Climbing Kilimanjaro Searching for Signs of Life - Dead or Alive Michelle Prysby is an ecologist the Director of Science Education and Public Outreach at the Univeristy of Virginia. After years of dreaming and planning, Michelle and her partner, John Woodell, climbed Africa's highest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro, collecting wildlife observations - both dead and alive - along the way. From Michelle: Step…pause….step…pause…step…pause. It’s 2:00 am and that’s the rhythm you are experiencing as you focus on slowly putting one foot in front of the other, climbing ever higher. You’re wearing five or six layers of clothing, including both a wool hat and a balaclava that cover so much of your face that you are unrecognizable to any other than your closest loved ones. You’re wearing mittens so thick that they render your hands useless except for hanging on to your hiking poles. Up ahead, you see a long line of bobbing lights and you realize they are the headlamps of all the other people also working their way slowly to the Roof of Africa, looking like a procession of giant fireflies. It’s still dark when you reach Gilman’s Point on the rim of the crater, and you only have 500 meters to go to make it to Uhuru Peak, the very top of the mountain. Those 500 meters take you over an hour, though, at your trudging pace. You feel that your life is dependent on the skills and decisions of the two guides who have led you the whole way and have already accomplished this feat dozens of times or more, and will do it many dozens of times more. With luck, you make it and see the most beautiful sunrise over the glaciers, above the clouds, with the moon still hanging in the sky. You are breathless from the beauty and the happiness at achieving the summit after more than seven days of hiking – not to mention the low level of oxygen. And you’re sad about having to leave the summit so soon, even though both your guides and your queasy stomach tell you it’s time to go down. That was our summit experience on our recent trip to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s tallest mountain at 19,340 feet. In celebration of my partner’s 40th birthday, he and I decided to join the 25,000-plus people who make this climb each year. He had dreamed of making this trek since age ten, after seeing a PBS documentary on it, and he spent nearly two years planning the trip – doing extensive research to choose the best guiding company, route, and timing for us. On May 31st, led by our excellent guides Leo and Felix from Team Kilimanjaro, we started our trek up the mountain. We were joined by a Canadian friend of ours currently living in Kenya, as well as twelve extremely capable porters (which sounds like a lot of support staff, but is fairly standard for a group of three climbers). Much of my career has focused on citizen science, and I had seen a brochure for Adventurers and Scientists for Conservation at a conference on public participation in scientific research. When I checked to see if they had any projects listed for Mount Kilimanjaro, I was excited to learn about the Mount Kilimanjaro Animal Sightings project. This project aims to document wildlife (dead or alive) at high elevations on the mountain, above 13,000 feet, with the goal of answering questions about wildlife distributions and climate history (as mummified animal remains emerge from the melting ice). Our main focus was to successfully climb the mountain and have fun doing so, but this project seemed like it could be an interesting addition to our adventure. We started our trek at about 8,000 feet, and by the evening of the third day, we had hiked 22.1 km and made it to 13,668 feet. We would spend the next several days in the 13,000s before ascending to our “base camp”, School Huts, at 15,492 feet on day seven. Once we were above 13,000, it was time to start watching for signs of wildlife for the ASC project! On the first day, when we were still in tropical forest habitat, we saw black-and-white colobus monkeys and heard many birds, but by the time we were above 13,000 feet, we were seeing very few signs of wildlife. Very few mammals venture into the higher altitudes. On our way in to Moir Hut camp (13,688 feet), we found some droppings from buffalo. Leo, our guide, told us that buffalo (or their signs) are fairly commonly observed up to nearly 15,000 feet. We saw two more signs of buffalo along our trek – some fresh-looking tracks and a dried, whole buffalo carcass between 3rd Caves Camp (13,028 feet) and School Huts (15,492 feet). We took notes, photographs, and GPS coordinates of all these observations and sent them in to Doug Hardy, a climate researcher at the University of Massachusetts for inclusion in the project’s data set. Our guides told us that the buffalo carcass had been there for at least three years, but Doug didn’t have a record of it, so we were excited to add that observation. We were proud and thrilled to have made it to Uhuru Peak and very thankful of all of the Team Kilimanjaro staff who got us there, and we are glad we could make a few useful scientific observations along the way. On to the next adventure!
Keep up with more adventures here on our blog as well as on our Facebook and Twitter (@AdventurScience) pages. Get involved in a project for your next adventure or support our mission by becoming a member. 8/28/2013 11:17:01 am
Great story Michelle, thanks for sharing.Reminds me of my climb in 2001. I remember the plants more than the animals. 11/11/2013 05:22:22 am
Thanks for sharing your article, maybe I can use this svelte my noesis marketing and I have been use whatsoever ethnical media in try a interaction and they eff handiwork a big friendliness on me. 12/6/2013 03:35:47 am
Cisco is the industry leader in information technology, and getting certified by them is a guaranteed way to succeed with IT careers. We help you do exactly that with our best quality Cisco 200-120 Cisco Certified Network Associate CCNA (803) training materials.
Anne Wright
8/28/2013 11:58:02 am
Very exciting, Michelle!!! I remember nothing, having never been there, but feel like I have now thanks to your excellent blog. No salamanders, eh?
Michelle Prysby
8/29/2013 07:29:46 am
Wow, so much fun that you found and read this, James and Anne! 9/1/2013 10:29:51 pm
I was searching the code which is used professionally. Then I saw your blog. I want to congratulate you on such a wonderful blog. 9/24/2013 06:14:28 pm
Your site is quite interesting and very well written. I like the way it is organized and presented. Very concise and articulate. 10/5/2013 03:02:25 am
Hello everyone we provide updated information about National and International. <a href="http://www.cilacappost.com"> Cilacap Luminous Digital News Portal </ a> 10/17/2013 02:34:45 pm
11/15/2013 06:23:03 pm
The resource that you mentioned here is something that I have been looking from quite a time about Climbing Kilimanjaro Searching for Signs of Life - Dead or Alive. And finally it ended with such a nice blog post.Thank you...... 12/7/2013 03:37:24 pm
Pregnancies among older women have been a subject of controversy and debate. 12/8/2013 10:48:01 pm
Make it a point to eat a healthy snack at home before going to holiday parties so it's easier to resist fattening and sugar-laden carbohydrate waistline-killers. 12/28/2013 10:53:39 pm
Text messaging is one of the most powerful and intimate forms of communication we have. Today most teenagers and even adults spend more time on their iPhones, smart phones, and other cell phones texting than they do actually talking. And few people go anywhere anymore without their cell phone nearby. 1/15/2014 04:10:50 pm
this is a great source of knowledge we need to know and stay refreshed in i am so greatful to be able to share this with my family. 1/23/2014 01:47:54 am
Michelle - some awesome insight! After reading you were going to be climbing Kilimanjaro, I started reading about the trip and the different paths you can take. I really like to push myself just to see what I am capable of and this trip is definitely something I need to add to my list of things to do before I die. 1/29/2014 08:40:22 am
Fantastic write-up I enjoy ones document really like and the choice of described everything, what you are doing a terrific career most of some others that you by means of that kind of educational blogs produce attention to be able to us related to lots of things. My spouse and i understand other sorts of exciting blogs out of your internet websites as well as My business is much fascinated using your running a blog abilities, My partner and i likewise started to produce sites and this also variety sites actually guide us away. My spouse and i currently added your current web page and also contributed your current sites in order to the acquaintances besides me personally yet them all like your blogging and site-building expertise, hope an individual produce more interesting blogs like this one particular in addition to all the best on your upcoming websites. 2/1/2014 02:10:37 am
Supporters of the proposed tower included West Loop business owners, longtime residents, and representatives of the West Loop Community Organization, the Greektown Neighborhood Association and the West Central Chamber of Commerce. 2/16/2014 03:03:18 pm
Great site content about this topic,I have been previously lately in your weblog maybe once or twice at this point 2/20/2014 04:01:05 pm
I am really like it very much for the interesting info in this blog that to this website is providing the wonderful info in this blog that to utilize the great technology in this blog. 2/20/2014 04:01:36 pm
Many thanks for the exciting blog posting! Simply put your blog post to my favorite blog list and will look forward for additional updates. Simply wanted to write down a word in order to say thanks to you for those wonderful tips. 2/20/2014 04:02:02 pm
Good job! I must admit that your post is really interesting. I have spent a lot of my spare time reading your content. Thank you a lot! 2/20/2014 04:02:28 pm
That is very interesting smile I love reading and I am always searching for informative information like this! You are bookmarked! 2/20/2014 04:24:03 pm
Today is a great day because I just heard my very favorite relationship coach, Michael Fiore, will be releasing his Online Allure program in early 2014. 2/20/2014 04:24:29 pm
Thank you for presenting your points and providing this information. I have learned something about this topic 2/20/2014 04:48:31 pm
Wonderful being going to your blog once again, it's been weeks to me. This report in which i am silently laid for such a long time 2/20/2014 04:51:50 pm
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often. 2/20/2014 08:01:47 pm
Many thanks for the exciting blog posting! Simply put your blog post to my favorite blog list and will look forward for additional updates. Simply wanted to write down a word in order to say thanks to you for those wonderful tips. 2/20/2014 08:02:10 pm
Good job! I must admit that your post is really interesting. I have spent a lot of my spare time reading your content. Thank you a lot! 2/20/2014 08:02:34 pm
That is very interesting smile I love reading and I am always searching for informative information like this! You are bookmarked! Comments are closed.
|
Read the Landmark Notes blog:Archives
November 2019
|