Two Towers Mountain

Nori, the attending doctor/adventurer, showed us an amazing hike today. We walked to the other end of town and then down a road that led straight out of it, past a church and girls school and orphanage and fields. The road starts to slope up and the eucalyptus trees grow thicker on either side. We slowly made our way up past houses tucked behind handmade fences, past baby goats and past groups of kids who would pause their playing to scream "Muzungu!" and "How are you!", excited for the chance to try this out.

We could soon see that we were walking up the spine of a ridge that rose to a peak and left the county far below on either side. At the top are two tall radio towers that give this mountain its name. Nori called this the "two towers hike" and we added "mountain" because we were breathing way too hard by the end for it to just be a hill.

The top opens up to one of the greatest views I've ever stood in front of. Immense scale, and the dappled water of Lake Mutanda which made me think of the ocean, sheer drops and wide open spaces. Even from that incredible height, we could hear the chatter of the town, lively drums, braying goats. It was like the highest point in a quiet neighborhood --no cars, no planes, no collected drone of a city, just the sound of people and animals, lives you could almost listen in on if you sat still enough.

We got back down just before dusk and ate a very generous and well-deserved dinner at a local buffet: mashed plantains, potatoes, goat meat (so good!), beans, and peanut sauce. Another of Nori's solid recommendations. We may not be quite ready to conquer a volcano, but we're a little closer.