Evening hike to Gara Furi Terara (31.10.2019)


Start point Sebeta (2,300m)
Endpoint Sebeta (2,285m)
Characteristic Hike
Duration 4h 25min
Distance 19.8km
Vertical meters 4,118m
GPS
Ascents Gara Furi Terara (2,839m) 31.10.2019 16:00
Gara Furi Terara West Peak (2,790m) 31.10.2019 16:00
#1: At Bole International Airport upon arrival in Addis Ababa. The mountain to the left is Mount Furi (2839 m.a.s.l.), and the one to the right is Wochecha (3391 m.a.s.l.).
#1: At Bole International Airport upon arrival in Addis Ababa. The mountain to the left is Mount Furi (2839 m.a.s.l.), and the one to the right is Wochecha (3391 m.a.s.l.).

I have been to Addis Ababa several times in connection with my work, and I've realized that this city really does offer some nice treks in the mountains that surround it. Moreover, Addis Ababa is located about 2400 m.a.s.l., and is therefore perfectly located for someone who wants to get some altitude acclimatization in advance of a mountain trek at even higher altitudes, whether that be a trek to Kilimanjaro, Mount Kenya, Rwenzori or Ras Dashen. I was planning to climb Ras Dashen along with my Daughter during this visit to Ethiopia, but prior to that I was going to work for two and a half weeks at the Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa. In order to get even better adapted to the altitude, however, I had on this occasion decided to go to Addis three days in advance of my colleagues from our hospital in Norway; in order that I could climb some of the mountains in the outskirts of Addis Ababa, as I regarded this a good way to prepare for Ras Dashen. I arrived in Addis by plane in early morning (Image #1), and went by shuttle bus to our hotel. I was quite tired from the journey, however, so went to bed and had some hours sleep, hence I didn't go mountain trekking until after noon.

It was about 3 o'clock in the afternoon when I cached a cab, and went towards Sebeta, a town in the region of Oromia; a suburb to Addis Ababa, some would say, as it is located just southwest of Addis. Judging from the map, Sebeta would be the ideal start-out for a trek to Mount Furi. The taxi driver at first hesitated, as there had recently been some kind of political turmoil in various parts of Oromia. "People from Addis don't go to Oromia these days if they can avoid it," he said, and explained that some people had been killed a few weeks earlier, for no particular reason, apart from not being Oromians. I insisted on going there, however, and after a short discussion he realized that it was probably more dangerous for him to go into Oromia than it was for me, and so he agreed to take me towards Sebeta. I had in advance studied the map around Mount Furi on Peakbook, and as we were driving towards Sebeta, I was following our movements on Google map on my smartphone, to make sure we were heading the right location, as the taxi driver wasn't much more familiar with this area than what I was. We took left about 3 km before Sebeta center, and you could immediately see the relief in the face of the driver, as he realized he didn't have to go all the way into the town. We followed some dirt roads for a while, but after a few kilometers the road became so bad, that we couldn't go further on with the taxi driver's Corolla; hence I decided to set out from there, even if it was going to make my hike a little longer.

#2: View from our hotel i Addias Ababa, towards the part of the city called Piazza. The mountain in the background is the Entoto.
#2: View from our hotel i Addias Ababa, towards the part of the city called Piazza. The mountain in the background is the Entoto.
#3: Setting out for Mount Furi. The summit is the peak to the left, i.e. the one with five huge antennas.
#3: Setting out for Mount Furi. The summit is the peak to the left, i.e. the one with five huge antennas.

After a few minutes of walking, I came to the foot of the mountain, and there I encountered a road winding its way up the north side of the mountain. I followed the road for a few minutes, but then I thought this was a bit boring, so when I came across a path going upwards from the right side of the road (Image #4), I decided to follow that one instead. After a few minutes however, this trail tapered into almost nothing, and you would have to get really down, and almost crawl on all four in order to continue, and then I realized this was just an animal track, and not a path normally used by humans at all. I managed to make my way through the forest, however, and eventually found an old road on the western aspect of the mountain (Image #5), and so I followed this up towards the summit. Now, Mount Furi has two summits quite close to each other. The western one is just covered by forest, whereas on the eastern summit, which is the higher one, five or six huge antennas for telecommunication have been raised. The old road that I was now following went around the western aspect of the mountain, as it was climbing higher and higher, and then continued onto the south side of the mountain, just missing the western summit as it continued towards the notch between the two summits. I left the road at this point, to make sure I could say I had been to both summits, and followed a path that led up to the western summit of the mountain. At this altitude the forest was no longer as dense as it had been during the climb to get up here, and following this trail was quite easy. Just as I was passing the summit, I suddenly saw a fox-like animal crossing the trail maybe 50 meters ahead of me. It was gone long before I had time to get my camera up. I believe it was an Ethiopian wolf, but due to the distance I can't be 100% sure. I am sure, however, that it wasn't a hyena, hence if it wasn't an Ethiopian wolf, it must've been just a wild dog.

#4: I tried to follow some trails through the forest, but they all eventually proved to be animal tracks.
#4: I tried to follow some trails through the forest, but they all eventually proved to be animal tracks.
#5: But then I also found an old road, which I eventually followed to the summit of the mountain.
#5: But then I also found an old road, which I eventually followed to the summit of the mountain.

From the western summit of Mount Furi I continued ahead into the notch between the two summits, as I knew that would bring me back to the old road that I had been following. The road eventually met the one on the north side of the mountain, which is a newer one, and which is currently being used for maintenance and work on the antennas on the other summit of the mountain. I was getting dark by now, but I was eager to reach even the other summit, so I followed the new road all the way up. The area with the telecommunication antennas was surrounded by a huge fence, however, and there were guards at the gate. I figured out that the guards at such an installation were indeed likely to be armed, and I decided it would be unwise to approach them in the darkness; and so I just shot a few night images of Addis Ababa from up there, and then I left. For the trip back down from the mountain I followed a road on the north side of the mountain, the one I had started out on even for the climb upwards. I had a torch with me, but the batteries were no longer new, so the light started fading before I could get down from to Sebeta. Nevertheless, the good thing by walking in darkness when you're in Africa is that the bad guys don't realize you're white, and so they are more likely to leave you alone. I found a minibus at Sebeta that was heading to Addis Ababa, and the driver was willing to take me back to Addis for 400 Ethiopian Birr. A lot of people in Sebeta work in Addis, and after working hours, minibuses like this one take them back home from Addis to Sebeta.

I have been thinking through it after I made this trip. It probably would've been safer (but much more expensive) to do it along with a tour guide, and it definitely would have been much safer to set out in the morning, and to avoid walking through the forests after nightfall. I did have a fabulous hike, however, with beautiful nature and a beautiful view even to the areas south of the mountain; and I don't think I would have encountered what I believe was an Ethiopian wolf close to the summit, had I not been walking at twilight. For anyone planning to hike this mountain, my recommendation is nevertheless that you get an official tourist guide to take you there; mainly as a safety precaution. Ethiopians are by en large very nice people, but in suburbs like Sebeta there will always be some thugs, and it's not easy to spot the bad guys among all the nice people.

Addis Ababa by night, as seen from the summit of Mount Furi.
Addis Ababa by night, as seen from the summit of Mount Furi.
View from Mount Furi towards the Bole International Airport at night.
View from Mount Furi towards the Bole International Airport at night.

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