1

RWANDA, AFRICA, MAY 1981, MOUNTAIN GORILLA TRIP GORILLA ENCOUNTERS PART 2

Mt Sabinyo, one of seven volcanos in Parc de Vulcans, the Virungas, Rwanda

May 3, Sunday morning. Thankyou Lord for filling my soul and spirit with your word. Read part of the book of Acts this morning and had my spiritual food, then a good breakfast. I walked again in the morning through Kigali, passing under groves of trees with limbs arched over the street. Surrounded by beautiful gardens. Enjoyed observing the people, some washing their babies, others operating a foot petalled sewing machine and children smiling and staring at something unusual: a white walking through their village. The children would greet me with a courteous ‘bonjour’, then attempt to converse with me in French, which I did not understand. Many adults and their children were carrying potatoes, tomatoes, and bananas to market to sell their produce. Birds singing in the trees, a pleasant morning. Visited a Catholic church for most of the morning, and when I left saw a group of girl scouts in clean uniforms and white blouses marching through Kigali, singing praise songs in Swahili about Jesus. The kids smiled at me as they passed, reflecting God’s love. Shared with a young man at a Catholic mission by the name of Richard and shared the Lord with him, then headed to the hotel and a incredible buffet dinner prepared by a French cook: couplets of lamb, meats, salads, charcoal broiled steaks and French pastries for dessert. Walked in the afternoon rain. Tomorrow I’ll prepare to leave for Ruhengeri. Finished the book of Acts this evening; it reads like a novel book. Paul’s love for the Lord was incredible. Thankyou Lord for this day. May 4, Monday Negotiated park permits, cashed traveler’s checks, but again ran in to trouble

2

Rwanda’s Milles de Collines, the land of a thousand hills

when trying to obtain a ticket to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania and Kilimanjaro, everyone wants more money. Caught a taxi, or should I say was shoved, pushed, and pulled into a mini-bus along with 34 other people. This vehicle normally holds only 12-15 people at the most. Had a ‘jolting’ 4-hour drive to Ruhengeri. The shocks were overloaded on the vehicle, and so I was bashed around from underneath on my seat, and on the really bad bumps my head slammed into the roof of the small van. I understood why this is called the land of 1,000 hills. I couldn’t believe switchbacks and turns, and the number of valleys. Beautiful, cultivated land where they grow rice, beans, sugar cane, but almost all the trees and forests were cut down, save a few plantations of Eucalyptus. Not good for the watershed. I was amazed again at all the number of hills, and their steepness. Historically, the inhabitants of the Rwandan rainforests were the Twa, aboriginal Pygmies who survived primarily by hunting. They were conquered by an agricultural people called the Hutu, immigrant farmers who viewed the forest as an enemy and full of dangerous ancestral spirits. They set about clearing the forests to raise crops. Around 1000 A.D. the Tutsi (sometimes called the Watutsi), a hemitic group related to the Maasai migrated into Rwanda and Burundi from the north from Ethiopia. The Tutsi were herdsmen who by and large left the forest alone and frustrated the agricultural ambitions of the Hutu, whom they quickly enslaved. In 1959 the Hutu, bearing centuries of anger, finally rose up against the Tutsi. One of the revolutionary slogans translated roughly as "Let's cut these people down to size," a reference to the fact that the Tutsi are the tallest people on earth. The Hutu meant their slogan literally, and legless Tutsi bodies choked the forest streams. Thousands of survivors fled to neighboring countries. Since then, the Hutu have restored the subsistence farming ethic and have changed the face of Rwanda. Vast stretches of primal forest have been cleared to make way for self-contained family farms that average a mere 2.5 acres and that barely support enough crops to keep a family alive. Now, with land growing scarce, local farmers are looking to the Volcano National Park for more cropland. About 12 years ago (1968), forty square miles-or almost half of the park-were

3

turned over to cultivation, primarily pyrethrums. That single act was the most important factor in the reduction of the mountain gorilla population from an estimated 450 in 1960 to about 200 in 1981. The advantages to the people were illusory and short-lived for the simple reason that the bamboo forests and the mountainous Hagenia forests at higher elevations that nurture the gorillas also nurture the village people. The vegetation of the forests act as a spongy watershed reservoir, releasing groundwater to streams and rivers in the dry seasons and storing moisture during rainy periods. It is hardly a coincidence that the smaller rivers below the areas cultivated twelve years ago are now dry after clearcutting, and that local people report that the water stopped flowing at just about the time the cultivation began. Further cultivation will cause more sedimentation and erosion, then drought and famine. If the Virunga watershed is destroyed by agricultural cultivation, the gorillas will perish. But so too, eventually, will the people. The government of President Juvanal Habyarimana understands this equation, and it is firmly committed to protecting the park. But the pressures for more farmland are going to continue to be very great. You can sense it talking to the farmers at the edge of the park: the need and the press of hungry humanity. The farms, called shambas, roll bare and treeless right up to the forest, and as many as 780 people work and live on each square mile. Made it to Ruhengeri about 4:00PM which had a bustling market. On the outskirts of town, we saw the natural bridge at Musanze, a solidified lave flow that is a relic of the volcanic activity that shaped this scenic area. I carried my backpack and duffel bag with all my gear and walked to the mission to spend the night, but I constantly encountered a language barrier because I did not speak French and I was poor in Swahili. I finally met a Swiss fellow who was involved in a sting, trying to nail a Frenchman who was reported to have bought a gorilla hand ashtray. We had quite a discussion about poaching here, and his effort with WWF to prosecute people who were both poaching and buying gorilla products. He offered his help

4

in purchasing my food, change money to Francs, and generally get situated at the mission where I pitched my tent. Also met two couples Alan and Judith Lowe, and Kean and Claire. With an Australian companion Phil, traveled from England and had driven from Egypt through the Sahara, spent two months in Zaire, and had now driven to Rwanda. They had rafted the Congo River, where hundreds of people are barged up and down the river. They had met an American researcher studying the flora and fauna of the Ituri forest. These were great people as we shared at the mission. We finally got our dinner of beans, cabbage, fried potatoes and meat. Such a great meal and fellowship. They talked about the awesome Sahara and the stars at night. Then Zaire and its immense rainforests, but terribly bad roads that have ruts and holes in places 3 meters deep and which can suck a vehicle under. They also talked about Virunga Park and the Ruwenzaris, full of elephant, buffalo, chimpanzees, and gorilla. Went to sleep in my tent as it poured down rain, satiated from a good meal. Grateful to finally have arrived here.

5

May 5, Tuesday Got a ride with a French contractor Phillip to the base of the volcano on the way to Karisoke and dropped off at a village named Kinuju. Here I met with Conrad Aveling and his wife Rosalind, who was employed by the Frankfurt Zoo and the African Wildlife Foundation AWF (UPDATE: I connected with Conrad again 20 years later in 2000. He became director for ECOFAC in Gabon. He arranged for me an expedition into Gabon and Congo Brazzaville to film lowland gorilla). He has handled tourism and education for the Mountain Gorilla Project and had been involved in the habituation of the Mountain gorilla group known as Group 13. They both were working as education officers habituating gorilla groups to humans to enable gorilla-based tourism. The project achieved steady success as by the following year in 1982, tourist fees more than covered the cost of park

operations. His approach was to see the gorillas brought into tourism for their protection, primarily by generating revenue for the Rwandan government, in strong contrast to researchers who did not welcome outsiders. Conrad assigned me a park service guide Jonas Sebagenzi, an experienced tracker and guide who would take me alone to see a gorilla group not yet well habituated. Conrad checked my permit and sent me off up a red-cut dirt road with the guide. Parc du Vulcans protects a dramatic chain of seven volcanoes, forming a natural border with DRC and Uganda, one of the most beautiful forests and mountains in Africa. I had come equipped for the rain in the Virunga mountains which rise to just over 4500 meters (15,000 feet). Knowing it would be cool and wet, I brought sufficient warm clothing to spend time tracking and watching gorillas at an average altitude of 3000 meters (10,000 feet), not as difficult as my recent climb of Mt Kilimanjaro a few weeks ago. The volcanoes are only a few miles south of

6

the equator like Mt Kilimanjaro, and at higher elevation its most often cold and wet. I discovered that even my best new rain gear couldn't stand up to the constant and torrential downpours and I remained chilled when not climbing most of the day. I discovered gorillas don't much care for rain either shrugging in seemingly misery when raining. I learned that they spend a good thirteen hours or so in their night nests of carefully bordered piles of matted vegetation, then in the morning disperse and feed for a few hours, drowse for an hour or two during the warmest part of the day, then feed for another four or five hours to sustain them with enough energy to put in another thirteen hours of nest time. Food that includes nettles and bamboo shoots is abundant, and the gorillas are designed to adapt to equatorial mountain forests. There is only one species of gorilla in Africa, Gorilla gorilla, but their populations are concentrated in two distinct areas: West and East Africa with the 600 miles of Congo basin separating the two populations. Races of gorilla are the western lowland G gorilla gorilla, and eastern lowland G. g. graveri. The Uganda and Zaire populations are thought to be hybrids of both mountain and lowland gorilla. There are two populations of the Eastern gorilla. The easter population in the rift valley of Uganda, DRC and Rwanda are known as Mountain gorillas Gorilla gorilla beringe, which have a larger body size and longer hair than their lowland subspecies relatives Gorilla gorilla gorilla. Lowland gorillas are found in the Congo basin. Other primates in the Virungas include the golden or blue monkey Cercopithecus mitis, and the rare L’Hoest’s Monkey Cercopithecus lhoesti. Mammals include the black fronted duiker Cephalous niger, cape buffalo, forest elephant, bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus, and spotted hyena. There are 178 recorded bird species in the Virungas with 29 species and subspecies endemic. Incredibly beautiful day, with blue skies, fields a vivid green, and the steep volcanic cones of Mt Karisimbe, Bisoke a steep cone west called Sabinjo were all visible this morning. Jonas let me from the Pyrethrum farm into the bamboo forest laced with huge wide trails of Cape buffalo and elephant. Here he stopped and in broken English mixed with French, he attempted to explain to me what was expected in my behavior once we made contact with the gorillas. The scene was rather comical as he demonstrated our need to be passive by getting down on his hands and knees and pointed for me to do the same. I did. Then in French and Swahili, he attempted to tell me there were two vocalizations that I needed to know. I remembered Conrad sharing the day before about gorilla communication with what is called a double belch vocalization, DBV for short. Gorillas make the sound by a rasping inhalation and exhalation of breath. Humans make it by clearing their throats. The first time the sound is short and emphatic; the second sound follows immediately and is softer, more drawn out. DBVs are sounds of reassurance. Gorillas move slowly, and any abrupt action might be interpreted as a threat, so they make the sounds before changing position or when moving into

7

the proximity of another individual. It is a convenient way to signal lack of aggressive intent, and it's a handy thing for human visitors to know. But not understanding French I got confused with Jonas’ explanation. I thought he told me that if the dominant male, a silverback gave a double belch vocalization, hyumph, hymph, it was a warning and we were to get in this submissive position, grunting with an ooomph and then smack our lips, pretending to eat nettles. He attempted to instruct me not to look at the male in the eye. The passive belch from a silverback would be the ooomph, and we were to reply in like kind. I hoped I wouldn’t forget my lines. Conrad came back from

8

the guard station and the three of us proceeded to find a group that hadn’t been tracked in about a week. The dramatic scene of steep peaks and green slopes was inspirational. Once in the bamboo forest, we found a gorilla nest made the night before, and Jonas tracked them for 2.5 hours. The trail was almost imperceivable, but he could tell from a bent blade of grass how and where they were moving. Food supply was not as abundant here so this group had to move around more frequently and over greater distances to feed. He followed a trail of discarded bamboo shoots, some of them dug up under the soil. The group also ate thistle roots and wild celery. We surprised several large male golden monkeys, beautiful creatures. We finally found tracks that were made today, and fresh bamboo shoots that were eaten. We worked our way and twisted through vines, bamboo, and carpets of clubmoss. Clouds overtook the volcanic peaks and it began to rain lightly, getting eventually soaked working our way through wet nettles and understory. Finally, the grand moment. The first thing I heard was a massive passing of gas, impolitely speaking an incredibly deep and long fart. I suppressed my urge to bust out laughing, and in a now light mist as we heard the gorilla family breaking branches of bamboo and grunting. Then the silverback, unseen, heard our noise and burst out in a double belch vocalization of hyumph, hyumph. I forgot my lines and ended up answering the male in the same tone of voice that was a warning grunt not a DBV. The gorilla replied even louder and began to break branches around him in anger, while my guide turned around and put his hand over my mouth while together making sure I dropped to the ground. He began a reply with the single passive sound ooomph, and smacked his lips as though enjoying nettles. The silverback finally calmed down, still unseen in the undergrowth, then continued to break branches of bamboo and feed. We slowly worked our way around the understory to a place where we could see the gorilla family group, while both the guide and Conrad grunted a submissive, contented series of belches. Obviously, I kept quiet. Crawled on our hands and knees and inched slowly ahead, clearing and bending vegetation in front of us so that I could get a better view. I finally saw my first gorilla, a 2 ½ year-old playing in front of a huge, 350-pound silverback that was sitting in a patch of bamboo and nettle. He was sitting with his side towards us, then looked back over his shoulder to check up on the youngster and us. Incredible moment, but within a half-hour we were within 5 meters. The male would pass gas, then grunt, and I had to continually check myself from busting out laughing, recalling all my grandfather’s fart jokes. A charming

9

three-year-old female spotted us and batted her chest ‘pockety-pock-pock-pock’ then gave us a slow sideways glance. We smiled, without showing our teeth. All our movements had to be slow and non-threatening. It was one of the most incredible wildlife viewing moments in my life. I couldn’t believe I was viewing wild mountain gorillas in Rwanda. We were so close. After 15 minutes the male silverback got up and sat beside the female, but she began to grunt as we crawled closer. We would then stop, crouch down, and bend branches again pretending to eat leaves. All the while the little one ran up to us on several mock charges and beat on his chest. So comical, then he would flip upside down and play with his feet by his mother, pick his nose, then eat a few leaves. We could hear him chomp

down on the leaves. Another female, out of a total of seven in this group, began to nurse her almost newborn young, and moved when we got too close with the little one held on her shoulders. The male got up and cleared a new bed; he was magnificent and well muscled, with a beautiful silver back. Next to him a younger female stood and walked across some broken bamboo stalks. She pounded her protruding belly and occasionally glanced in our direction to see how intimidated we were by this terrifying display. She weighed about thirty pounds. One of the bamboo stalks broke under her, and she fell onto her back. She passed wind in several prolonged toots, then lolled her head over a piece of bamboo and stared, her soft

brown eyes sinking absurdly into the top of her head. Personalities varied as much as appearances. The juveniles tended to be bold, curious, mischievous; the adults were more restrained. It began to rain heavily during a brief shower, and the male seemed miserable, folded his arms and shrugged his massive

10

Silverback in group 9 with only one hand, the other lost in a poachers snare shoulders, rolling

11

shoulders, rolling his eyes up as if frustrated with the downpour waiting out the rain. Gorillas sometimes seem so depressed by the rain that they neglect to seek shelter; they sit, shivering and miserable, with the water drumming on their heads and a clear mucus running from their noses. He yawned with lips pulled away from his black tartar covered teeth, wet hair plastered to his head. Another young female came over cooing to him in high-pitched tones and after another half-hour he mounted her and mated, emitting sounds of content. We could see his back moving and Conrad said that it was uncommon to see gorillas copulate. Afterwards it began to rain even harder and they were inactive. After an hour and a half, we left crawling away. It was such a blessing to see these creatures. Thankyou Lord for the chance to see your magnificent creation, gorillas. I pray I will be able to get enough good photographs to share at home. Left for the Karisoke research camp base by truck with Conrad, and pitched my tent where I camped at the base of Mt. Bisoke which is at the western end of the Virungas. Pouring down rain. It was difficult trying to cook potatoes with wet firewood with my guide Jonas. He is also a Christian, and Hutu tribesman. Tomorrow we climb Mt. Bisoke, leaving at dawn at 6:00AM before the rains hit in the afternoon.

May 6, Wednesday It rained heavily most of the night but I still waited until morning to decide whether to climb Mt. Bisoke on my own. Overcast day but the sun shown through the clouds. I took the wrong trail at first up to the waterfalls, very beautiful stretch of trees, and surprised a duiker. The falls was incredibly nice, as the water braided its way down moss and rock covered slopes. The weather was too nasty to climb so I hiked down the five miles to Cheny Kinuma to see if I could catch Group 9, a gorilla family with a lead male that was missing a hand from a snare. The walk through the forest and the open fields was pleasant. Fields of pyrethrums, beans, and potatoes contrasted a beautiful green with the volcanoes lit by the early

12

morning sun. Young children ran out to say hello, women and men hoeing their fields shouted ‘bonjour’. I would reply in French ‘Bonjour’ and that I didn’t speak it, then they would switch to Swahili and ask where I came from and where I was going. ‘To see the gorilla’s’ I would reply in what little Swahili that I knew ‘kwenda kuona gorilla.’ I arrived in time at Chez Kanuma and caught a park guard that told me Group 9 was still in Zaire on the other side of the mountain, so I rushed down the trail to the departure point for Group 13. It was mildly raining by the time I met the small group and with the guide ascended to bamboo thickets. We worked our way up through bamboo and spring-fed bogs, and finally saw our first nest, and fresh feces. After several hours of tracking by noon we heard the group feeding and moving through the forest. They approached a clearing and remained for a while as I caught up. One youngster climbed a sapling to get a better view of us, so we stopped and crouched down to wait.

The young gorilla walked right up to the guide, then me and I pretended to eat leaves. He back-flipped away and joined his mother. We followed them to the bamboo where a magnificent silverback stopped for a moment to eat. Here we also saw a bushbuck in the meadow. The young gorilla climbed a bamboo stalk, and as it began to bend over, he slid down in such a comical way. Finally, the whole group stopped moving and rested in a grass clearing. I couldn’t believe this wonderful opportunity. God gave me a vision the evening before and this morning that I would see a large silverback in a clearing. The magnificent male granted fulfilled that vision as he posed sideways, displaying a well-muscled

13

Interactions with several different groups Mountain gorillas in 1981 Parc de Vulcans Rwanda

14

animal. The females were digging up thistle roots, ate the heads right down to the ground. Finally left the gorilla group just as it began to pour down rain and the gorillas took cover. The silverback had such a massive head. I couldn’t help praising the Lord walking on the way back towards the road from the volcano. He honored my desires even when I got discouraged. It is amazing how deep His love really is. I walked the two hours up the road from Muside. I was very tired. Cooked rice in tomato sauce over an open fire in the cooking hut tonight. I hadn’t eaten much in two days. The cooking rice looks good even through the smoke. I learned there was a group of 45 forest elephant seen just east of here, and one of the guards fired several rounds into the air to scare them away from the potato fields and shambas, traditional round huts roofed with straw. This area is incredible for wildlife as we saw fresh buffalo feces all over the trails. Thankyou Lord for today. Shared a lot with a park guard over the coals of a fire, a good evening. May 7, Thursday Was woken up by the hoarse cry of tree hyraxes in the early morning in camp. They were really noisy. Occasional echoes of thunder rolled off the hills. It was a fantastic day today as I was able to join a group of 5 Rwandan schoolteachers from Kigigi scheduled to see group 9. The mist began to burn off as we began the climb following our tracker on the lower slopes of a volcano Bisoke, just above Lake Ngezi. The temperature rose to seventy degrees as we ascended the Hyperian, Habeneria forest with arching, twisted and gnarled giant trees, and open fields of nettles, Galium or bedstraw that is a weed in my home Washington State, a food preferred by mountain gorillas. We heard a great variety of birdsong, and the mists moved in as we climbed the fog-shrouded, steep slopes. The excitement was building as we approached the area where group 9 had nested just last night. After hours of painful climbing through chest-high nettles, it was a relief to enter a sloping hagenia meadow. To our right, great dripping branches hung cantilevered over us appearing as if it were carpeted in green velvet at its greatest depth. Thunder rolled in the distance, but here the trail became much easier to follow until we finally saw the gorillas, 11 of them feeding along the steep slope in nettles within an open forest. They were taking their afternoon siesta together. The teachers were so animated, excited to see these magnificent creatures as we crawled on our knees towards them. The gorillas ignored us for a while, totally flattened out and relaxes. A youngster, however, continued to play, biting and pestering a larger 4-year old twice his size. After 1.5 hours of observing sleep, another female joined the group and they all began to awaken. It was a magnificent site to see the young females walk right past Conrad and me. Couldn’t believe how non-chalant this group was concerning our presence. The sub-rival male approached the group from the periphery, while the large group of females walked by us. Finally, the handsome silverback male sat next to me,

15

then looked at me with inquisitive deep-set amber eyes as he leaned on his elbows. Couldn’t believe its huge, massive head. Unfortunately, he and two females in his group had lost a hand to snares set by poachers for bushbuck and duiker. Very sad to see them crippled. Another female went by us with a small baby riding on her back. He was enjoying the ride while she fed on leaves from nettles. Two infants, both less than two years old, and two juveniles, both about four, lay together in a furry heap. One of the juveniles stripped the leaves off a vine and stuffed them into his mouth. An infant reached up, grabbed the juvenile, and pulled him backward. The juvenile's mouth was open, and his face shone with a kind of idiot joy. His play chuckle, a heh-heh-heh sound, was barely audible. It resembled the sound a child might make laughing helplessly in church. The largest juvenile, a six-year-old female climbed a small tree and stared down at me. Slowly the tree began to topple, bending until the trunk broke with a sharp crack and this female rolled into the dense vegetation on the forest floor. I was never able to decide whether gorillas are extraordinarily bad judges of which trees will hold them or whether they simply regard riding a breaking branch as an exciting and efficient way to get down to the ground. We all enjoyed the day and broke contact, heading back down through the forest of Senecio/ Lobelia with three species of nettles, one that stung viciously. There were yellow flowers blooming on the senecios and on the vine-entangled Hypericurn trees. Below, the surface of Lake Ngezi was partially blue as still and blue as the partly cloudy sky above. The chain of volcanoes stretched out, noble and massive in the distance, ranging all the way to Uganda in one direction and to Zaire in another. I felt, in that bright, aureate moment, that I was watching one of the loveliest scenes on the face of the earth. It seemed timeless having watched the lazy frolic, the drowsy gorilla family at peace in the provident forest, the special beauty

16

of the lake and the mountains. I found myself thinking of the of the Garden of Eden. So elated to spend time with the excited school teachers. Once back to my camp, off in the distance, the clouds parted over Karisimbi and the mountain shone with a red-orange *spectral glow. It was a beautiful evening of a partial sunset. Thankyou Lord for your love and chance to see your creation. May 8, Friday Met a group of missionaries that came to see the gorillas, but I didn’t have enough francs to pay for the guides and park fee. I instead found it a good day to climb Mt. Bisoke, even in the overcast weather. At the Karisoke-Bisoke trail junction, I finally got to meet up with Ann Pierson, the girlfriend of Jim Slade with Sobek that stayed with me several nights on their way from California through to the Tatshenshini run in Alaska a few years back. She was doing territorial studies of Numbe, several other groups, and of Brutus, a male silverback that had bitten three researchers on the back of their necks, sending two of them for evacuation to be hospitalized. She was justifiably afraid of getting close to this gorilla group. Ever since George Schaller's pioneering work with the mountain gorilla in 1960, it had been known that no gorilla will attack a man who holds his ground. No gorilla except Brutus. The records at Karisoke indicate that he has injured three people in twelve years; local people put the number at six or seven, and they tell lurid tales of entire calf muscles being stripped away from the leg by those great teeth. I was hoping to get to see her groups, but had been blackmailed by Sandy Harcourt, the British Primate Researcher overseeing Karisoke after Diane Fossey had left because of an alcoholic problem. He wanted $1500.00 US for the ‘privilege of seeing the research groups’. I declined and chided him for this approach since my goal was to encourage tourism of the gorilla groups, and that alone is what will save their habitat. He was too possessive of the gorilla group and was myopic, arrogant, and full of self inflated gas. His wife however was pleasant, the daughter of actor Jimmy Stewart. There was a depression that hung over the researchers working there. Poor Ann lamented that none of the researchers got along with each other. I rediscovered again that true joy comes in giving of yourself and sharing with people, not living in isolation and studying animals as I had once, and wanted to continue in that field. After venting my frustration with the research system with Ann, who agreed, I finally left and attempt to reach the summit before the afternoon rains. I brought a parc guide with me and we climbed along a steep, very muddy trail, slipped constantly on roots and slick volcanic mud all the way up, but what an inspirational forest we passed through. The large, twisted trunks of Hagenia trees (Rose family) arched over the trail, giant groundsel with bizarre, stalked spikes, and a variety of flowers. We then ascended through a zone of moss-covered giant lobelia and groundsel seen during my ascent of Mt. Kilimanjaro the month before.

17

I finally reached the summit at 3711 meters (12, 250 feet) and the fog cleared just around the immediate center of the sunken volcanic cone filled in by a lake. Walked around the grass-covered crater edge, and spooked lots of black-fronted duiker, and 3 large reddish-colored bushbuck in the water. The giant groundsel and moss was a deep verdant green that contrasted with the deep violet green

18

Top Bisoke crater with lake, middle Karisimbi saddle, waterfall, myself and Jason on summit of Bisoke

19

steep embankment sloping off to a saddle of Mt Karisimbi. Fog began blowing in and out and revealed the Zaire side of the volcano Mt Kerismbe and Mt Mikeno to the west and a magnificent forest below. This is such a beautiful spot. Walked around the volcano rim on the Zaire side, where there was unbroken forest as far as the eye could see.

There were occasional orchids along the edge of vegetation thickets where protected from wind, displaying bright to pale red flowers and stalks contrasting vibrantly against the green. I surprised more duiker, and a bushbuck that barked like a dog. The duikers responded to alarm with a bird-like chirp. On the other side of the crater I discovered a bog with chest-high grass and sedges with scattered orchids. Sunk in to the knees walking across it. Started to rain just as I got back to my starting point on the crater. Began the descent on my feet, but in the heavy rain and mud ended up literally sliding on my behind all the way down the mud-bogged trail. Once back in the lower elevation Hagenia forest, I spotted a group of 30 forest elephants feeding, crashing through the vegetation and tearing up the plants. One caught my scent and trumpeted while I searched for the nearest tree to get up if she charged. It was really a climax to a good day.

Red duiker, black fronted duiker Karisimbi saddle Virunga Park is really rich in wildlife. I returned exhausted but exhilarated and joined Conrad that evening who gave a WWF movie conservation project film to the village Chez Kamunu. I appreciated Conrad’s friendliness and concern for people in the village. In contrast to the egalitarian research group he understood the need for tourism and educating the local population to want to preserve their heritage and wildlife. Most of them had never seen a gorilla, even less a movie. A large group turned out as Conrad's assistant blared the film sound over the truck loudspeaker in Swahili and French. The villagers were ecstatic as the screen was raised on the outside of the truck, the generator fired up, to run the projector. The slides and two movies really inspired the people watching, especially comical scenes of the gorillas playing and eating. Unfortunately, the black park warden was drunk that night and he slurred his words explaining the

20

White cheeked turaco, green reed frog, scarlet chested & variable sunbirds, white cheeked turaco

Swallowtail butterfly, lycaenid hairstreak butterfly, Orthopterid grasshopper, colobus monkey, blue monkey, chamaeleons, Blue monkey, Parc De Vulcans Rwanda

21

Golden monkeys Certhopithicus kandti (Guenon) Parc de Vulcans Rwanda parks mission over the microphone. He was a pushy guy according to Conrad, who had shot a man that year while drunk, and got bailed out in 3 days by the Director of Parks for Rwanda. The whole Rwandan scene seems bleak as they are only interested in money, especially since Tutsi dominance. The problem of banana beer and drunkenness in this area is really severe. Even half of the guards are affected with lack of concern of the animals or the preserve. Hopefully the starting of wildlife clubs in schools as done in Kenya will generate a youth that become adults genuinely concerned for conservation in their country. Thankyou Jesus for another good day. May 9, Saturday

Sunshine, clear skies this morning. Left to go up Karisoke research camp at 7:15 AM and to the saddle above. A beautiful walk, especially the saddle. The Hagenia forest at this elevation was dwarfed, like giant oaks with large trunks that branched in grand sweeping limbs. The twisted forms were heavy with epiphytes, moss, orchids and ferns. The trees

were interspersed through in sections of forest throughout open and lush sections of bog meadows. Discovered plenty of Cape buffalo and elephant trails. Saw many black-fronted duikers here, safe from poachers near the research center. The forest was really inspirational with the heavy burden of epiphytes and large limbed trees, in some respects like the giant big-leaf maple riparian forests of the Olympic Peninsula and the Hoh River. Birdsong rich in melodic calls of thrushes, chats, the Ruwenzari Turaco, weavers, and starlings. The area was rich in life and flowers. Met Kelly and Amat Karisoke, two park guards on patrol on the volcano slopes, then I headed into the meadows between the saddle of Mt. Bisoke and Karisimbi and walked into Zaire. Beautiful meadows and wetlands here that were full of sedges, orchids and Lobelia. I was so blessed by the area. Mt. Varisoke rose

22

steeply to the north above the Hagenia forest, while Mt. Karisimbi became enshrouded with clouds. Meadows spread above the hummocks, filled with clover that had a blue flower. Cape buffalo prefers feeding on clover here. There were sprays of yellow flowers I could not identify. Its was quiet here, except for the melodies of birds. I was experiencing much peace in this remote forest and

regretted leaving and wanted to explore so much more of this area. I descended the trail back to camp and met several of Conrad’s friends who came in from Kigali with the project. Had my first beer in ages, and Rosalind made a homemade pizza and cabbage salad for us all. Thankyou again Lord for a full and rich day in the mountains of Africa.

May 10, Sunday Beautiful dawn and sunrise over Muhavara, Gabinga, and Sabinyo. I left at 9:00AM from camp after parting with the WWF project team and began the 20-mile hike down the mountain road to Ruhengeri below. It was an inspirational walk with magnificent scenery, through fields and meadows, the trail through small huts and farms. Groups of children greeted me ‘Bonjour’, then follow me inquisitively wondering where I was from and what was I doing. A young man offered to carry may small daypack with heavy camera gear, while I carried the heavy load of tents, sleeping bag, food, pots and clothes. We walked past green,

23

Livingston turaco, white cheeked turaco

rolling pastures with grazing longhorn cattle. The volcanoes loomed up behind me, and I felt a sadness to leave the beauty of this place.

24

The green foothills lay below me as I passed the Bisate village, where women carried loads of water in large clay pots from a communal well to their home. All were wearing brightly-colored African print wraps. This was Sunday. Unfortunately, a few men were still drunk on banana beer drunk through the night. I continued to walk through cultivated eucalyptus forest and cedar trees, and even though exotic trees, there was rich birdsong all around. The Lord brought me peace here too, and I reflected on past pleasant walks in the Cascade Mountains and Peru and thought of my family. More children and adults hoeing their potato fields, cutting wood, or harvesting pyrethrum. Children shouted in play, men drove goats with whistles, and women called to one another across the fields. I had sore feet by the time I reached Ruhengeri where I pitched my tent again at the mission. Lord you are so good, you are my life. May I give more totally to you. Thankyou for this day, its message, and its beauty. May 11, Monday Had a fine meal last night, shared with the Rwandan Mission cooks in the kitchen. This morning the Lord brought a taxi, a Toyota pickup truck with a cage on the back right to my camp. I left with the driver at 6:00AM for Kigali and got to sit in the cab. Enjoyed the fog hanging over Ruhengeri, and as we moved along the road, we added about 25 people to ferry in the steel-caged bed. Incredible load of people and goods, and it took us 5 hours to return. Passed several groups of Chinese advisors teaching the local communes how to terrace and irrigate their land and develop a rice crop. Rained hard once we arrived in Kigali, but I felt good to be back and get a good cold shower and clean up. And ate a good lunch. I think I dropped another 5-10 pounds. Over the next few days I finally ate a buffet meal in one of the nicer hotels in Kigali and met a Boeing corporate lawyer Bob Murkle and his son Pete, both from Seattle who flew their Cessna 210 across the Atlantic to Africa. Also met Ron Peters and his family from Everett, who is with the American embassy, US State Department in Kigali. Good conversation, however a Rwandan cargo plane, a 707 lost its nose gear and skidded to a halt in the middle of the Kigali airstrip, locking it under the aircraft. A salvage team was sent by Air France to take care of the problem, but now the airport is closed, and the airstrip blocked for a week. Air Tanzania was supposed to make it in, so again we are in suspense as to what will happen. The hotel received a telex declaring the airport was officially closed, and an Ethiopian jet was turned away. I fortuitously met Earl Morton, a Baptist missionary and Kathy Cindy at the hotel, and since he was overseeing Kathy to Dar Es Salaam but had to go to Bujumbura to get a flight out, he offered to drive me as well. We left at 2:00PM and in a mad rush, our goal was to try and make it to the Burundi-Rwanda border by 5:30 PM to clear customs. The border gate closed at 6:00PM. And we had a long way to drive through poor roads. Earl drove madly through winding paved roads in the small French Renault, constantly honking his horn to alert cattle crossing the road, people on bicycles,

25

and trucks that never yielded to just their side of the road passing oncoming slow trucks ahead of them. Then the dirt section, rutted and muddy. Just before Bakare, we encountered a very bad washed-out section and entered a detour through a muddy side road where we almost slipped into a ditch. The ‘road’ was more footpath than anything else, and we had to push the car through several hundred feet in one section and got covered with red mud from spinning tires. Passed a mini-bus that had completely rolled over, and we watched with a passing glance as locals help turn it back over. Finally, the original road and came to the border, thank the Lord in a record 3.5 hour. Cleared customs by 6:00PM, and Earl drove us another 2.5 hours to Bujumburu. He was great to travel with and full of jokes. We got a hold of Ben and Sarah by 10:00PM since the hotels were all full. Drove to their home and had good sharing, then a deep sleep inspired by exhaustion. The Dodzweits will take me to the small airport to catch a flight to Dar es Salaam tomorrow. Thank you Lord for their love and faith in you, and their generosity in time. DAR ES SALAAM FROM KIGALI RWANDA They dropped me off at the small airport the next morning and caught a flight that was only an hour long, flying over vast tracks of Acacia and Miombo woodland forest. The plane hovered around Dar Es Salaam, and I saw the Indian Ocean for the first time in a month. Beautiful beaches and sand atolls formed by coral reefs. Once into Dar we met Cindy’s parents, rushed through customs, then they dropped me off downtown Dar es Salaam. We learned that a group of Tanzanian thugs robbed part of a British Airways flight of tourists, armed with pongas or machetes. Pack in hand was soaked and wet with sweat from the high humidity here, and I was carrying two heavy packs. I made it to the Bank of Tanzania, but predictably the hassles began to try and get the money that was confiscated when I left Arusha for Rwanda. Said I didn’t have all the right documents, so I was forced to wait. While staying in a hostel with a Tanzanian pastor for two days, (and which I had no money to pay for), I finally met with the director of the bank. He refused to pay my debit slip of 4,000 Tanzanian shillings owed by customs. After stating that I was a writer who was documenting my stay in Tanzanian wildlife parks and cities, he finally conceded to return my money the next morning, even though I was lacking a particular receipt that I needed in addition to the one I had. Came back the next morning (third day) and the Lord blessed me afterwards as Air Tanzania returned my money for the airfare I spent at Arusha to get to Rwanda. Praise the Lord, trials like this really test my patience, and the lack of it is one of my weaknesses. I contacted bushtreckers about their camp in the Selous, but it was too rainy to fly out there today. I had met Peter Matthiesson while in Churchill, Manitoba and he gave me a draft copy of his book ‘Sand Rivers’, about the Selous Game Preserve. He said it was an incredible place that was still wild. So, I was here to enter its wilderness through his own personal recommendation.

26

Dar es Salaam is a large city, and I walked from the beach house that bushtrekkers had set me up in to the harbor, a bay of sandy beaches with old Arabian style wood fishing boats lying on their sides on the beach. The boats were being repaired by black, Arab descent fisherman, caulking the hulls with cotton and pitch. The boats had triangular sails and are able to sail through difficult weather. There were also old rusting ships that littered the harbor, with flags from all over the world. Fish markets were interesting with lots of variety of rockfish. Walked back towards the city, Tanzanian presence everywhere, with machine guns. Had to watch out for gangs of black robbers with pongas (machetes). Several groups sized me up as I walked along the beach. When I pulled out my camera, there was no incident, thanks to the Lord. At night however, it is a different story. Thankyou Father for today. I look forward to home and seeing my church family. May 14, Thursday The Lord was again faithful in my need this morning. Almost didn’t get the money owed me from the Bank of Tanzania and were going to postpone this decision until Monday. My declaring the poor accounting methods of the customs staff shouldn’t be used to penalize me. They finally paid back my confiscated money. Later in the afternoon I met with Jim and Tammy, missionaries that were in seminary. Also met with the Tanzanian pilot Kivetu who will fly me into the Selous, and the East Indian gentleman TCC with Bushtrekkers. TCC was scheduling to check me in as a gratuity guest in their best hotel private cabanas on North beach tomorrow. Diving is supposed to be excellent here. Thankyou Lord again for your provision. We ate lunch at noon and enjoyed great local fish. Afterwards I walked the beach in the sun, where there were a few puffy clouds, and passed a large fish market where there were red snapper, grouper, and squid being sold. I was baked in the high humidity and heat so swam in the refreshing Indian ocean and hung out building sandcastles. Reflected on home and read letters I had just picked up from the post office in Dar, some from Christ Church and one from Bob Charters. Good day enjoying the beauty and mystic of the land of Zanzibar made known by Lowell Thomas. Looking forward to finishing the Selous and getting home. I was finally able to pay my room bill at the Lutheran mission hostel. May 15-115, Friday-Saturday Spent the morning walking through Dar, witnessing large lines of people waiting either for gasoline or kerosene. Observed the early sun highlighting beautiful beaches with swaying palm trees and manicured estates. I shared a room in the hostel with a Tanzanian national pastor who had studied under Pastor Dean Peterson in Arusha, and I ended up paying for his stay at the hostel. Wonderful man. I told him I had hiked 100 miles with his two sons from Mt. Meru west of Arusha to Lake Natron on the rift valley, and how we stayed in Masai bomas on

27

the way. I had really enjoyed that family and staying with them. Also climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. The pastor and I worshipped the Lord together in our rented hostel room for an hour, and I learned the song “He is Lord” in Swahili. The Lord really filled my life with His love and fellowship with this amazing African pastor. Left for the Kahunga Beach Hotel and Oyster Bay today. Had a terrific lobster dinner baked in cheese sauce in the shell, what a magnificent dinner. And with fresh salad. Palm trees swaying in the breeze, it was a happy way to spend the afternoon, and such a relief after Rwanda. Checked into the hotel at Kimbuchi, beautiful Arabian architecture, good beach. Swam again in the Indian Ocean until the late evening sun barely hung over the horizon. The islands glimmered off the distance, fishing canoes with their triangular sails coming in with their catches. Met with four Air Tanzania pilots who live here, and we shared a great barbecue dinner spread at the hotel: a whole roast pig, filleted steaks, salads, roasted tuna; incredible food and evening under the stars of the southern hemisphere. One of the pilots, John had lost his entire fishing business and flying business in Mozambique due to a Communist takeover several years ago. Interesting story in that he came to Tanzania to start over. He said the best dining was in Zanzibar, and I was leaving tomorrow to visit a small city to the south, Bugamayo. May 17, Sunday Overcast day. TCC drove me 50 kilometers to the north the Bugamayo, the Arab port of slave trade in the 1500’s and the point where Stanley began his quest into Africa in his search for Dr. Livingston. The town had several large Arabic-sultan homes on the beach, and the large buildings with iron bars that housed thousands of cramped and scared slaves. It was a very depressing place. Boats had just brought fish in from the sea. A different character to the land here. Slaves were carried to Zanzibar, and I thanked the Lord that this was finally abolished. Thought of all the families broken up, and the pain those torn families experienced; this is a depressing place. Not much agriculture here, some bananas, coconut, manioc. Largely sandy soil, rice grown in wetland areas. As we drove back, noticed the fishing boats coming in that were done for the day, and locals were gathering in the markets to buy fish in the auctions. Bumpy road on the way back. We were whooping it up over the huge bumps like cowboys riding a bull. Found a brilliant red bishop (bird). Back in Dar at my hotel, had a good dinner of deep fried tuna, and visited again with Joey, and Harry Gunner,

28

Tanzanian Air pilots. A full moon rose over the beach at night, illuminating the veranda of the hotel. An incredible mystic to this land of history and tragedy. May 18, Monday Rained again, overcast. Got to Dar, still not flying yet to the Selous since there are too many heavy thunderheads. Bush plane crashed last week that was caught in a huge downdraft. Visited Bahare beach again, the coral reefs have been dynamited offshore by locals, and the result has been no more protection of the lagoon and beach, which is slowly eroding. Found a dead sea turtle that was butchered, sad waste. The Tanzanians here are desperate enough to only think of today and kill what they can for food but are in the process of exterminating their heritage in wildlife. I am thankful to the Lord for the rest here, and the peaceful Indian Ocean. I have a hut-style room with a view of the ocean and coral rock spalls in the interior theme. Had a hot shower, what a blessing tonight. I haven’t relaxed this much in a long time. Swallows nest under the roof eave right outside my room. Taking a brief walk outside my room, I heard and found Paradise wydahs, weavers, pigeons, manabirds, and lorikeets in the palms. Read 2 Cor. Tonight. NYUNGWE NATIONAL PARK RWANDA SOUTH LAKE KIVU NEAR BURUNDI We had traveled through the park from Burundi to Rwanda by car.

29

On the way to Nyungwe national Park through Burundi and southern Rwanda

Nyungwe, one of the last remaining primary forest ecosystems left in Rwanda and Burundi

30

Wild Chimpanzes Nyungwe National Park southern Rwanda south of Lake Kivu