We again drove through the mountains of the Volta Region from the Volta capital at Ho to the Wli, home to the highest waterfall in West Africa. Upon our arrival we registered at the front desk and were fortunate enough to draw Alfred as our guide. Alfred is the chief statesman of the Wli tour family.
We were given two options, a three hour hike to highest waterfall the very top of the mountain, or a 45 minute hike to the more frequently visited, and lower of the two waterfalls. As we had to make it to Kpedze after our hike, we elected to take the 45 minute hike.
Before we started off on the trail, Alfred stopped us at the mouth of the first pass and asked us if we had any questions before the tour started. Our first question was one most is commonly asked by foreign visitors to the Wli Waterfalls.
“Are there any snakes out here?”
“Yes. We have quite a few different species of snake here.”
Predictably, a gasp was let out by a few members of our party.
“Oh my God! Wait – are any of them poisonous?
Alfred paused thoughtfully, and then frowned, as if digging through his memory for a tidbit of trivia recently lost. While we awaited his answer, he turned his back on the group to face the path, seemingly looking down the path for the answer to our question. Alfred then picked up a fallen tree branch and began breaking off the smaller branches, deftly kicking and wrenching at the protruding appendages.
With his back still turned, Alfred broke his silence as he continued to work at the branches. “Yes, we have some poisonous, some venomous too.”
A subsequent gasp went out from some members of the group. Not minding us, Alfred crouched down and admired his work.
He turned back toward us in order to flash a smile, and held out up his newly fashioned walking stick.
“But don’t worry. If we run into anything, I am ready.”
We laughed aloud. Or at least some of us did.
With that, we were off. We did have a little trouble keeping pace with Alfred, as he was exceptionally limber and quick in his ascent. Fortunately for us, Alfred was also painstakingly diligent in making sure that any misplaced fragment of the forest, as well as any debris, were removed from the path before we could move forward. His faithful attention to the integrity of the natural habitat frequently allowed us to catch up with his pace.
Alfred had an intimate knowledge of every rock, every tree, and every insect. He could identify the owner of every track in the mud, he could identify the origin and meaning of every sound. His understanding of the environment transformed our impression of the mountain from an obstacle standing between us and the Wli waterfall to a miracle of life of its very own; to a home for all forms of life. All the different plants, wildlife, resources, signs, evidence of change and evolution meant something to Alfred, and under his guidance, we couldn’t help but to gain a deeper appreciation of where we were.
We responded to Alfred’s energy, and it was not long before we forgot about the 90+ degree heat, the fact that we had not eaten and the fact that none of us brought the appropriate footwear for a hike. Alfred was hiking in his slippers, so what was there for us to complain about? Behind Alfred’s calm demeanor, we reverted back into children, teasing one another, playing pranks, photobombing one another and posing for silly pictures. Alfred seemed to thoroughly enjoy our playfulness, aware of the fact that in this moment we cared about nothing more than immersing ourselves within the experience, and also aware that it was his own presence that made us feel so comfortable.
When we finally reached the top of the waterfall, we submitted to an overwhelming feeling of triumph. The sight of the clear white water cascading down the mountain was absolutely beautiful, and the cool mist emanating from the falling water welcomed us into the mouth of the falls with promises of even greater relief. We kicked off our shoes, rolled up our pants, and jumped into the water.
He beamed as he watched us playing in the waterfall in the waterfall, his head craned in our direction while we played music and splashed in the running water. Even as we finally tired and lay down on the rocks toward the edges of the waterfall, Alfred looked on with a blend of admiration and patience that suggested that he would rather we continue to enjoy ourselves than do anything else.
We did regret having to leave, but the trip back down the mountain was filled with snake stories from Alfred, a detour for some freshly tapped palm wine, and pictures with some of the beautiful and industrious women of Wli, on their way back from farm.
Together we recalled the waterfall when we first boarded our flight to New York. After stowing our hand luggage, someone asked, “What’s the temperature back in NY?”
“We got 30 degrees Fahrenheit, with a wind chill that takes us to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.”
“Aggh. Quick, you know what to do. Break out the pictures!”
We looked wistfully at our pictures at the waterfall and sighed. We left something beautiful behind, but we didn’t waste the opportunity to enjoy it while we there. Wli, Mayee Ma va kaba!
Will you join us upon our return?
