Beating about the Bush

Enjoy these excerpts from the journal of botanist Petra Ballings about the team’s adventures on the mountain:

1. Getting there: What a mission!

From Gorongosa Park, all equipment has to be transported to Nhancuco, at the base of Mount Gorongosa. From the base, everything has to be carried up by local porters to the top of the mountain, a 5 hour walk through steep forest (climbing from 700m to 1700m). The plan was to have 2-3 days to set up camp before the scientists are flown in by helicopter on Sunday, April 15th. As often happens with plans, adjustments needed to be made. Some of the essential equipment (tents) had not yet arrived. The 11th came and went; no tents arrived. A certain amount of tension was starting to build up and I was feeling a bit panicky. Four other tents were discovered but they were not made of material that could withstand a good “Mt Gorongosa shower”. And we were still at least two tents short! The 12th arrived, no tents…real panic sets in!!!!! Suddenly the discovery is made that 8 canvas tents were actually in the Park and had gotten mixed up with tents for the Park scouts! Frustration and relief are battling for first place. At last the tents are transported to the mountain on the 13th and everything is carried to the top. More than 25 porters go up and down twice - a sight worthy of Henry Morton Stanley’s days. Bart and I now plan to get to the top of the mountain on the 14th, which would give us Saturday afternoon & Sunday morning to get the basics of the camp sorted…Do not plan things!!!!! While driving to Nhancuco, it’s pouring rain. No way could we walk up, even the local porters vigorously shake their heads: “Not possible”. Bart and I then planned to leave at first light so that we could get to the top of the mountain as the scientists are flown up by helicopter. Up at the crack of dawn and we couldn’t see a thing, everything is clouded in a thick cover of mist. No way can we get up; no way can a helicopter fly in this weather. There’s no need to rush so we all have breakfast together and by 8am we drive to Nhancuco. Finally we get lucky. The mist quickly lifts and, when we get to Nhancuco, the mountain is clear. So we wait. Helicopter was expected to arrive around 9:30…10:00, nothing…10:30, nothing…11:00, another plan is made…11:30, the sound of a helicopter never sounded so good! Smiles re-appear on worrying faces. Well, I guess for African time 2 hours is not so bad! We are now being taken up by helicopter - what a luxury! What a sensation! What an amazing view of only a tiny little part of this mountain!

At last: Sunday, April 15th at about 12:30 we all got there!!!!

2. Setting up camp  

We have set up our camp on top of the mountain just outside the most impressive montane rain-forest which looks out over undisturbed grassland. Behind the camp is a small patch of forest and an enormous rocky ridge. To the left of the camp you look out over more grassland and an enormous peak with forest in the front. Everything is so unspoiled here: there are no cars, no people, no houses; no nothing…it is like being on top of the world!!! Camp has 5 tents for sleeping, 1 tent for a working space and 1 tent for a kitchen. The tents were definitely worth waiting for. They are made out of solid canvas material and are big! There is a small sitting area with a camp fire., where most of the cooking is done. Toilet facilities consist of a little shovel & a toilet roll. Man, oh man, are we going back to the basics...but the tents are big & comfortable, the food is tasty, the surroundings exquisite and the company good, what more do you need?

3. A day in camp

An average day in camp goes as follows. We get up with the first light and put the kettle on. Breakfast consists of cereal, fruit, bread, jam and tea/coffee. We than pack ourselves and some lunch and get going. We try to cover different areas (grassland, forest, scrub…) and different altitudes. Specimens are collected, list of plants are made, and GPS readings done. Mohroi is quickly made the tree climber. Sometimes you need the leaves of the big forest trees for identification, it is amazing how quickly & high Mohroi can climb a tree. Tobias seems to know all the local pathways on top of the mountain, Jamie is quite happy to be a camp attendant, Sylvester is the oldest and therefore the leader (he has also learned to do the GPS readings for me) and Averiado speaks the best English and translates (often with sign-language). All of this work takes most of the day. Back at camp more work needs to be done: plant specimens are pressed, lists are further finalized. I spend some time with the local guys and we have our little school: a table, some chairs, a pen & exercise book. I am trying to learn a bit more Portuguese and at the same time teach them some English. Their knowledge of tourism and English is very, very, very basic. But they are so keen to learn; I have been a teacher for many years and have never had such enthusiastic students before!! We are trying to select about 10 people to train to help out in the base camp, and to take tourists on hikes up the mountain. This will provide them with a better life and income so that they do not need to cut trees on the mountain to make a living. Around 5:00 we start with dinner. I have set up a menu for a week, so that we eat a different thing for seven days. Most of the food comes out of tins, while bread, vegetables and fruit are delivered every 3 days. After dinner we gather around the fire. We were here only 3 weeks ago and the difference in temperature at night is quite remarkable. Chris has invented the “Gorongosa Warm Waterbottle”. He fills a plastic water bottle with hot water and takes it to bed with him. We all had a good laugh at this, but I followed his example very quickly. We talk about the findings of the day, make plans for tomorrow and are in bed by 8:00 after a fun-filled day on the mountain!  

4. Spreading out

After camping in one place for a week we need to cover different areas in order to get a better idea of the whole mountain. It is impossible to move the whole camp, 5 people cannot carry the load of 19, so satellite-camps are being used. We reduce our belongings and go even more primitive. Instead of the big tents we use very small light tents. We pack food for a couple of days. We cook only over the fire. And our work space is the ground! The next 2 weeks we move from spot to spot like this and track over the middle plateau and surrounding forest of the mountain. This is an unbelievable experience, to be so remote in such an environment and with such knowledgeable people. I wish I could do this every month! While the rest spend their last days in the field, Bart and I organize taking down the main camp and porters to get everything back to Nhancuco. We all get back to civilization looking forward to a hot bath, looking back hoping this little piece of heaven will survive the pressure of modern society…