Thu, June 28 - Gorillas!!

I was feeling OK when the alarm went off at at 6 AM, but poor Bob looked pretty ill and would have spent the day in bed if we had been at home, but it was Gorilla Day so he struggled to get up and dressed.  We had breakfast at 6:45 (Bob skipping) and took off in the van at 7:30 as we had to assemble at the Gorilla Center at 8 AM.  We joined 24 other people as there are three tours sent out daily of ten people each.  We saw several videos on gorilla behavior and conservation efforts, and then had a short talk by the head ranger.  He saw that our group was pretty elderly and so told us the we would get the closest of the 5 - 6 gorilla groups that are habituated to humans.  The rangers know where all the gorillas are located, although the gorillas may be moving, and the rangers can direct the groups to them.  

Our Porters (in blue)

Setting off!

We got back in the van and drove for 45 minutes  through small villages until we could again see the primary forest in the distance.  We parked and a group of blue clad youngish men appeared and approached us to be our porters.  We were encourage to each hire one of them as it is a source of money for the community, and thank God we did!  Two of them latched themselves onto us and we took off.  They carried our day packs and, as we started off through a hillside of tea plants (small sturdy shrubs that can provide tea leaves for years), one of them grabbed my hand, thankfully, as the mud surface was quite slippery.  We started up a hill and into the forest with one holding my hand and pulling me up and the another grabbing my hips and pushing!! I wish I had a picture, but the going was so rough and only got much worse, that all dignity was swept aside and I only wanted to get to the gorillas in one piece.  

Impenetrable Forest

I looked back and saw Bob quite a ways behind.  His stomach was acting up and he was feeling much worse, but couldn’t see any alternative but to try get to the gorillas.   He was collapsing and two porters were hauling him up.  He caught up and we sat for a while as he rested.  

Female eating

The Old Silverback

One of the Youngsters

We continued on this way, trailing the group.  The lead ranger came back, quite concerned, but Bob said he wanted to continue. We fought our way up a very steep muddy hillside covered in vines, thorny saplings, and rotten wood.  We eventually got to the top of the ridge and started down, progressing faster due to gravity, but slipping and sliding on this very steep slope.  We finally arrived to where our group was settled and watching a group of gorillas.  Our gorilla  group consisted of one large male silverback, three females, and three youngsters.

We were all trying to photograph the animals, but the gorillas are so dark and they were lying in a shrubby patch so cameras would focus on bits of grass rather than the critter you were trying to photograph.  It was stunning how completely oblivious of us they were. There was no eye contact or reaction to our presence. Even the playful young seemed to have been instructed by their mothers to avoid these smelly animals who invade their territory every day, and played on the far side of the group from us.  Other gorilla groups sometimes interact with visitors, but ours didn’t.  Our guides let us get within 12 feet of them which was amazing, but still no reaction from them.  Bob lay down in the sun and fell sound asleep, (just another silverback dozing in the sun!) awaking later to catch a short look at the gorillas, but I guess he needed that nap as he looked much better - probably the only person to spend his gorilla time dozing!!

The Silverback

Another Old Silverback dozing in the Sun!

After our hour (which is all you are allowed) was up we started back, our head guide cut a new, and presumably easier, route for us to follow.  I was so tired by that time that I was stumbling, but my porter, and Bob’s, managed to get us back to the van.  We only hiked 2.7 miles and had been out only four hours, but it was the most difficult hiking I have ever done.  If I had known how hard it was going to be, I think I would have stayed back!!

Struggling through the  Underbrush

Reformed Poachers!

We drove back to Silverback Lodge at 4 PM and Bob went to bed and slept through the night.  I showered and relaxed. I had a beer at the bar and watched the Columbia/Senegal World Cup match before retiring.  We heard that another group of trekkers included a large older woman who was carried by 12 porters to see her gorillas!  Who knew!!