Having New Year’s resolutions is different from fulfilling them. Let me take you on a journey of the greatest resolution for 2020. Investing in adrenaline experiences, traveling more, meeting new people, and doing more challenges was one of the resolutions I made.
So yeah, Mountain Slayers Uganda is a group of people who love to slay all mountains, forests, islands, rocks, and whatever else as long as it has walking and climbing in it. I came across a poster with Semiliki Slay, and oh my, excitement kicked me; I called my partner-in-hiking, and we paid up and got ready for the hike.
I hiked the Tororo rock as my first hike and it was so glorious so again I thought to myself Elgon is next, I slew Mount Elgon 4000m above sea level, it was hard huh but I came down healthy happy and an accomplished human.
So yeah your guess is right as mine, Semiliki is easy only 25kms and only 5 hills, I was excited to show off my hiking skills. Hiking has no skill at all.
One lady called Sarah urged us to carry happy faces, souls and good attitude; (you will know why we needed them so bad).
Just a brief background Semiliki National Park is located in Ntoroko district, dominated by Bwamba farmers, Bakonjo, Batuku and Batwa, and sprawls across the Semliki Valley with sights of River Semliki that borders DR Congo and Uganda. The park contains special features: mountains, hills and, oh, the male and female hot springs that boil up to 120 degrees.
Going on a hike with new people is as tricky as you may think, mostly with caution to carry a smile and good vibes. I signed up for work leave, packed my bags, did all necessary shopping, and for the first time, I was punctual at the meeting place hehe.
Arrived a bit late, pitched our tent, had dinner, and off to bed to get ready for the next day. But of course, rumors were all over how the trip had balokole and prayerful girls who went straight to bed without enjoying the campfire stories and events. As the morning approached, I was more than ready to conquer all the hills and distance.
Dressed up with a wide smile, ready to slay the hills, I was told as I was updating my online friends how they needed to pray for me, huh. Your guess is as right as mine; breakfast was not heavy, and of course, the enzymes had to complain a bit, but as strong as an African, you have to move.
At the foot of Kyamutema Hill, where the whole suicide started from, we were told all the tales, and one unique tale that caught my attention was the Nyamitoto Hill that used to produce a spear every year, and one hunter would get it to go hunting. The myth of how the spear appeared and disappeared I can’t tell. Another one is Nyamustwa Hill, which is governed by the Royal Kingdom of Rwenzururu, and it has a small lake on top of which can only be viewed by lucky people; whoever determines the luck, God knows.
We believed all these tales. The first climbing was smooth until we couldn’t find the flat land to rest the feet. The first 10 minutes seemed like a full day on the hill. As if that wasn’t enough, altitude sickness kicked in, and oh God, that’s followed by vomiting and dizziness. Again we were told to hydrate, but that couldn’t work.
As I used to brag that I didn’t sweat, I had a full river of sweat dripping down every pore on my body, my shirt wet, my pants wet, and that’s when I knew it was real and the 25 km was a scam.
I normally love to sing while doing the hardest stuff, and oh yes, I tuned on my vocals with my partner-in-hike songs, which failed me, and I was wondering how on earth I got myself on that hill. Couldn’t I have stayed at camp, read a novel, or watched my series! All this was a myth. I was halfway up the unending steep.
Kaleyaleya Hill was the fourth to be conquered, but it broke all the brake pads in my legs. Full of rocks, a steep slope that saw many go down on their buttocks, bushes, and plantations, so basically if you got stuck, you just called your ancestors or emergency contact.
I don’t curse, but I learned a few words to curse creation and curse Sarah too because she got us in the ugly, nasty situation. Until at one point I saw the end of the tarmac, and this was the main trading center. As I thought that’s it, it dawned on me that it’s the last hill we had to cover, Mukonjo Mountain. At this moment, whatever was the myth behind the hill, I couldn’t grasp anything; my heart was in the toes and thighs pumping blood faster.
Reverse sloping wasn’t helpful; sideway sloping wasn’t either; buttocks worked for some few minutes; forward was harder because the toes were asking for some rest. But every time I looked back, I decided not to give; of course I can’t embarrass my whole clan.
The only motivation I had was seeing the bubbling hot springs; I held onto every pain and story from the hike until I made it to the hot springs. It was amazing to see nature and how hot water can just be there without people in it; I honestly needed a hot bath.
More and more tales, of course, of how a woman lost her child, and when she went looking, she found hot water bubbling up, and when the village gathered, they saw and named it the female hot spring. The male hot springs are just a few meters away, and as we walked there, my brain had stopped thinking and listening, so I don’t know how the male hot springs came about.
Accomplishing a hike is the most orgasmic feeling ever; you push yourself not to give up, connect with nature, connect with people around you, learn about the culture of locals, and oh, the breathtaking views of mountains, hills, valleys, and the green.
Ask me if I can go back; heck yeah! I would go back on the next one, but I will carry excess smiles because my smiles helped a lot.
Mountain Slayers Uganda, keep doing what you are doing as long as you don’t slay Kololo Hill. Sarah Jean, thank you for giving me a new walking style, and I had to explain to people who were asking me what took me there.
Approved by God! 