Mountain gorillas, part 1

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We assembled at park headquarters at 8:00am, registered, met our guide Richard, who informed us we would be tracking the 'H' group, one of two groups currently open to trekkers in Bwindi. Our group consisted of 6 permit-holders (only 6 are allowed to visit each group in Uganda), our guide, and 3 soldiers armed with AK-47's acting as our security escort. Two trackers had left earlier, and using radios they would direct us to the gorillas once they located them. Leaving the park headquarters, we climbed a steep trail paralleling the park boundary. At the ridge-top, we could look out over Lake Edward, down into the Congo, and towards the Virunga volcanoes of Rwanda, which were obscured in the clouds. At the top, after Richard confired with the trackers, we entered Bwindi Impenetrable Forest proper. Initially the underbrush was almost passable, but as we descended into the next valley the undergrowth got progressivly thicker and the hillside dropped away, almost a cliff. Despite two trackers with machetes, you still couldn't call what we traversed a 'path'. Rarely did our feet truly touch the ground. Instead, we scrambled along the mountainside stepping on and clinging to the dense foliage, often unable to discriminate between tarzan-like vines which offered supurb hand-holds, and a wicked thorny variety which all to often was the only thing between you and a tumble into the crotch of the valley below.

As we climbed down into the valley, anticipation heightened as we began to hear the grunting of the gorillas we were tracking. Their calls increased in frequency and intensity until I would have sworn we were right on top of them. As they moved on, unconcerned, continuing their foraging, I soon learned that we WERE right on top of them, or in amongst them anyway. After scrambling for 3 hours through this dense foliage that can conceal a silverback mountain gorilla onla a few feet away, I began to appreciate why Bwindi was formerly known as The Impenetrable Forest. Despite his proximity, the silverback managed to remain hidden from view until just before we were about to leave. All around us, though, other gorillas would show themselves intermittenly. Our presence did not seem to disturb the group, but as they were feeding when we found them, they continued to do the same and we were forced to make our way through the forest to stay with them. Gorillas were moving all around us; while impossible to count, we knew that the 'H' group had over 20 members, including numerous young.

The females and black-backs continued to feed, and could only occasionally be seen clearly as they moved through the dense undergrowth. The young, however, could often be found perched up in a tree, and as we approached they would rise up on their hind legs--facing us--and repeatedly beat their chest with closed fists! While intended as a warning or threat, the action seemed almost comical, strangely familiar--the hallmark of every movie that ever featured a gorilla (or Tarzan, for that matter). All too soon our allotted hour with the gorillas had expired. The silverback, still not more than 10 feet from us, must have sensed our forthcoming departure, and briefly peeked through the bushes on which he had been feeding. One last look, although it is still not clear who was watching whom.

The hike out of the chasm into which we had followed the gorillas was much harder than the hike in, and was compounded by a brief thundershower that at least had the decency to wait until we left the gorillas before dousing us. Neither, however, had much effect on our mood, still bouyed from our time spent with the gorillas. Despite the brutal hike, torn clothing, scratches and scars, we were still smiling when we returned to park headquarters, six hours after setting out.

JB