Hiking to the caves

On Saturday, we decided to leave the island and hike to some nearby caves. We paddled a dugout canoe to the mainland and from there took off with a guide from Nature’s Prime. The beginning of the hike was a little tough as we began the ascent toward the mountain ridge across from the island. The altitude just makes everything harder than it seems it should be. However, once we made it to the top, the view of the lake was absolutely breathtaking. From our little island, I hadn't realized how big the lake really was and how many different islands there were.

As we continued the hike along the ridge of the hills, wend were joined by a young boy. It wasn’t long before I realized that our guide didn’t actually know where the caves were, and this boy was the one leading us. I also realized that he probably didn’t know how much the altitude of the Ugandan mountains can affect those of us who aren't used to it. Several times during the hike, we heard comments like "I believe this is the first time you have done a long walk" or "I believe you do not have mountains in your country." As frustrating as that may have been, I didn't have any additional energy to argue, so I continued to hike. Our new "guide" led us down tiny paths on the opposite side of the mountain, then back up toward the ridge, then down again, and finally he pointed up toward some rocks, where I assumed there were also caves. As we began our final ascent toward the caves, we were met by almost a dozen smiling children. They were thrilled to see us and joined us in our hike toward the caves. I couldn’t help but laugh as the children ran up the mountain beside us while I struggled to climb up the tiny path. Once we arrived, I think I was more excited to be around the children than to see the cave as they laughed and played and jumped all around.
After a little time at the caves, we decided to return to the island, only this time, we took a dirt road that led back to the ridge and then ran along the ridge line and saved us trekking up and down the backside of the mountain. All in all, the entire round trip was about ten miles of beautiful hills, valleys, forests, cropland and villages around lake.