Strathspey Wildlife

	The site at Ruhingeri was quite a large complex, and after a good night's sleep, we woke with eager anticipation of the day to come. After breakfast, our local transport arrived to take us across to the headquarters of the National Park, (left) where we would be split into our relevant groups and meet our guides for the day. There were to be three groups that day, and having been given the opportunity to visit the largest, but most remote family - The Susa Group - we readily volunteered. The trek we had been informed would take us, in all likelihood, around four hours. This estimate
was based on the current known whereabouts of the group, high on the slopes of the 4,507 metres (14,786 ft.) peak of Karisimibi, the highest of the volcanic Virunga Mountains. We were asked the question, "Are you all in good health ?" (During the previous two weeks it was everybody's fear that
they would pick up some sort of bug - simply a cold. a cough or a touch of "flu" which would have prevented us joining the trek - the health of the gorillas is paramount, and no risks could be taken that may have endangered the well-being of the gorillas.) And so, it was with some relief that everybody assured Eugene that our health was indeed good. Eugene talked us through some of the etiquette for our trek. No pointing - No flash photos - No feeding - No litter - No touching, if the gorillas approached. Basically it was a case of applying simple common sense to ensure enjoyment of the trip.
	We transferred into pick-up trucks for what was to be a journey of around 45 minutes, with some very rough tracks at the end of the journey - but as this shortened the length of what might have otherwise been an even longer trek - nobody minded. Then it was out - time to gird the loins - time to trek. We started at 8,100 ft. Our group of 8 consisted of myself and Nancy, Bev and Steve, Debs, Vanessa and two other Exodus trekkers from another trip, Kim and Richard. We had all been urged to take plenty of water - a minimum of 3 litres per person. We had all taken packed lunches
and little tit-bits to nibble for the climb. Added to that were waterproofs, in case of any downpours that we may encounter. Add to that cameras, lenses and various bits of personal gear and our daypacks became to feel quite heavy - particularly in the heat of the African sun. Eugene informed us that porters were available - at just $6 - At that Nancy quickly relieved herself of her pack - and I was to follow later - along with some of the others. The early part of the walk was quite gradual and steady, though it felt particularly hot today in comparison to the earlier days of our holiday.
	A little over half an hour later we entered the forest at Mapfundo. This brought welcome relief from the direct heat of the sun as we entered. But this was merely a trade-off, as the climbing started in earnest. With Eugene, and the other guides at the front, in company with an armed guard of the Rwandan Army, and with Felix bringing up the rear, in company with another armed guard, we started to thread our way through the trees. It was only in the late 90's that a number of British tourists were murdered here on such a trek. Any deterrent to tourism represented a significant loss to the economies
of Rwanda, Uganda and The Congo. Gorilla tourism was worth several million dollars to their economies. Security to ensure the safety of tourists was increased and it was decided that armed guards would accompany all the treks. As we continued our climb, the ground got progressively steeper. Our guides, moving ahead could be heard hacking through the bamboo with machetes - these bamboos were around four inches in diameter, and the continuous hacking gave a sense that we were getting closer. I began to hit "the wall" (I think it is referred to) at around 10,500 ft - another at
10,600 ft,10,700 ft (Get the picture !!) Others too began to feel the pace as the rate of climb increased.
	. Felix, at the rear encouraged us on by speaking to the advanced guides, who were already in close contact with the gorillas. He called them via radio, asking them to shout out - straight away we heard their cries on the radio, but it seemed a few seconds later that the sound actually reached our ears from the upper slopes. It was however, encouraging. Without a doubt this was the hardest thing we had ever done. Then, at 4 hours 13 minutes into the trek, we were asked to discard our gear. I checked my GPS receiver - we were at a height of 3,525 metres (11,565 feet) We had, at last
made contact with the gorillas. We followed the guides, and excitement grew as we could hear the gorillas nearby breaking off the bamboo. Then suddenly, a blurred image came through the undergrowth - I aimed the camera - auto-focus here was unusable - the camera would always focus on the trees. I quickly adjusted the focus manually, and fired off the shutter to obtain a view of the face of a gorilla through the undergrowth - our first gorilla photograph. Not too impressive - but our first!! We started to manoeuvre around the gorillas, utilising paths the gorillas had created.
	We arrived at a junction of paths, and briefly, the silverback of the group appeared - I was astounded by his size. We all knew that they were big - but seeing them on a TV screen gives no idea of the sheer bulk of these creatures, and having been surprised earlier that day, on being told that they consumed upwards of 50 kilos of food a day - it now, after all, did not seem excessive at all ! We continued moving around the group. As we came close, our guides made deep grunting noises, imitating the gorillas with sounds of submission and contentment to assure them that we represented
no threat. The fact that we were able to get so close of course was due to many years of research, many thousands of miles of trekking, thousands of hours of contact, to enable the gorillas to get used to human company. This particular group, 30+ in number, are the descendants of Dian Fossey's "Gorillas in the mist," and are well habituated. Other groups too have been habituated, and further groups are undergoing the same process. Our Rwandan guides were particularly pleased (almost a sense of gloating, though that may be going just a bit too far) with recent
	gorilla movements, when a female, with young twins, moved over the mountain ridge, which forms the border with The Congo, to join the group on the Rwandan side. So it was with some excitement when this female, carrying, from what we could see, at least one of the twins, high on her back. This tiny bundle looked like one of the fashionable mini-rucksacks that teenage girls tend to favour, rather than a baby gorilla. We were to remain with the gorillas for the fixed period of one hour. During this time we made various contacts as we did our best to stay close, as they started to move slowly up the
mountain, continually taking guidance from our guides, Eugene and Felix. My most memorable moment of the encounter occurred when Felix ushered me to sit at the corner of a curving gorilla path. Ahead of me was a huge silverback, quietly munching away on the bamboo shoots, effortlessly pulling down huge branches and tearing off the foliage. I sat down and focussed my camera on the gorilla, who was about 10 yards away. Suddenly, he appeared to show a hint of agitation and rose to his feet. He stood between two upright bamboos and shook them vigorously, then started walking
	towards me. As he approached I had some trouble trying to maintain focus, which was still set to "manual" on my camera, and hurriedly popped a shot off as he approached. Strangely, I did not feel at all intimidated by his approach - There was no sense of fear at all. I (thought I) knew enough about the gorillas to know that these were passive, largely docile creatures, liable to charge only when extremely provoked, or challenged. (I just hoped all the books were right !!) He passed within arms length - and there was an urge to just reach out and touch him, he was that close. I resisted and he
passed out of sight, just a few yards to my right. Nancy had a good view of him standing once again, thumping his chest and letting out a cry which we presumed was the signal for the rest of the gorillas to follow. Our hour with the gorillas sped by, it was time to leave. We returned to pick up our packs - time to chat with the others over a drink and a sandwich as to what we all had experienced. I recalled a BBC programme when David Attenborough sat with the gorillas. I would never have believed that I would be doing the same just 20 years or so later This had been the trip of a lifetime.
The trek, for me at least, as the oldest of this group, was quite physically demanding, but I would not have missed the opportunity for anything. Most of the group at some time during the trek experienced difficulty, more so on the descent for some. Memories of our experience will always be with us - coming face to face in the wild with these gentle giants, was really something special. For those who might be contemplating such a trip - I could not recommend it more - an unforgettable experience. On arrival at the bottom we were each presented with a certificate to mark our visit to The Susa Group. We retrieved our packs from our porters for the day, paid them each $10, and said our goodbyes. Back to Ruhengeri.

Other Photographs of The Day