By Todd Gustafson
Today the air was super clear, and all of the volcanoes were visible in the morning. It’s the Sabinyo group for us today. The Silverback of this family is Guhonda, the oldest and biggest in the world. We hoped for an easy trek, and it was OK through the potato fields, but when we crossed the Buffalo, it got tougher. After the rains last night, the trail was very muddy. The hour-long trek was broken up by lots of rest and water breaks, so by the time we got to the trackers, we were fresh and ready to go.
Our first view of the family was in an open glade with six gorillas relaxing and feeding. The Silverback got up and led the troupe through stands of bamboo to a large meadow where we were surrounded by 15 gorillas of all ages. The Silverback came straight to me and just when I started getting nervous, he flopped on the ground and went to sleep on his back.
Next we saw the gorilla babies rolling on the ground and wrestling in the grass. I was so wrapped up watching them that I didn’t see the 400-pound silverback get up on his hind legs looking for bamboo leaves to eat. My first clue was when he put his arm on my shoulder as he snapped off 3-inch bamboo plants! Next, a big female came straight to me until she was pressed against my side before she entered the bamboo grove. On the other side, we found Guhonda, the biggest Silverback, feeding on fresh green vines. What a way to end our gorilla adventure in Rwanda. Now it was time to trek out, pack our bags and transfer to Kigali.
