Mzungus in the Mist

After arriving to the Fatima Mission, we learned that we would be Gorilla trekking the next day. We awoke early, and crammed into a jeep with Ben, Colin, Ian, Kelly and Tim- the very same people we were later grouped with for the hike- how convenient! We arrived at the Volcanoes National Park Head Quarters, where numerous other hikers were already gathered, chatting excitedly. With strict regulations on gorilla trekking, only 7 groups with a maximum of 8 hikers are allowed into the park to visit the gorillas for 1 hour each day. A troup of local dancers performed while we waited, and they were an absolute hoot to watch! In an effort to protect the gorillas, conservationists realized that they must have the full support of the people living in and around the park. Historically, many of these individuals were tempted to poach the gorillas to make a profit. By providing the local people with a portion of the proceeds from the park, as well as opportunities to raise additional money through tourism, there is added motivation to protect the gorillas and their natural habitat.

Once the dancers were finished, we divided into our trekking groups and met our leader, Hope. He briefed us for the trek, and we learned we’d be hiking to visit the Susa Family, a group well known for being studied by the famed anthropologist, Dian Fossey, and also for being the farthest group from the headquarters, thereby requiring the longest, most demanding hike. With 35 members, they are the largest in the park, and we were thrilled to hear they had twin one year old babies! Hope informed us that there were trackers up on the mountains looking for the family, and they would be in radio communication with him and relay their exact location (which turned out to be at an elevation of nearly 11,000 feet, some 3,000 feet higher than where our trek began!).

Our trek began with an extremely bumpy ride through a local village. The jeep rocked and lurched forward through a roller coaster ride of seemingly endless potholes and rutted grooves in the mucky, unkept road for several miles until we finally arrived at the starting point of our hike. It was there that we were met by curious locals and handed our very own wooden walking sticks, which were fixed with an appropriately crafted gorilla carving on the top. We began our trek through the agrarian village where the buzz of motors, gas engines, power tools, vehicles, and electricity were completely absent, resulting in a very quiet and peaceful stroll through the lush landscape.

At the edge of the farmland we stopped for a final briefing before beginning the first portion of our ascent through shady bamboo forest. We were surprised to encounter bamboo, and it took a while to wrap our brains around the fact that we were hiking through a rainforest in Africa and not somewhere in Asia! Our boots skidded and slipped as we pulled ourselves up the steep muddy trail. and we were immediately thankful for those walking sticks! It wasn’t long before the seemingly vertical upwards trek had us all sweaty and puffing. Still, we pushed forward and continued onwards, one heavy step at a time. The bamboo forest eventually subsided, replaced by the more typical “African jungle” foliage we had imagined: vines, bushes, and towering trees, dripping with lacy moss. Our shimmering emerald surroundings were truly stunning, although most of our energy and focus was on our footing and motivation to keep moving forward despite the fact that our legs were dead weight and our lungs felt as if they were going to explode (well, perhaps that was just me!). An unpleasant discovery an hour or so into the trek was the abundance of waist-high (sometimes higher) fields of stinging nettle that cascaded down the mountain side. Turns out the gorillas enjoy feasting on these nasty plants. Our trail, of course, marched us right through enormous patches of nettles, and despite our long pants we all suffered the stinging pangs of the fiery nettles as they brushed against our bodies. In case there was ever any question, the sensation of thousands of little (and not-so-little) needles stabbing into your skin is not fun at all! We tried walking with our arms stretched above our heads in an attempt to save them from the burning prickles of the beastly nettle plants. After what seemed like months of painful and exhausting ascent (in reality, just over 2 hours), we found a beautiful little spot to break for lunch and rest. Hope predicted it would be another 2 hours until we reached the gorillas, based on his walkie talkie communications with the trackers, and at that moment I thought I might crush into a million little pieces. I was so exhausted and out of breath in the thin mountain air, I had no idea how I’d make it another 2 hours. I truly wondered if the grueling hike was worth it. Before I knew it we were back on the trail, once again battling the steep muddy slopes and stinging nettle. It wasn’t long before the trail grew less and less defined, and a machete was needed to hack through the dense foliage. About an hour after setting off from lunch I noticed a fresh large pile of dung and my hopes soared! Yes, that’s right- poop made me sing praises and do a little happy dance… a reaction I never thought I’d have. But it’s presence, there on a flattened patch of nettles, meant we HAD to be close to the gorillas. Hope, smirking happily, confirmed that yes, the gorillas were close and that he had just been teasing about the full additional 2 hours of trekking. Hallelujah!

 

The glorious poop!

 

Within minutes, some dense foliage down a ravine to our left began shaking. Our first gorilla sighting, of sorts. We continued on few more moments when were met by machine gun wielding trackers. They informed us that the gorillas were just a few meters away, happily enjoying their lunch in a clearing they had made. We walked a bit further to set our bags down and Hope suddenly stopped short, nodding his head to the left, and whispered, “Look.” We followed his gaze, and there, framed perfectly in the center of the clearing was the alpha silverback of the family. There was a real, live, wild gorilla (a massive silverback, nonetheless) ten feet from us! It was almost too much to take in. Sitting with his back arched, propped upon his burly knuckles, his gentle gaze fell over each of us as we stood there, awestruck. Hope slowly approached the gorilla, grunting low guttural sounds. The gorilla grunted back and then moved a few steps away and laid down. “He is welcoming us in,” informed Hope. “His grunts tell us he is happy and relaxed, so it’s okay to stay here.” Giddy, we dropped our bags, grabbed our cameras and moved into the clearing, where 17 of the gorillas foraged, wrestled, and napped. More emotions flooded over me than I knew what to do with, and within seconds I was fighting back tears. It was almost too much beauty and wonder and magic to take in at once. We were standing just feet from a family of wild gorillas, who had just ushered us into their midst! Their eyes were welcoming and their mannerisms were calm and gentle- so much so that you’d think it would be perfectly fine to sit right next to them and snuggle up close (not that we tried that!). Hope whispered quietly and pointed out several of the family members to us, explaining that gorillas are identified by their nose print, which is as unique as a human fingerprint. Each of the gorillas were stunning to watch, but the darling little twins quickly stole the show! We hung on their every movement, oohing and aahing at their cuteness, giggling at their goofy antics, and resisting the urge to just run over and scoop them up! They rambunctiously crashed through the foliage, climbed tiny saplings, and wrestled playfully. They appeared aware of their charisma, as they regularly peeked over at us to ensure we were watching their stunts. While they were not yet eating greenery, they would occasionally pick up a starchy stem and chew on it, mimicking the adults around them. At one point, the second silverback of the family arose from his leafy perch, and leisurely strolled through the group. His shear size and strength were overwhelmingly apparent, even in his simple movements. Humbled and amazed, we sat absolutely spellbound watching him as he casually examined a few stems before disappearing into the thick jungle. I wonder whether any of us remembered to breathe during those moments.

Our time with the gorillas flew by entirely too fast, and after what felt like mere minutes Hope informed us that our time was nearly up. He asked us to put down our cameras and just sit quietly to listen and observe the gorillas. It is wonderful that we have come away with so many incredible photos, but that calm and quiet moment with the gorillas will live on just as strong in our minds. When our time with the Susa Family came to an end, pulling ourselves away from those incredible creatures was nearly as tough as the trek to reach them. We could have easily sat with them for hours on end, days even, and it still wouldn’t have been enough. Our encounter was truly the experience of a lifetime, perhaps the most magical hour of our lives.

That is all stinging nettle around us.

More beastly nettles!