Mt Muhavura

Resting in the southwestern most corner of Uganda is Mgahinga National Park. Encompassing only about 24 square miles and three extinct volcanoes, it is part of a larger conservancy it shares with neighboring countries, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Of the three volcanoes, Mt Muhavura is the tallest, peaking at about 14,000 feet, and visitors can climb all of the mountains with a guide and a guard. The guide directs visitors along the appropriate path and keeps hikers from damaging the delicate surroundings. The guard, and his Cold War Era AK-47, protects hikers from foreign rebels and buffalo. The guide and guard were much more concerned about the buffalo.

The hike began at 6am because it needed to finish before nightfall and all together it would be about 10 or 11 miles in length with more than a mile in elevation gain and loss. The Ranger Station, where I met the guide, stood roughly 100 meters from the Mgahinga Community Campground, a great little operation that served as my home for a few nights.

Essentially, the day consisted of two major undertakings: going up and coming down, both of which were challenging in their own regard. Some stretches of the trail were boulders that arouse out of vats of mud. Others were so steep that the guides had constructed crude ladders of tree limbs and twine. The scenery was amazing and the hike enjoyable but near the top it got hard, really hard. 14,000 feet is approaching 3 miles, well above any elevation I’ve experienced. For the last few hundred meters, my heart, more than my legs or lungs, slowed my pace to a crawl. My heart rate would skyrocket within a few steps after a rest. I felt it in my temples and fingertips. There was a point when I wondered if I could physically finish. That’s not a familiar feeling.

Eventually, after much effort, I made it to the top and took a nap while wrapped in every article of clothing I had. As stated earlier, the day consisted of two undertakings. The first was over; the second loomed in the near future.

Innocent is the young man who acts as the concierge, cook, and overall manager of the Mgahinga Community Campground. He smiled every time he spoke and carried himself with humble poise. Although he had already done it a few times, Innocent decided to climb Muhavura and was behind me for much of the downhill. He wore rubber gum boots which cost roughly 1/40th as much as my fancy Gore-Tex lined Asolo’s. Even on the mud covered ladders and the patches of hardened earth slick with dew, Innocent never lost his footing, never even slipped. As one of the Peace Corps Volunteers keenly observed, I “breakdanced” through portions of the descent with an emphasis on "break." Some unlucky shrubs softened a sideways tumble.

The hike finished just before sunset and I went to sleep with a strong sense of accomplishment.


Since being in Africa, there have been times when I’ve ached to be with people I know in someplace familiar, another new feeling, similar to what I physically experience on Muhavura. Thankfully, those periods of longing are always interrupted by moments of wonderment and gratitude. Dancing in a living room with other grown men; watching a student eyes widen with discovery; the conversation with Innocent during the slow descent down an ancient volcano: the company of 6 incredible Peace Corps Volunteers while in a beautiful corner of Uganda. I’m grateful for the times of yearning for they enrich the moments of joy.

Pictures will soon be posted, once the internet here starts working properly.