Our alarm went off at 5:30 a.m., and by 6 we were on the Toyota Land Cruiser driving to Debark and then to Buyit Ras, the first campsite within the Simien Mountains National Park. The 120 km. drive took two and a half hours, with an additional 2 hour stop in Debark (Kimmie will explain the reasons in her blog entry). By the time we arrived at Buyit Ras, it was almost 11 a.m.
We immediately began our 3 hour hike to our campsite for our first night, Sankaber. The hike was about 14 km. long. Twenty minutes into the hike we spotted the first pack of gelada baboons, a species of baboons endemic to the Simien Mountains. There were about 15 of them. The largest of them (the alpha male, leader of the pack) was about the size of a large dog, with long, crazy hair and massive canines. The rest were smaller, some of them young babies. We got really close to them and they seemed perfectly fine with it. They just kept feeding by digging different roots out of the ground (you can know where a pack of baboons has been because all the ground’s been dug out).
Maybe I should contextualize this place further: the Simien Mountains are very high (ranging from 3000 to 4500 meters in altitude) and relatively barren (especially at this time of year, the end of the dry season). Some areas do get greener, but for the most part its yellowish grass with these strange, palm tree-like plants. The peaks are pretty steep… I believe they were created by glaciers, so you have these huge, vertical drops more than 500 mts high. Kimmie says it reminds her of the Grand Canyon, only the land is brownish instead of reddish.
Anyway, returning to our first day hike: after hiking for a bit longer, we encountered our first views… for me, the views are the best part of the Simien Mountains. They’re simply spectacular. You can step up to the edge of massive cliffs and look straight out at mountains shaped like giant rocks, stretching out into the horizon. I really look forward to uploading this blog entry and adding some pictures.
The rest of the hike involved more views and more baboons. These mountains are an amazing place. I love Guatemala and think it’s great for tourism, but Ethiopia’s tourist attractions do make me a bit jealous. This country is just beautiful.
Not only is the Simien Mountains National Park an amazing place, but our travel arrangements have been “full luxury.” There are five of us in our trekking group, in addition to our guide (a talkative, friendly, college educated guy) and a scout (required by park regulations, he takes care of us with his Kalashnikov, but also makes sure we don’t harm the park). We don’t carry all our stuff, only a daypack. A group of about 6 guys and 3 mules goes ahead of us with our bags, our tents and sleeping bags, and our food. They set up our tents (with mattresses, pillows and two sleeping bags per person) before we arrive, so that when we finally do make it to camp, everything is ready. Not only that, but we have a cook. When we arrive at camp, at around 2 or 3 p.m. (hikes usually begin at around 8 a.m.), he’s got a table set up for us with coffee, tea and popcorn. It’s surreal: we have our snack atop these high plateaus, with fantastic views. And that’s not it: he cooks us a full dinner, with soup, an entrée and a dessert. Ask Kimmie, his cooking is incredible.
So that’s how it was yesterday. Today we had some similar trekking, although longer and at higher altitudes. We saw many of the same attractions, but with even more spectacular views, including a 500 mt high waterfall.
Now it’s time for dinner…
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