Wednesday, June 8th: One of the coolest things about this region of Africa is that it is one of the last remaining regions where mountain gorillas still live. Many people recall the appalling period in 1994 when more than 800,000 were killed in Rwanda. The mass killings in 1994 were the culmination of years of strife between the Hutus and the Tutsis. Ultimately, the genocide occurred as the Hutus, primarily through a powerful group called the Akazu, annihilated Tutsis and non-warring Hutus, wiping out nearly one fifth of the country’s population. Since that terrible time, Rwanda has been revitalized with one of their primary businesses being gorilla trekking. Of course just north Rwanda is the Congo (formally Zaire) which in the latter part of the 90’s and early part of 2000’s was suffering through the Second Congo Wars. Although more peaceful today, the Congo still has some continued violence. Like Rwanda, the Congo now also sponsors gorilla trekking. So why am I telling you this? As it turns out, the region where we are staying is in the Impenetrable Forest of Uganda. The Impenetrable Forest is in the Virunga Volcano mountain range and abuts this gorilla sanctuary region of the Rwanda and the southern region of the Congo. Uganda too has made a gorilla reserve which is now protected by the government. The Ugandan government issues 24 permits a day for gorilla trekking.
Paul, Alec, and I purchased trekking permits and we took Wednesday off from working at the clinics. The days started quite early (See video of sunrise) as we ate breakfast and prepped for the long, physical day. Before I left I had to go shopping for hiking boots and appropriate apparel. Since I moved to Texas from the Massachusetts/new Hampshire area, the opportunities to hike have obviously and unfortunately diminished significantly. Paul has never had the opportunity to hike, so he too had a need for gear. In an effort to spend as little time as shopping, we found “appropriate” articles and then bought in both his and my size. The result is that we were dressed virtually identically. (Yes – I know – cue the laughter!) After breakfast, we went down to a park where orientation occurs. We were divided into groups and assigned a trek guide, a family of gorillas to trek, and two more armed guides (one in front and one in back) for safety. Our group consisted of a young couple from London area. During the orientation, we were instructed on keeping a safe distance and what to do if charged by a gorilla. You might be surprised to know that this instruction consisted of precisely three pieces of information: 1. Do not run away 2. Do not look the charging gorilla in the eye (this is seen as aggressive behavior) 3. Crouch down and pretend to eat grass so as to appear submissive. During the orientation we were informed that since they started every group but one has encountered gorillas. This success they attributed to their approach of sending out advance scouts each morning to the last known location of each family the night before. By the time the trekking groups hit the woods, the advance scouts have been following the tracks of the gorilla family for a few hour, so that they can radio ahead to the guides. Typical hikes range from about 2 hours to as much as 5 hours. They also informed us that if we got injured or just reached a point at which we could no longer walk – they would call “191” (meaning 911). If 911 was called, a group of locals would run in and for a few hundred dollars carry the incapacitated out of the jungle. For those who really wanted to see a gorilla and could just not manage the whole trek, a few hundred more (depending on weight and distance), this same 911 group would carry you to the gorillas. We were then informed that the starting point for our trek was a little more than an hour away by car. So we hopped into our vehicles and drove to an even more remote region of the mountains to start our hike. Those of you who know me, know that I pride myself on being pretty perceptive. Well, I did not live up to my standards on this day. After about 15 minutes of hiking, the guide emphasized how fortunate it was that everyone in the group appeared to be relatively fit. The emphasis should have been a tell-tale sign that something was up. To fully appreciate the situation, you must realize that the altitude ranges from about 1200 to 2600 meters (3,900 to 8450 feet), the temperature was in the 90’s, and for the most part there are no trails. Periodically we would hear from the advance scouts they had seen signs of the gorillas but that they were on the move. A few hours in we rested for a bit, and ate our packed lunches. We then continued trekking for a few more hours, all the while getting updates that the gorillas were still moving fast. At times, the radios would not work (especially when the batteries died in one) so that they would yell loudly trying to hear the return yell from the scouts to determine where next to go.
About 5 hours in, our guide informed us that we were getting too deep in and would need to start exiting soon or we could end up stuck in the forest in the dark. We all held out hope that we would see some gorillas, but started to believe that we would be the first group in many years that would have the misfortune of not being successful. By this point, we were pretty hot and tired. The decision was made to exit. Our guide called back to the orientation center to inform them that we would not see any gorillas and asking what they could do for us. She suggested that perhaps we could come back the next day and try again. This was not an option for Paul or me, as we have a very tight work schedule and cannot afford the time away. The group was somewhat despondent, as we continued to make the long trek back out of the mountainous forest. Just as we emerged, our guide received a call from the center suggesting that if we hurried back to the very starting point of the morning (some 6.5 hours plus an hour car ride earlier) that we would likely see a family that had just settled in for the night. We picked up our pace and got back to the vehicles as quickly as possible.
When we arrived back to the park, we walked for literally about 4 minutes before we reached gorillas. As a result of reaching the gorillas so late, and because the return walk was so short, we were able to see something that very few get to appreciate. We watched as the gorillas bedded down for the night. It was incredible to see these gorillas up so close in their own natural habitat. One of the younger gorillas decided to bed down only about 12 or 13 feet in front of us. He stripped away plants and laid the leaves down on the ground. Then, after lying down, he took a bunch more leaves and treating the leaves like a blanket, he covered his torso and legs. The Silver back was further away (about 30 or 40 feet). We watched as a baby bedded down (for protection) very close to the silver back. The experience was amazing!
Photo courtesy of Alec Jacobson
Photo courtesy of Alec Jacobson
You may be wondering about the dangers associated with encountering gorillas. The gorilla families we trekked to see have been habituated to humans. Over significant periods of time, with gradual acclimation, the guides have earned the trust of these extremely powerful creatures. We were regaled with stories about the harm to people committed by chance encounters with “wild” (not habituated) gorillas. After we tipped our guides, we then walked back through the park, through the small town, and up the mountain back to the hotel. By this time, it was starting to get dark and Paul and I were really looking forward to a shower. Our excitement could not be muted by our overall fatigue. We got to trek through an incredible forest and then to see what very few will ever see, mountain gorillas in their natural habitat.
