Like the cavalry, they came, 12 men running down the slippery, slick, muddy mountain
Uganda – It never occurred to me that my dream of hiking with silverback gorillas would end with me being carried off the mountain in what is basically a wicker basket.I had been dreaming of a hike to see the silverback gorillas for years. I read hundreds of articles and blog posts. I watched dozens of YouTube videos. I worked out. I broke in new hiking boots. I prepared and then prepared some more.
What the universe may have momentarily overlooked is that I too have a sense of humour and this moment turned out to be the perfect ending to an absolutely incredible day. It’s right up there in the top three adventure experiences of my life – right behind cage diving with great whites and sitting 15 feet away from a silverback gorilla.
We were wrong – so very, very wrong! Looking back, I swear I could hear the universe laughing at us. At the time, I just thought it was the wind. We had rangers, who are highly skilled professionals, and we had porters – locals who came on the hike to carry our backpack and assist. The rangers – who I had become buddies with – were doubled over in laughter at my quirky way down the mountain. But, I decided, I am Ruthie, Queen of the Gorillas. I can go down the mountain any dang way I please. And I did – cheeks first.
My thoughts cascaded from “what an incredible experience” to “I want to cry” to “I wonder if we have chips back at the hotel” to “I am Ruthie, Queen of the Gorillas!” to “I wonder if any tourist has ever died on this mountain and will I be the first?” to “next vacation, I think we should just go to a beach.” The committee in my head was on overdrive. I just let them talk while I put one foot in front of the other.
My legs began to shake with each step. I slid into a creek that I was trying to leap across. My foot got stuck ankle-deep in the mud at another stream. I was so exhausted that when I slipped, I couldn’t recover my balance – so I fell. I slipped a lot.
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