, bleeding from several surfaces of my body, and can already feel my toes burning underneath a layer of tender blisters. I'll even admit there were several hidden tears thrown in the mix...I'm not ashamed. Our Ugandan guides kept assuring the four other hikers and me that the edge of the forest was just another hour further. An hour sounded like an absolute blessing at this point.
Let me now rewind for a bit. How did I get here? What on earth was worth all this pain and misery? What caused me to penetrate the Impenetrable Forest in the first place? The answer: a chance to visit the largest population of mountain gorillas in the world in their natural habit. Was it worth it? YES! Every minute of it! This was the trip of a lifetime, the highlight of my year in Uganda. An indulgence that I've been planning and budgeting for over the last year.
I left early on a Wednesday morning. Uganda is a pretty small little country. Yet, it still took us a solid 12 hours to reach the entrance to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is due to the fact that about 6 hours into the drive, we turned off asphalt and spent the last half of the trip on rugged, dirt roads. Add to this the fact that it's been raining almost every day for weeks now in that region of the country and it made for a very bumpy ride! Trust me when I say this. My tolerance for uncomfortable travel has sky-rocketed since being in the country, but even this was a bit too much for me to handle. Just a few moments after turning off the paved roads, it of course started to pour rain again. For six hours straight, my driver didn't utter a word as he concentrated on navigating the mountain roads, covered in thick red mud. As I could feel the wheels desperately searching for traction underfoot and looked out the window to see the mere two feet of ledge separating us from the straight drop down into the valley below, I decided the best thing to do for most of the trip was to just close my eyes. Finally, just as darkness was settling in, we pulled into camp. The first words out of my drivers lips in several hours: "We're here." The first words out of my lips: "It's about time."
The camp site was beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous....it was well-worth the drive alone. My room was a cute little thatch roof banda. The dining area was a three-wall wooden deck, the open fourth wall overlooking the mountains and jungle beyond. The mountains were like something out of a dream. They were the type of lushness that is so green that it takes on a whole different color instead...almost like a deep navy. Anyone who has seen the lushness of an equatorial jungle will understand what I mean. In the mornings, mist rose from deep within. It was almost like the mountains themselves were exhaling. I guess this is where the whole idea of "Gorillas in the Mist" comes from. It definitely made for a magical set-up for my epic adventure.
Early the next morning, we set off for park headquarters where we were debriefed by our rangers and split into groups. There are thirty-one families of mountain gorillas that call the Impenetrable Forest home. If I remember correctly, I think seven of these families have been 'habituated' which is a two year process the gorilla group undergoes to become used to the presence of humans. There are three family groups that are visited during current gorilla tracks. Of course, I was assigned to the family group that is settled deepest within the forest out of the three.
To even get to our starting point, we had to drive for about an hour. From there, we had to hike up a little dirt road that took us straight up the side of a mountain, weaving past little mud huts, curious children lining the path to watch us pass. The view was breath-taking. Since we had yet to enter the forest, we could see for miles. Strong green giants lining the horizon, shifting in color as the mountains layered one upon the other. Green mountains shifted to deep navy mountains then to a purple before finally fading into a faint gray outline. It was at this point that we realized that one of our group members just wasn't going to make it. We were still on relatively easy terrain, and she already had to stop every few minutes to catch her breath (She later informed us that seeing the gorillas was her husband's idea). This is when the ranger called a "9-9-1"...literally. He shouted 991 down the mountain side and a bunch of porters and local, able-bodied village boys came running up the road carrying a bamboo stretcher. Turns out, this women was going to be carried through the jungle on the backs of about 10 seriously ripped Ugandan men. Props to these men. They must be some of the most fit men in the world. I'm still amazed at the ease with which they accomplished this feat!
After trampling through a peak-top meadow littered with wildflowers (picturesque right?), we were finally back at the entrance to the forest. It is here that the real fun began. For the next four hours, we hiked straight through. No breaks or stopping. Up one side of mountains, down the other. I'll be honest. Ever since I knew I was going on one of these, I've been training. Like hard-core training. I ran a 5k once a week for about two months straight. Plus, there is this GIANT hill right outside my dorm that I would just walk up and then run down 10 times in a row. All the crazy stares that I got from Ugandans wandering the campus was definitely worth it because I was feeling great on this hike! I was keeping pace with all the local men while the rest of the hikers in my group were about 15 minutes behind me. I was proud of myself because a year ago this definitely wouldn't have been the case. I would have been seriously struggling and honestly might not have even been able to make it.
Finally, around 12:30, we were informed that we were close. We met up with one of the rangers that set off early in the morning to start tracking the family. After about 15 minutes of trampling through some heavy undergrowth, there they were...just chilling. There was one big guy who was just sitting and staring at us like "Who on earth are these people." It was funny. I couldn't tell who was more curious to see one another....us or him? The rest of the gorillas were all just feasting. Gorillas have to eat pretty much non-stop to get their average daily intake of 60 kgs of leaves. My favorite were the little ones. There were quite a few young gorillas in our family. These little guys were actually pretty big and rather clumsy. They would jump on a tree not quite strong enough to hold them, fall to the ground, roll around some and then hop right back up.
In all, we got to spend an hour with the gorillas, most of which was spent hiking since they kept running from us. However, our reward came when we finally got a glimpse of the silver-back. The silver back is the by far the largest gorilla of the family, and quite literally, is silver-backed. He is the dominant male and mates with all the females, meaning there is only one per family. Our family also had several older males that were still black in color, but once they become silver-backs they will have to leave and start their own families. Our silver-back was being very elusive. We would only catch glimpses of his silver coat through the underbrush as he ran away. Then finally, towards the end of our hour, as the thunder began to rumble overhead and heavy, cold drops of rain began to patter on the green canopy above, our silver back walked right out of the underbrush and plopped himself down just a few meters from us. He sat observing the situation for several minutes, then as quickly as he appeared, he got up and wandering away again.
That was enough for me. I saw everything I wanted to see, and as the rain picked up, I was ready to get out of there, knowing we still had several hours of difficult hiking ahead. The rest of my group wasn't as eager and we stood around for about another 30 minutes before finally setting off again. You know how the rest of the hike went from there. Sheer misery! Yet, as promised, we finally broke out of the forest's boundary around 4 in the afternoon. I literally just collapsed to the ground, finally tearing into my packed lunch and amusing all the local village men by showing off my limited Luganda skills. Once all the rest of the hikers had a chance to catch up, we were allowed to finish off the last mile of the hike back down the mountain to the road below. I knew my driver would be waiting there with his van, meaning that I was that much closer to a hot shower, warm dinner, and soft bed. I tore down that mountain! All the local men were laughing at me, shocked at my speed. I was literally jogging at some points. I guess you would call this a second wind. I finally stumbled onto the road with a huge grin on my face and a solid 20 minutes before the rest of my group.
I felt so accomplished and I honestly loved to whole experience. Really, I promise I did! But would I ever do that again....heck no! There was a couple from Spain who were there on their honeymoon. If my future-husband is somewhere out there reading this, know that if you ever put me through an experience like that on our honeymoon, I will be filing for divorce the minute I get back. I love adventures. I love nature. I can rough it pretty well for a girl. But I have my limits. Still, I know that the added misery of the day just made it that much more exciting of a story to tell to all you guys! And it gave me an excuse to not feel guilty about skipping the gym as I struggled to even climb the stairs to my room for about a week after the whole experience was over.
Let me now rewind for a bit. How did I get here? What on earth was worth all this pain and misery? What caused me to penetrate the Impenetrable Forest in the first place? The answer: a chance to visit the largest population of mountain gorillas in the world in their natural habit. Was it worth it? YES! Every minute of it! This was the trip of a lifetime, the highlight of my year in Uganda. An indulgence that I've been planning and budgeting for over the last year.
I left early on a Wednesday morning. Uganda is a pretty small little country. Yet, it still took us a solid 12 hours to reach the entrance to Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. This is due to the fact that about 6 hours into the drive, we turned off asphalt and spent the last half of the trip on rugged, dirt roads. Add to this the fact that it's been raining almost every day for weeks now in that region of the country and it made for a very bumpy ride! Trust me when I say this. My tolerance for uncomfortable travel has sky-rocketed since being in the country, but even this was a bit too much for me to handle. Just a few moments after turning off the paved roads, it of course started to pour rain again. For six hours straight, my driver didn't utter a word as he concentrated on navigating the mountain roads, covered in thick red mud. As I could feel the wheels desperately searching for traction underfoot and looked out the window to see the mere two feet of ledge separating us from the straight drop down into the valley below, I decided the best thing to do for most of the trip was to just close my eyes. Finally, just as darkness was settling in, we pulled into camp. The first words out of my drivers lips in several hours: "We're here." The first words out of my lips: "It's about time."
The camp site was beautiful! Absolutely gorgeous....it was well-worth the drive alone. My room was a cute little thatch roof banda. The dining area was a three-wall wooden deck, the open fourth wall overlooking the mountains and jungle beyond. The mountains were like something out of a dream. They were the type of lushness that is so green that it takes on a whole different color instead...almost like a deep navy. Anyone who has seen the lushness of an equatorial jungle will understand what I mean. In the mornings, mist rose from deep within. It was almost like the mountains themselves were exhaling. I guess this is where the whole idea of "Gorillas in the Mist" comes from. It definitely made for a magical set-up for my epic adventure.
Early the next morning, we set off for park headquarters where we were debriefed by our rangers and split into groups. There are thirty-one families of mountain gorillas that call the Impenetrable Forest home. If I remember correctly, I think seven of these families have been 'habituated' which is a two year process the gorilla group undergoes to become used to the presence of humans. There are three family groups that are visited during current gorilla tracks. Of course, I was assigned to the family group that is settled deepest within the forest out of the three.
To even get to our starting point, we had to drive for about an hour. From there, we had to hike up a little dirt road that took us straight up the side of a mountain, weaving past little mud huts, curious children lining the path to watch us pass. The view was breath-taking. Since we had yet to enter the forest, we could see for miles. Strong green giants lining the horizon, shifting in color as the mountains layered one upon the other. Green mountains shifted to deep navy mountains then to a purple before finally fading into a faint gray outline. It was at this point that we realized that one of our group members just wasn't going to make it. We were still on relatively easy terrain, and she already had to stop every few minutes to catch her breath (She later informed us that seeing the gorillas was her husband's idea). This is when the ranger called a "9-9-1"...literally. He shouted 991 down the mountain side and a bunch of porters and local, able-bodied village boys came running up the road carrying a bamboo stretcher. Turns out, this women was going to be carried through the jungle on the backs of about 10 seriously ripped Ugandan men. Props to these men. They must be some of the most fit men in the world. I'm still amazed at the ease with which they accomplished this feat!
After trampling through a peak-top meadow littered with wildflowers (picturesque right?), we were finally back at the entrance to the forest. It is here that the real fun began. For the next four hours, we hiked straight through. No breaks or stopping. Up one side of mountains, down the other. I'll be honest. Ever since I knew I was going on one of these, I've been training. Like hard-core training. I ran a 5k once a week for about two months straight. Plus, there is this GIANT hill right outside my dorm that I would just walk up and then run down 10 times in a row. All the crazy stares that I got from Ugandans wandering the campus was definitely worth it because I was feeling great on this hike! I was keeping pace with all the local men while the rest of the hikers in my group were about 15 minutes behind me. I was proud of myself because a year ago this definitely wouldn't have been the case. I would have been seriously struggling and honestly might not have even been able to make it.
Finally, around 12:30, we were informed that we were close. We met up with one of the rangers that set off early in the morning to start tracking the family. After about 15 minutes of trampling through some heavy undergrowth, there they were...just chilling. There was one big guy who was just sitting and staring at us like "Who on earth are these people." It was funny. I couldn't tell who was more curious to see one another....us or him? The rest of the gorillas were all just feasting. Gorillas have to eat pretty much non-stop to get their average daily intake of 60 kgs of leaves. My favorite were the little ones. There were quite a few young gorillas in our family. These little guys were actually pretty big and rather clumsy. They would jump on a tree not quite strong enough to hold them, fall to the ground, roll around some and then hop right back up.
In all, we got to spend an hour with the gorillas, most of which was spent hiking since they kept running from us. However, our reward came when we finally got a glimpse of the silver-back. The silver back is the by far the largest gorilla of the family, and quite literally, is silver-backed. He is the dominant male and mates with all the females, meaning there is only one per family. Our family also had several older males that were still black in color, but once they become silver-backs they will have to leave and start their own families. Our silver-back was being very elusive. We would only catch glimpses of his silver coat through the underbrush as he ran away. Then finally, towards the end of our hour, as the thunder began to rumble overhead and heavy, cold drops of rain began to patter on the green canopy above, our silver back walked right out of the underbrush and plopped himself down just a few meters from us. He sat observing the situation for several minutes, then as quickly as he appeared, he got up and wandering away again.
That was enough for me. I saw everything I wanted to see, and as the rain picked up, I was ready to get out of there, knowing we still had several hours of difficult hiking ahead. The rest of my group wasn't as eager and we stood around for about another 30 minutes before finally setting off again. You know how the rest of the hike went from there. Sheer misery! Yet, as promised, we finally broke out of the forest's boundary around 4 in the afternoon. I literally just collapsed to the ground, finally tearing into my packed lunch and amusing all the local village men by showing off my limited Luganda skills. Once all the rest of the hikers had a chance to catch up, we were allowed to finish off the last mile of the hike back down the mountain to the road below. I knew my driver would be waiting there with his van, meaning that I was that much closer to a hot shower, warm dinner, and soft bed. I tore down that mountain! All the local men were laughing at me, shocked at my speed. I was literally jogging at some points. I guess you would call this a second wind. I finally stumbled onto the road with a huge grin on my face and a solid 20 minutes before the rest of my group.
I felt so accomplished and I honestly loved to whole experience. Really, I promise I did! But would I ever do that again....heck no! There was a couple from Spain who were there on their honeymoon. If my future-husband is somewhere out there reading this, know that if you ever put me through an experience like that on our honeymoon, I will be filing for divorce the minute I get back. I love adventures. I love nature. I can rough it pretty well for a girl. But I have my limits. Still, I know that the added misery of the day just made it that much more exciting of a story to tell to all you guys! And it gave me an excuse to not feel guilty about skipping the gym as I struggled to even climb the stairs to my room for about a week after the whole experience was over.
