This was a trip I planned with Sofie and Selma, where we hiked in Rwenzori Mountains National Park!! Our adventure started with a lot of preparation. Working with our different schedules and the little time left in Kasese complicated things. We organized everything with Mumbere (one who works at the school and in the tourism project), to arrange our permits to enter the national park, camping gear, food, etc. It was a big surprise to hear we would be a group of 15! Selma, Sofie, and I were accompanied by 12 other people: 2 guides (who we've worked with), 2 guards, 7 sherpas (but African style), and another man named William. Walking with familiar faces and people we trusted was definitely a comfort. The hike itself was no walk in the park, featuring more hills than we could remember, river crossings, and some comical mud slips. We took frequent water breaks, and even got a refreshing shower and impromptu thunder and lightning show courtesy of Mother Nature. However, the downpour left just about everything drenched.
Upon arriving at our first campsite, we were faced with the daunting task of drying out our gear, including our soggy sleeping bags and mattresses. The people hiking with us got fires built, a shelter put up over us, plus set together our tent. Getting out of wet clothes and sitting by a hot fire felt so nice. Sofie, Selma, and I were served a nice lunch and dinner. Down below our campsite was a little creek, and we even saw some monkeys in the trees!! Before bed, we all talked around the campfire and shared stories.
The night turned out to be quite the comedy of errors as our sleeping bags stubbornly refused to dry, despite our best efforts by the fire. Tossing, turning, and freezing, we made it through the night and started hiking again around 8:30. Our start point was at around 1,400 meters, and we hiked up to 3000 m (roughly 10,000 feet), but the highest point is about 5000 m (16,400 ft.) It consists of thick and lush rainforest, and after we reached a certain elevation, we entered the "bamboo zone.” The views were so so gorgeous and like nothing I’ve ever seen before.
Looking back on this wild and wacky trip, I can't help but chuckle at the things that went wrong, but it was truly a trip to remember! I’m so happy I was able to do this before returning home.
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