#2: [02-Aug-05]

29-Jul-2005 -- 0N 11E is in the equatorial forest, and appears on the maps very close to the main road "Nationale 2" linking Libreville to the Cameroon. Starting from Libreville by car, we have to cope with heavy "grumiers" trucks filling the road in the reverse direction. Between Ndjolé and Alembé, the road is in a very poor condition. After Alembé, and coming close to the confluence after 3.5 hours driving, it's a brand new soft and broad road.

Unfortunately, the closest point on the road is 720 meters away from the Confluence. The ground is quite hilly, and the forest is very thick at the starting point of the final walk. We start walking in a small brook, Jean François has to open the way with his machete, and we soon find we have to cross a river. The exercise is possible thanks to low waters and high boots, and then the way, steep uphill, brings us through an elephant trail, with heavy smellings and fresh footprints, showing the beasts are not far.

It's then downhill again, through such a thick forest that, even with the machete, we need one minute for each meter, while the GPS has lost any reception. The progression is so tiring that we stop it as soon as the GPS gives us a fix 93 meters from the spot. Unfortunately, it will unlock before we take a good picture, and we have to move back to get information again.

The view at the Confluence is quite poor, but the place anyways allows some rest time for Jean François and me. 2 hours will have been necessary for these 720 last meters when we are back to the car!

Coordinator's Note: Due to the poor satellite reception in the forest, having caused a rather large EPE (estimated position error) of more than 70 m, we cannot assume a definite approach to within 100 m of the Confluence, unfortunately. So, despite the efforts which we recognize, this visit has to be registered as incomplete.