May 16th - Rwanda Gorilla Trekking

While all of our friends in the US slept, we trekked… and boy did we trek!  It is so very true that each experience is unique and cannot be predicted.  Today we trekked for 2 ½ hours before we found the gorillas.  We trekked between 8500 – 9000 feet… all of our training paid off.  We handled the trek with ease.  Our trek in Uganda was wonderful, but today was unforgettable!  A definite life changing experience.

We trekked through bamboo forest, thick stinging nettles and a lot of elephant poop!  We would have found the gorillas much sooner but elephants scared them away… so we kept hiking… and it was tough and muddy!  At one point Kim pulled a Fred Flintstone, her feet were moving but she wasn’t going anywhere!  Good thing we all had porters, they definitely helped us maneuver the steep slippery slopes.

 

Once we found the gorillas we could not believe what we were seeing, we were surrounded by the group, babies playing and pounding their chests like dad, they were eating leaves and staring back at us.  Wow when a gorilla stares back into your eyes it is the most incredible feeling (it cannot possibly be described!)  We sat and watched them, took photos and video …and we got some great shots today!

 

 

 

At one point the huge Silverback walked right past me… only inches away.  I was already on my knees taking video, the guides told me to stay where I was… I kept the video going… put my head down in a submissive position.  OMG, being that close to a Silverback was incredible… definitely got my heart rate up!

 

 

Total hike time today was 4 hours and 45 minutes (this included our incredible hour with the gorillas) 14, 124 steps and 5.89 miles!  What a fantastic day!

If you ever do this trip get a porter regardless if you need help.  We could have made it without the porters… hiring porters is supporting their economy and helping to prevent poaching.   The porters were great walking through the mud and making sure we stayed up on the drier banks.  Cheryl gave up her porter for the greater good--- literally using a machete cutting our way through the jungle.  Kim’s porter asked her if she had family in Uganda… :^)

 

 

Our muddy shoes...  (that are cleaned every day after our treks)

 

Let me tell you… it is really something staying at Jack Hanna’s private home… we can easily get used to having a private chef!  The food here has been outstanding!

The weather has been incredible, we have had some rain, but not as much as we expected coming to a rain forest in the rainy season.  It’s quite cool here in Rwanda, I am wearing a fleece and sitting by a fire writing this blog enjoying an adult beverage!

So far we have all managed to avoid the stinging nettles… and that was no easy task today!  We are two for two for gorilla trekking… we received certificates of completion in Uganda and Rwanda!

Kim and I have come to terms with the loss of our iPhones… In fact, it has been a nice change.  (ok not really we talk about the things every day).  You just really never know how dependent we are on our phones until you don’t have one… can’t easily work my GoPro… can’t update my fitbit… I’ve been on Dubai time through two different time zones (Uganda & Rwanda)
 

Forgot to mention yesterday… Crossing border into Rwanda… we switched to driving on US (and French) side of the road.  Rwanda is a former French colony and Uganda is a former British colony.