Intro
My life is pretty boring, so why not sprinkle in a few life-or-death situations now and then? [Laughs in hidden].
Yesterday, 29 June 2024, I set to out to hike mountain Muhabura. For those not acquainted, here is a brief backstory of the mountain.
At 4,127 m (13,540 feet), from base to peak it is about 5,000 feet. Muhabura is the 2nd tallest in Rwanda but the most difficult due to the steepness and the fact that you must finish the round-trip in one day.
Mount Muhabura, also known as Mount Muhavura, is an extinct volcano in the Virunga Mountains on the border between Rwanda and Uganda. Muhabura is the third highest of the eight major mountains of the mountain range, which is a part of the Albertine Rift, the western branch of the East African Rift. Muhabura lies partly in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda and partly in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda.
The name Muhabura means "The Guide" in the local language, Kinyarwanda, which probably derives from a historical use of the mountain to aid navigation. It can be seen from many parts of Uganda and Rwanda because of its slope.
Long story short, Muhabura is a beast. Our goal was to overcome it, and its goal was to break us.
We left Kigali for Musanze's RDB post at around 3:00 AM, and due to logistic issues (on our end) we wrapped things up late and left for Burera District (where the mountain is located) at around 8:00 A.M. Christoph, our guide, began by briefing us on the way there. Notably, he was explicit about managing expectations. The thing is, all of Muhabura is one long steep rock. There is no flat trail. All it does is only go up. And for that reason, few who climb it from Rwanda's side ever make it to the top. That's why a rule was set in place regarding this. You will only ascend till 1:00 P.M. At which point, you will be asked to descend, regardless of where you are. This is because the journey down is even harder, and by all means, nightfall cannot find you in the mountain.
Christoph is a seasoned guide, climbing a different mountain every 4 days, and being a history enthusiast, I saw him as a walking library on the subject. I began by asking the origin of the name "Muhabura". Christoph only mentioned the English translation, "the guide", before a fellow hiker volunteered to share the origin of this name. Like me, he too was a history aficionado. Allow me to share with you the origin of the name, while offering some context and more.
Origin of the name "Muhabura"
Around 1600 A.D., Rwanda was still undergoing its decades-long re-acquisition campaigns. These were military campaigns to regain all its ancestral land that was taken by neighbouring kingdoms. In this era reigned umwami (king) KIGELI II Nyamuheshera.
In that year, the king and his armies were waging war near lake Rwicanzige. (Rwicanzige, meaning "locust-killer", was later "renamed" to lake Albert and "given" to Uganda - perks of European colonizers.)
Most lands back then were nothing but fierce forests, tall and wide as the eye can see, and on their way back home, they got lost.
Among the king's troops was a man called Mudasobwa wa Ntampaka (Mudasobwa, son of Ntampaka) whose role, "utekerereza u Rwanda" has no modern English translation. But among his duties was being a royal navigator. (Fun fact: his name is earnest because in Kinyarwanda "mudasobwa" comes from the verb "gusoba" meaning "errant/compromising/yielding". Contextually-speaking his name means "invincible/unyielding/uncompromising" but it also means "one who is accurate/precise/reliable". It's also the Rwandan name for "computer" 😂)
Mudasobwa knew that the one indisputable natural border the Rwandan kingdom had in the north, were the mountains. Past them going south, an enemy would consider it "deep Rwandan territory". Consequently, he asked his companions to climb those high trees of the forests they were in, while also seeking out the highest hills, in search of two very large mountains. He told them that whichever direction the two mountains sat in, that that would be central Rwanda. Mudasobwa was right on his money. The men noticed two mountains, and reported back their findings. After which, Mudasobwa advised his king to seek them out.
After a few days of traversing the thick forests, they finally arrived at the base of Muhabura. King KIGELI II Nyamuheshera instantly announced, "Dore i wacu!" (Behold, home!)
From that moment, he renamed the mountain (no one remembers its name before that) in poetic statement.
Iki kirunga kitwa Muhabura ihabura abahabye.
(This mountain is called Muhabura, guide to the lost and desparate)
Ecosystem of Muhabura
From my experience, I would divide the entire mountain into two unique halves. Allow me to refer to them as such - devil's foot, and angel's shoulder. These two halves are separate in service but not sentiment. One half, the devil's foot, starts from the base of the mountain, and reaches out to almost a third of the mountain's height. It's a dense forest, purely navigable by a specific trail left by soldiers and hikers alike. In this, we could hear the sounds of buffaloes resting in a distance, but never ventured away from our trail to inspect. (All my party members were scared - bummer)
The other half, angel's shoulder, is barren rock basking in the glory of sunlight. At this altitude, the cold makes it impossible for trees to grow past 1 m in height. Regardless, the vegetation is lush, and the views from this domain are unlike anything I had ever seen. Every detail of my world was pushed back into perspective, and the awe was that of clear blue skies, and burning-cold wind on your skin.
Hiking Muhabura
The process was cruel. It's purely a battle attrition. Either Muhabura breaks your will, or time runs out. There are those strong enough who made it to the summit before either, but for me, the former was my bargain. I couldn't care less about the impeding the deadline. I just wanted to move on. Move on, with no destination in mind. In fact, I couldn't mentally picture the summit - all I cared about was moving on. Even if I was crawling, and my legs felt numb, all I had to do was move on. Just one more step. One more step.
You see, I reached a point where even opening my mouth to utter a few words, was a lot of energy lost. Energy that would have been better spent crawling over a boulder. Conserve everything. Converse the weight on your back, conserve the steel in your bones, conserve the conviction in your spirit. Nothing in and of you was allowed to go to waste. Even the spit on your tongue was treasure unlike you've ever seen. The only waste flushed out of you, were artificial terrors of modern society. As I climbed, the pressures of succeeding in life receded. My regrets and depressions left me as soon the pain kicked in. Everything was put into perspective - to live is a blessing, and nothing under the sun matters.
After somewhere between 3-4 hours, my spirit bent, I began hearing voices of crowds. I couldn't believe it - I made it to the summit. The bloody place was freezing cold, but no matter. I made it to the summit. Muhabura didn't break me. I conquered it. That's all that mattered. I hugged 3 soldiers, 2 of whom had accompanied us on the hike. Without their support, and words of encouragement, I don't think I would have made it. Suddenly, all the exhaustion left my body. My spirit replenished, and all anxiety was cast aside. All that remained in my heart was wonder and gratitude.
Tips When Hiking Muhabura
They are your standard hiking recommendations, but I'll note them down just because:
- Hike it in the summer
If possible, please hike it in the summer. Hiking in the rain is fun, but believe you me, don't mess with Muhabura. I'll repeat myself - Muhabura is literally one giant very, very steep rock. You could slide and fall to your death. Don't risk this in rainy seasons. (Feb-Jun, Sep-Dec) - Take a jacket/raincoat
When crossing the forest, it's surprisingly hot. So hot that you'll remove any heavy attire. But once you cross "Ihema", the winds at that altitude start speaking for themselves. It'll be extremely difficult for you to cross without warm clothes. Gloves are only necessary once you reach the summit. To be honest, the cold at the summit is unbearable. You won't stay there for more than 30 minutes. You'll lose sensation in your fingers, then feel the shivers in your spine, and you'll run for your life. - Take a lot of fruits and sugary beverages
I can't believe I only saw their need until I almost fell down. Take apples, mangoes, bananas, and different kinds of juices. Water is a must, but you need sugar as fast as you're losing it. - Take a porter and a cane
Before the hike, my ego wouldn't permit asking for a porter, let alone a cane/pole. But trust me; porters aren't there for just helping you carry your bags - they are a support system. They are very kind when encouraging you to push through the pain, and they are also incredibly strong. They'll usually carry the bags of at least 3 people.
Canes are as useful when ascending as they are when descending. Lucky for you, the porters offer the canes free of charge when you engage in their services. - Start early
If you are to be late, then please start at 8:00 AM. Anything after that, then you'll be running against the 1:00 PM deadline.
The Humour of Muhabura
If there's one thing Rwandans are good at, it's making fun of people.
In the forest at the base of Muhabura, there is a landmark called "Kwa Benjamin", meaning, "At Benjamin's".
This placed is named after a "muzungu" (white) called Benjamin who tried hiking Muhabura a few years back. He was barely half-way through the forest, and negotiated with himself about what he had bargained for, and immediately gave up and returned down. This was so funny and unexpected, barely 1/4 of the total trail covered, that someone (no one knows who) decided to name that spot after Benjamin. This spot, coincidentally is marked by a large tree that fell down and blocked the track. These days, the bare minimum a hiker has to do to not get made fun of, is to "at least", cross Benjamin's. Otherwise, a more embarrassing mark will be mounted in your name.
Other Landmarks
There is another interesting landmark called "Ihema", ("tent"). All my party members and I thought we would find a literal tent in the middle of the mountain, but this wasn't the case. At least not now. The story is, in the 90s there was a military base on this mountain, ergo the tents. But nowadays, this name signifies a natural divider between the forest and the open fields to the summit. It's where you take first break, after covering approximately 1/3 of the total trail.
Another interesting place is called, "ku itabi", meaning, "at the cigarette". I honestly have no idea why it's called as such. I was too tired to care. 😂 Who knows, maybe I'll ask next time I hike Muhabura.
Outro
The experience I gained from this was surreal. If you have the resilience, I advise to you to try it at least once in your life. Regardless, I took inspiration from this experience and contributed the knowledge gained, and more, towards enriching the Rwandan archival API I'm working on. Check it out here
Long live the fighters.