What is a Gorilla Trek (30 Years Later)?
My husband David and I first visited the mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park in 1985 as volunteers for Dian Fossey. Our experience back then compared to our return visit to see the gorillas again in 2017 was vastly different. Whereas the first go-round, I was terrified I’d break one of Dian’s gorilla etiquette rules (which I did and always with consequences). This time, it was like dinner with old friends.
It took my breath away, in the literal and figurative sense, to visit the mountain gorillas of Rwanda in Africa 32 years after the first time we’d gone. To sit with these magnificent beings astounds. It’s magical, fascinating, and breathtaking.
During the rainy season, the hike up Mount Visoke in the mud could suck the boots right off your feet. But I get why Dian Fossey pushed beyond her physical abilities to huff and puff her way up to Karisoke Research Centre. There were mountain gorillas to save from extinction.
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