We took the Victoria Circle Line to Mt. Karisimbi. In the Virunga Mountain Range, home of mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, we hike. 

At the station, we read about the gorillas and their shrinking habitat. Until humans became aware of their place in the universe, these gorillas were falling down a slope to extinction. 

Then, the people abandoned the farms. In their place, vertical greenhouses sprouted up around the station. (We are staying in a pear greenhouse which is very large. The smell brings us back to our first night in the wildlands). 

We asked our hosts how the transition affected the lives of their ancestors. They had resigned themselves to their fate. And a great deal of work was done to get to where we are now.

When you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future. – Dian Fossey