Mount Cameroon

Since hearing that there are guided tours up Mount Cameroon I have wanted to climb it, even though it is one of Africa's most active volcanoes. I thought that it was going to have to be one of those things that had to wait until the end of my service but I ended up getting the opportunity at the end of September. There was a small group of Peace Corps Volunteer friends of mine that were going to climb in early October and they invited me to go along. I was just getting over a month long illness but I did not want to miss the chance and agreed to go. So, on the third of October we traveled to Buea in the South West region, the town at the base of Mount Cameroon. We stayed with some friends for the night and got ourselves organized for the climb.

Starting up the mountain

The next morning we got up early and went to the foot of Mount Cameroon to meet our guides. When we arrived the guides were arranging their packs and the porters took our things to add to their own. When you climb with this guide organization they have porters carry all of your things for you so that you can carry just a day pack with water and focus on getting yourself up the mountain. Our group consisted of me , the three other Peace Corps Volunteers, our guide, our cook, and four porters. We were not the only group going up the mountain that day. There was a group of Dutch guys who would also be climbing at the same time The Dutch guys' group consisted of the three of them, their guide, their cook, and three porters. So, all together there were eighteen people heading up the mountain that day, not including farmers who have fields on the slopes of the mountain. The other group left first and once we were ready, my group started up the mountain about thirty minutes later.

At first we were going up a steady slope through fields, farm plots, and even houses. Just after this area we started getting into forest and I started seeing exposed volcanic rocks. I ended up falling somewhat behind because I kept stopping to look at the rocks and I was talking my friend's ear off about the geology!

Mount Cameroon National Park

Arriving at Hut 1

Our first break was at the entrance to the Mount Cameroon National Park where we caught up with the Dutch guys. We rested for a few minutes under the archway that marks the entrance to the park. This break came about two hours after we started the climb and Hut 1, where we would take our first significant break was still another hour and a half up the mountain. So we continued on up through the forest until we reached Hut 1. When the porters arrived they unpacked some food and we all had a snack. I had some Vache Qui Rit (Laughing Cow  cheese) and bread and a banana. After our break we continued on toward Hut 2, where we would be spending the night.

Not long after we left Hut 1 we left the forest and entered grassland plains and it started to sprinkle, we were still in the rainy season after all. We arrived a little while later at an intermediary hut just as it started to pour. We waited for our porters to arrive and our guide told us that if the rain did not stop soon then we would have to spend the night there, climb to the summit the next day, and then return the same way that we had come. The original plan had been to get to Hut 2 the first day, then climb over the summit the next day and get to Hut 3 in the back side of the mountain, and then on the last day climb down the rest of the way. We had to wait and see when the rain would stop. There was a hermit living in this hut and he allowed us to use it as shelter from the rain. So me and my friends piled together inside the little hut and fell asleep to the sound of the rain on the aluminum roof. The hermit had come up the mountain as a religious retreat. He had a one person tent and other personal belongings set up in the hut. Also inside the hut there was a raised platform which is where we took our nap. I'm not sure how long we had slept when our guide woke us to tell us that the rain had stopped and we could continue up the mountain and continue up to Hut 2 as originally planned. This was great news because it meant that we would be able to see the other side of the mountain as well!

Leaving the hermit's hut

So, we got up and started climbing again and after another several hours we arrived at Hut 2 our campsite for the night. I say "Hut 2" when I should say " the site on which Hut 2 previously stood". This is because Hut 2 had burned down and there was now only remnants of Hut 2 around the place. The view from the location was spectacular though. You could see all of Buea and far into the distance. It was amazing! I tried to take pictures of it but I do not think that the pictures truly capture what we were seeing.

Arriving at Hut 2

 

View from Hut 2 over Buea

We had arrived at Hut 2 at the same time as the guides but the porters were still on their way. So the guides boiled some eggs as a snack for everyone as we waited for the others to have dinner. As we snacked my friends, the Dutch guys, and I sat around the fire with the guides talking and trying to get warm. It was surprisingly cold as we sat chatting and getting to know each other. Not long after the porters joined us and joined the conversation as dinner was prepared. The Dutch guys were in Cameroon working for a development organization and all of our guides and porters were students at Buea University. After dinner we all went to bed; we were quite tired from the day and we still had two days to look forward to.

The next day we got up early, had breakfast, and started climbing again. It was to be this day that we reached the summit and start descending the back side of the mountain. We continued through plains but as we climbed higher and higher vegetation became more and more sparse and the rocks became pumice. The climb on this day was also much steeper and more difficult because you had to step up on higher rock ledges than before.

It was just before noon when we reached the summit. The Dutch guys had gotten there twenty minutes before our group did but we all sat together at the top of the mountain and had a drink. After resting there for half an hour, the guides encouraged us to start the climb down because even though it was going to be mostly down hill it is considered, by some, to be the more difficult part of the journey.

Reaching the summit

I found the climb down quite difficult in comparison to the climb up. The upper slopes were covered in small, loose bits of pumice causing us to slide down the hill with each step we took. I also kept getting shoe-fulls of the small rocks. I was glad when that part of the hill was behind us even though we were still a long way from the bottom. After the upper slopes there was some more grassland plains. Then we came to a section where a vent had erupted, leaving two "small" craters and more pumice on the mountain side. We were almost past the extent of the pumice when I slipped, hurt my foot, and got a load of pumice in my shoes again. So, one of my friends stayed with me as I removed my shoes to shake out the gravel. This, in a way, was a big mistake because I saw just how many blisters I had and how many had already broken. Now that I know that the blisters were there I could feel them which made walking down hill much more difficult and painful. So, I limped slowly down the hillside until I reached the campsite.

Summit of Mount Cameroon, 4092 meters

One of the porters let me borrow their flip flops that evening since I needed to rest my feet and had no other shoes with me. I cleaned, dried, and bandaged my feet then everyone went to rest for a while before dinner. We mostly moaned and groaned about our various aches and pains until everyone was called to dinner. We all went to eat and had a drink together. Afterwards everyone retired to their tents for the night. The other Peace Corps Volunteers and myself had another drink as we stayed up in our tent and told ghost stories that we recalled from childhood. Finally we decided to go to bed since it had started raining again and we had a whole day of climbing the next day.

After breakfast in the morning I bandaged my feet very well and we started hiking again. We hiked through some tall grass which soaked my pants, socks, and bandages meaning that when we reached the woods I had to change all of my bandages again. This put me, and the volunteer who stayed with me, at the back of the group.

Mount Etinde or "Small Mount Cameroon", seen from the 2000 lava flow

For the next few hours we hiked down the mountain through the wet rain forest. When I say we hiked what I mean is slipped and slid down the hill side. Due to the rain the forest floor was all mud. We kept slipping in the mud and tripping on tree roots. By the time we were out of the rain forest we were covered in mud and rather battered and bruised. I had been told, before the trip, that once you were out of the forest the trip was almost over. I took this to mean that there would be maybe another five minutes of walking after leaving the forest but I guess they had meant the walk was short compared to the entire journey. It was another hour and a half to the village on the back side of the mountain that marks the end of the trip! This was almost one of the hardest parts of the trip because I had stopped trying after the rain forest and yet we just kept walking and walking. Eventually I asked how much further and the guide told me that it was still a little more than half an hour away. This was pretty disheartening after walking for forty-five minutes longer than I had thought would be necessary and not being confident in their time estimations any more. We walked for another twenty minutes and then, to pass the time, the other volunteer recited a monologue that had been timed at eleven minutes. It was fun for me and the guide to have such entertainment as we walked! Once the volunteer completed the monologue, ably performed I must say, we only had to walk for a few more minutes before reaching the village and the end of our trip.

Rain forest on back side of Mount Cameroon

We met up with the rest of our group at a small bar and had a drink before we went to our friend's house in Buea to cleanup. We were a mess and very tired but we got cleaned up and went to dinner in town with the Dutch group. We had hamburgers, they were expensive but pretty good. After dinner we said good bye and went back to the house to sleep for the night. I was so tired that I fell asleep straight away.

Even though the trip was very difficult I had a lot of fun! It is certainly something that I would recommend to others and might even consider doing again. Although if I do it again, it will not be for a while and I will definitely consider some sort of exercise program before climbing!