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February 10

To John Matte Camp

Portal Peaks

My guide Joel had told me he wanted to start around 8:30 this morning, so I had set my alarm for 7:00. I packed while Richard fixed me porridge with tea. He made the porridge by cooking corn flakes with milk and bananas, so it was a bit odd and mushy, but tasted fine. The sun shined brightly on the Portal Peaks across the valley.

My guide and I were first out of camp. He had been staying in a big green building up the trail past the water supply. I hadn't seen it last night. The other staff hut I had seen yesterday was just used for cooking apparently, and they slept up here. The trail followed the ridge to a junction. The trail I would finish the circuit on was to the left. We turned right and descended steeply to a bridge at the junction of the Mubuku and Bujuku Rivers. Then we climbed steeply back up the other side. Joel said the bridge was built by an American.

The grade became gentler as we climbed, but the trail became rougher and rockier. We spent most of the time scrambling over boulders. The park information officer had warned us about this section. The rocks can be slippery when it rains, and footing is always treacherous. One of my guides compares it to "caving above ground". Fortunately, this section was not steep, and was now dry. Unfortunately, it was very muggy, and water supplies were limited on this section, which contributed to making this one of the more difficult sections of the circuit. Joel didn't stop for rests much, either, since he had a relatively light pack. He did keep a slower pace than Richard had.

We met some of the porters, and stopped for a break. I ate a couple of bananas I had brought for lunch, and went to sleep. Joel woke me and we continued. My legs had gotten cold when I dozed off, and were now cramping. It was slow, painful progress until my legs warmed up. After a long dry section, we finally came upon some water Joel had promised. I was really looking forward to this, having almost emptied my water bottle.

It was 12:30, and I suggested a lunch break. We had been walking just over three hours, and I had been told at the park office that today was a seven hour walk, so I expected a long walk ahead. I wasn't looking forward to that, since I was already sore and tired. I asked Joel how we were doing, and he said we only had an hour and a half to go. That was encouraging. I filtered water, and ate some of my popcorn and cookies.

Joel was quiet, and we hadn't talked much until this break. Joel told me he wanted to go to America, and had looked into plane tickets, but they were too expensive. He imagined that our villages were like Kampala and that our cities were beyond his imagination, but I told him that Kampala would be a big city even in America. Joel thought I had three cameras, but I told him one was binoculars. He said that sleeping bags were hard to find here, so most guides and porters just use blankets, which are not always adequate for the cold mountains. He brought a sleeping bag this time, since we would be staying at a cold hut before climbing the highest peak, Margherita.

I told Joel about my trip to Nepal, and discussed how the mountains there are different from these. Joel told me he was 32 and married, with four children. He was surprised I was not married yet. We came upon Nyameleju Hut, a small metal building rarely used now. The trail was now fairly easy, following the Bujuku River on a gentle grade. The trail was often muddy, but logs had been placed across it. Once, I missed a log and got water in my boot.

John Matte Hut

We climbed a little hill, and Joel told me we had only 10 minutes to our destination, John Matte Camp. He stopped and pointed out Margherita Peak, the highest in the Rwenzoris at 16,700 feet, which was visible for the first time through the trees. I got out my big telephoto zoom lens and took a picture.

Central Rwenzori Peaks

Within a couple of minutes, we arrived at camp, which Joel said was one of the nicest. It had an attractive, new wooden hut for the tourists, and there was an impressive view of the central Rwenzori mountains up the Bujuku River. There was also a nice view of the Portal Peaks in the opposite direction. I took pictures of the peaks and some of the unusual plants in the forest around the camp. Joel slept in the grass with his straw hat over his face, and I went into the hut for a nap until 5:10, when Richard brought my dinner into the cabin.

Richard had cooked rice with curried vegetables, and an avocado sliced on a separate plate. It was a heaping mound of food, and the featured vegetable was cucumber. It was extremely salty, but I tried eating as much as possible. The rice was also too mushy for my tastes, and it became cold rapidly in the mountain air, so I ended up eating only about half of the food. A whole avocado was a bit much as well, but I ate most of it. I suggested using less salt next time, and ate one of my Milky Way bars afterward. Richard took the rest of my food back to the porters' cooking shelter.

This camp was at 11,200 feet, and I took my first Diamox to prevent altitude sickness. I hadn't used these in Nepal, except on the highest day at Gorak Shep, when I climbed to 18,500 feet, but my pace was slower there. I wasn't expecting trouble yet, but we would be climbing to 16,700 feet in the next three days. Richard made me a cup of tea, and I went to bed at 8:00.

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