Mt Gorongosa

The first Sylvester I have ever met (other than in Loony-Toons) was a 56 year old polygamist with 20 children, and 3 wives. Wiry,& fit, he clutched only a nylon bag in his hands as he walked up the path to join us where we sat. I later peaked in his bag, and saw that all he carried was a blanket and a piece of plastic. His only other piece of equipment was a pair of leather boots, but no water bottle, food, knife, map or compass. As we started walking, we traded small talk, which is how I learned about his family. And yes, he could name all twenty of his children (I forgot to ask for the names of his wives).



Our goal this past weekend was to climb Mt Gorongosa, 6000 feet high, and the 4th highest peak in the country. Although there is a trail to the top, you need to hire a¨ guide¨ to help you find which of the numerous paths that crisscross the area will take you there. We had driven to the nearest town, Villa Gorongosa, and arranged to be dropped off in a little hamlet at the base of the mountain. There we connected with Sylvester, who agreed to take us up and down the mountain for a fee of about $15.



Our gear was somewhat marginal. We had scraped together a few tents, but had only a stack of blankets to take the place of sleeping bags and pads. These we loaded up into one monstrous backpack which found its way onto my back.



Te rolling agricultural fields at the base of the mountain where reminiscent of the highlands of Guatemala. We passed isolated compounds of small grass huts, and small hamlets. We encountered women carrying baskets on their heads,and families working small farming plots. They were invariably friendly, would stop working and wave, but we couldn´t talk as they spoke a local language rather than Portuguese.



About an hour into the hike, we stopped at a small waterfall with pools for bathing (and cold water); a great place to hang out



With great hesitation, we left paradise, and continued on. Coming over a knoll, we surprised a late morning festa, powered by a solar-panel powered boombox and fueled by the local moonshine.






Continuing up the mountain, we entered a thick tropical rainforest, and then climbed steeply for the next 3 hours. It was a tough, rocky, and narrow trail. It did not help that the huge pack on my back continually got hung up low hanging branches. I remember thinking that it was better than elk hunting (but just barely), which we do for “fun”, so this must be fun too.





Eventually, we made it up to a large meadow near the top, where we camped for the night. I continued on to the very top with Sylvester, but everyone else stayed behind, saying they were too tired, and would do it in the morning. That was unfortunate, because by then it had clouded up and they had no view, so I showed them my pictures from the top.



The way out was a replay of the way in, except that gravity was on our side. We made it back in time to hit the road and arrive back in Beira before dark, which is at 6 PM. (After that, the vehicle-swallowing potholes become hard to see, and roadside robberies more common.)