I really did see the gorillas

I am going through photos, but as usual I have a ridiculous number -- especially since I was in Rwanda for less than a week.

Most of my gorilla pictures are not high-quality. The foliage was thick and there wasn't much light. Also, I had brought the 400 mm lens so I could get detailed shots from a distance -- as usual with wildlife, we'd been cautioned to keep at least 6 meters/20 feet away -- and then I couldn't use it because the gorillas got so close to us. So most of my pictures were taken with the point and shoot, and they're just okay.

And I don't really care. I was light-headed and shaky-kneed from lack of food, trying to keep my balance on the steep, slippery trail, and I was maybe five feet away from a silverback gorilla who stared at us thoughtfully while munching on leaves, and whether I could get good pictures was the last thing I cared about.

This gorilla was out in the open, far enough away to let me use the Canon.