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We rose with the sun, had a quick breakfast, and wasted no time
setting off on our climb of Lutindi Peak; at an altitude of 1,360 m,
the mountain would provide a long day's hike. The air was cool and
pleasant for walking. A few butterflies opened their wings to catch
the early light. A group of women chatted loudly as they went about
their daily collection of firewood from the forest.
According to the map, we had a 15-km hike from our base camp to
the peak and back. We walked slowly, partly to pace ourselves, but
mostly to enjoy the forest and its inhabitants. Everywhere we looked
we saw something interesting.
"Look at this," said Godfrey Mathew, an E.U.B.S. field
assistant. He pointed out a tiny nest with a beautiful red bird
sitting on it. It was an African Paradise Flycatcher [Terpsiphone
viridis]. The male flew from a nearby branch, its long tail
flowing behind it. We walked along a winding footpath for a few
kilometers, then left the path and started to climb through the
forest. The hill rose before us, steep in parts, thickly forested.
An Usambara Green Snake [Philothamus macrops], endemic to the
area, watched us from a tree branch.
Alerted by the cry of "Siafu!" we stepped quickly over
a line of army ants, then hurried down into a small valley; a cool,
verdant place to rest with a flowing stream. Seeing a frog on a
leaf, we went for a closer look. It was Leptopelis vermoculatus,
one of four species of this genus of tree frog endemic to the Easter
Arc Mountains. We left it gazing hungrily at the dragonflies that
skimmed the stream, and continued on. We were close to the peak.
Wild date palms [Pheonix reclinata] dominated the vegetation.
Their fronds provided shelter from the sun. The hill grew steep and
rocky. Few trees grew, as the soil was too shallow and the slope too
great. Pushing through the remaining stand of wild palms and
bananas, we were there.
The peak was a rounded granite slab of rock, peppered with
lichens and mosses. Patches of sedge and grass species were
interspersed with succulent aromatic herbs. A cycad species, Encephalartos
hildebrandtii provided a touch of history, and told a tale of
the age of these spectacular mountains [approximately 25 million
years]. Cycads belong to an ancient and primitive group of plants
and can have one of the longest life spans on a global botanical
scale. Streptocarpus species, orchids, and balsams provided
a subtle floral landscape.
Swallows darted and glided on the thermals. We stood in awe and
gazed across the Lwengera Valley and over to the West Usambara
Mountains. Our eyes followed the road below us, twisting its way
dustily through Magoma, away towards Korogwe. Villages lay scattered
across the valley, plumes of smoke drifting upwards. To the north,
we could see Nilo Peak, tree-covered and cloudy. The forest
stretched away to the east, hiding the route of our ascent. The
Zirai section of Nilo Forest Reserve stretched away south. Behind it
lay Amani Nature Reserve. To the distant east we could just make out
the pale glint of the Indian Ocean.
We sat on the rocky peak enjoying the 360-degree panoramic views
with the wind cooling our faces. An eagle drifted lazily overhead.
Butterflies chased each other amongst the bushes and over the
lichen-encrusted rock. Reluctantly, we got to our feet. With the sun
past its high point and the long descent ahead of us, we turned for
home, tired but happy.
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