The Impenetrable Forest and Gorillas

 

 

 Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the local couples with President and Sister Chatfield traveled 12 hours from Kampala to the southwest corner of Uganda to the Impenetrable Forest to see the mountain gorillas.(Not sure why they call it a forest as it is really a jungle.)  April/May and November are the off season prices because it is the "rainy" season so we were able to get tickets to the park at a discount.  Elder Wallace was able to take 6 couples in the mission van so we shared the gas and treats.  It was really fun.  The President decided at the last minute to take his SUV so Elder and Sister Squire rode with them.  It was perfect as we could all spread out and enjoy the ride.  The ride for the first part was excellent but as we got near the forest the roads continued to deteriorate and became almost intolerable for those in the back of the van. We made it in about 12 hours.  The Engagi Resort Lodge was delightful and we had a wonderful dinner and a great night's sleep.  We were up at 6:00 AM and off on the trek by 9:00 after getting our instructions.  Susan and 3 others of the group went trekking to a family of gorillas closer to the lodge, where as the 6 in my group went on an 8 hour trek to a different gorilla family. Both of us had a delightful time and both of us shared our pictures on the blog. We returned to the lodge, had a shower and headed for home. The gorillas were amazing and an experience of a lifetime! One we would never have taken without Elder and Sister Wallace's encouragement.  They had been there a month ago and loved it.  While we saw the gorillas the Wallace's climbed a mountain and visited a pigmy village. 

So, the first pictures were taken by Susan.  (She had a new little camera and was just getting use to it.)  When you trek you are led in by a guide and an armed policeman because there are forest elephants that are not friendly to people but are very afraid of gunshots and will run the other direction.  Sue's group hiked for about 30 minutes through a beautiful jungle...most of the way on trails.  There are 3 families of gorillas in this southwest area of the park.  They each have their own territory and do not cross into another family's area.  After about 30 minutes they reached the trackers who have gone ahead and spotted the gorilla family.  From there the trackers lead the group and you are advised to always remain behind a tracker.  You are also only allowed to observe the gorillas for 60 minutes and you are told to remain at least 7 meters from them.  If you have to cough or sneeze you have to turn away from the gorillas as they try and protect them from human diseases.  My group drove for 1 1/2 hours, trekked for 2 1/2 hours, met the trackers and were able to observe the gorillas for about 30 minutes before they moved away.  

 

The family Sue observed had 9 members and 1 new baby.  The leader is always a male and is a silverback.  At the age of about 13 they develop a wide silver strip of hair across their back and are known as a silverback.  This was the silverback Sue observed

 A gorilla usually lives about 50 years.  As he ages he may lose his leadership spot in the family, but he can remain with the group if he can keep up and has a good relationship with the new silverback. 

Gorillas are mostly herbivores but do also eat ants.

They are really fun animals to observe because they have lots of expressions.

This one was eating leaves and thoroughly enjoying himself. 

 

This one looks frightening but was just eating.  They are very curious animals.

The group followed the family into a meadow of waist high foliage.  The gorillas sat down and started eating.  The group soon realized they were entirely surrounded by the family all enjoying the thick foliage. 

The trackers have given all the family members names and they all have identifying characteristics so they can tell them apart.

  

This was a special find to see this baby with its mother.  The guide said the baby was about 4 months old.  They are no bigger than a human baby when born.

 Here baby was checking out Mom's head.  This baby was still nursing and at one point the mother laid down and nursed him.

 

 The tracker was good to clear away some of the foliage so Sue could get close to get a photo.  

  

 This photo was taken when the family was climbing down from a huge fig tree where they eaten breakfast.

 



More climbing down...

Good picture of how thick the foliage was.

The trackers and guide would use machetes to clear the path for the group and to clear the view so good photos could be taken.

The guide made a growly purring sound and the gorillas answered back with the same sound.

It was the guide's way of finding out if the gorillas are OK with humans being there and observing.  

This is the last of Sue's photos and the gorilla family she observed. 

 

 

Now Ray's photos... 

Some of the village children in the mountains as we entered the Impenetrable Forest -- the home of this family of gorillas.

 

This baby was one of three in this family of 12.  There were 12 more in this group that had split away and live near by.  We were told they come together for a reunion once a year.   

 

This mother is so patient with this baby who was all over her.

 

This male is not the silverback but is next in line.

This family stuck close together and watched us as we watched them.

 

This little guy was all over this big male who was so gentle and kind.

More play time 

I am just sure the two are laughing and playing.

The male sits up and seems ready to move on.

  

The silverback cleaning one of his mates 

 

  

 

The CRANE is the National Bird of Uganda and is on the national red, black, and yellow flag.  I had never seen one and had to blow this photo up to get this one.  You probably can't see it but it has a yellow crown on its head. 

 

I was able to catch a photo of this beautiful bird outside our hotel room on the way to Masaka for Church on Sunday.

 

On our way out of the of the forest we ran into some incredible bad roads, with a washed out bridge,   some major contraction and a 50 km patch of road that had humongous pot holes.  It took us 8 hours to travel what should have been a 100 km ride and taken a third of that time.  The hotel we stayed at on the way home was probably built during the 50's and would have been spectacular; but in 2014, it was a dive.  It happened to be the only one within a 2 hour drive and it was 1:00 AM.  We were glad to get it.  The next morning we woke up to shower and get ready to attend church in Masaka...two hours down the road... and this was what greeted us.  Needless to say a bottle of 

purified water is what we shared to take care of our hygiene needs for the day. 

That's Africa Baby... and we love it.