Trekking, Tracking, and Trusting

 

Porters helping me navigate the crossing of a stream

It was magnificent!

It was exhausting!

It was everything I had hoped it would be, and so much more!

I really believed that the "end game" for trekking mountain gorillas in Africa would be seeing these colossal creatures up close, in their natural habitat.  Little did I know, that there was much more to extrapolate from my adventure than reaching the single goal for which I had been aiming.

Only in reflecting upon this experience from the rearview mirror, was I able to appreciate its broader realm.

 RELINQUISHING MY FIERCELY INDEPENDENT NATURE :
We were advised to hire porters, during our trek into the jungle, to carry our backpacks and help us over and through the vine-snaked ground.  

Removing my backpack from my shoulders, Prudence - my porter, set out a couple of steps ahead of me, frequently peering back to ensure that I was close behind.  Arriving at an incline in the landscape, she reached for my hand to help me trudge upwards.  When tree roots twisted above the ground, she took my elbow for extra support, guiding me assuredly ahead.

She anticipated my unfamiliarity with the terrain, and with a genuine smile, made small talk - I was certain, to distract me from my exertion.

Prudence took my safety into her own hands, as did the other porters - regardless of the trekker to whom they were assigned.  

It has never felt easy or natural for me to accept help in any endeavor, but those moments in which my toe caught a rogue, low-lying branch, or when I took short breaks to catch my breath, or when my foot sunk down past my ankle in mud - lodging itself quite firmly in the African earth, my challenge was never faced alone, but with the warmth and concern of people who had been strangers just a short time before.

 It doesn’t happen often, but I allowed my vulnerability to surface and, effortlessly, placed my trust, (along with my infinite gratitude), in Prudence and the rest of the porters.

BEING A GUEST IN SOMEONE'S HOME : As I lumbered through the foliage, I intrinsically knew to treat the environment with the respect that it deserves since it sustains the lives of the mountain gorillas.  I reminded myself, often, that everything in this lushly blanketed pocket of green depended on everything else to keep its biodiversity healthy, relevant, and cyclical. 

No bug spray adhering to plants or trees; no food scraps tossed on the ground; no pocketing of twigs, leaves, or shedded exoskeletons discarded by their former inhabitants.  I adhered to the adage, "Leave nothing but footprints behind.", and even that was questionable as the dense forest floor did not yield to the weight of my steps. 

A house is an enclosed structure - a “dwelling”, but a home can be created anywhere, as long as the essential elements exist for an entity to thrive.

HUMAN OR NOT, FAMILIES ARE OUR FIRST TEACHERS :  A person's home is the place where he/she should be loved, cared for, develop a value system, learn to distinguish right from wrong, and continue to grow and flourish in every way. The primates' jungle is no different.  

I witnessed the family of gorillas interacting with and tending to each other by means of their grooming behaviors, proximity to their relatives, and being guarded under the protective eyes and somewhat intimidating size of the silverback. 

Emulating the conduct of their elders and siblings, they understood socialization, delighted in playfulness, and knew when they needed a bit of solitude in order to regroup or recharge.

These animals love, think, feel, misbehave, and challenge - much as we do, and their behaviors are either accepted or redirected by members of their family.  

Because they have seen people trekking throughout their jungle, along with the mandatory parameters under which we were allowed to observe and photograph them, the mountain gorillas have come to trust us to maintain a healthy distance from their troop and refrain from interfering with or distracting them from their normal routine.  We returned that trust by honoring the strict guidelines that protect their lives and environment.

When we look into the eyes of this magnificent primate, how can we not see a reflection of ourselves in his soulful gaze?  

FAITH IN FINDING OUR GORILLA FAMILY :  Each group of 8 people who came to trek was "assigned" to one of the many families of mountain gorillas that reside in that area.  A guide led us through the brush, branches, and brambles, while staying in communication with "trackers" - their mission, long underway, whose job it was to track particular troops, based on where they had slept the previous night.

How in the world is that even possible?  

The trackers are experts at determining in which direction the gorillas have moved, based on leftover or dropped food; (and speaking of "drop"....) their actual bodily "droppings"; sounds - whether from the animals or the rustling of the trees; where the ground has been recently disturbed; and even from the scent that these specialists pick up in the air.  

I was in awe of their investigative skills and their keen senses of direction.  They knew exactly how far into the jungle we had trekked, and (along with our guide), knew precisely how to deliver us back to "civilization". 

The excitement and wonderment of finally being in the midst of "our" family of mountain gorillas was a byproduct of the trackers' confidence in their ability to locate our designated primates, along with the unwavering faith we placed in them to help us fulfill a dream.

BELIEVING THAT I COULD :  During my total of 4 gorilla treks in Uganda, there were moments when the inclines seemed too steep, when physics dictated that the muddy slopes wanted to carry me downward with no traction beneath my feet, when my breath was short and the hours of hiking were long, when I wondered if I would ever reach these animals, and how in the world I would have strength enough to hike back out of the jungle.  

I had grown to trust Prudence, the other porters, the guide, and the trackers.  Could I garner that same belief in myself as I mentally urged my muscles forward?  Would I ultimately be lucky enough to look back and say, "I did it!"?   

The successful completion of this expedition dictated the banishment of any shred of doubt that threatened to weaken my resolve.  

I concentrated on the fact that each labored step was bringing me closer to my objective.  I wasn’t fast, graceful, or surefooted - just determined, insisting that my mind push my body to its ultimate capacity in order to fully embrace and appreciate every moment of this experience.  

At times, struggling to keep pace with the group, our guide nourished us with this simple statement:

“Thank you for believing in yourself.”  

So I did!

MISSION (AND SO MUCH MORE!) ACCOMPLISHED : When I embarked on this adventure, it was with the goal of being immersed among the mountain gorillas in Uganda.  But looking through a wider lens, I learned that every journey has the potential to yield more than we ever expected: new friends, views, and, of course, perspectives about the physical environment, the animals, and ourselves - trekking, tracking, and trusting. 

© Cre8ive Writes, LLC  2024