Lichens in High Places

What is this life if, full of care, we have no time to stand and stare?

-William Henry Davies

      Often referred to as “nature’s pioneers,” lichens can be found all over the world in places you might have never thought of. While trekking in the mountains have you ever noticed colorful organisms clinging to the rocks? Or while walking through the forest, the branches and twigs scattered throughout the forest floor, covered in green to brown organisms? Most likely, these are lichens. Lichens are a symbiotic association between a fungus and an algae or cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). They play an important role in not only creating beauty in an otherwise dull and lifeless area, they enable other organisms to grow, are a food source, used for nesting material, and can be used to learn about the health of the environment they are in.

The Wonderland Trail

-->

 The Wonderland Trail circumnavigates Mt. Rainier in 93 miles through pristine old growth forests and wind swept alpine areas. This endeavor was another challenge I wanted to fulfill after successfully summiting Mt. Rainier four times, living and working at Sunrise and Paradise and covering miles and miles on the Wonderland Trail. I had only six days to do the trip because I started school in a week. I couldn't find any itinerary for a six day trip so I put the numbers together between camps and tried to realistically consider whether it was possible (as you will discover, I pushed the limit). The Wonderland Trail is most often done clockwise but I did it counter clockwise so I could meet my grandmother at Longmire by a certain day and time. September is a wonderful time on the mountain because there are less people and while the flowers have wilted and died in the lower elevations, all of the flowers are in full bloom up on Mt. Rainier.

Lichens In High Places

A few weeks ago I woke up early and spent three hours typing about my adventures on the Wonderland Trail. I was feeling great, coffee in hand, brain swimming with ideas, and my fingers flying across the keyboard. What happened next, I'm sure you can imagine the pain that swept across me. The computer froze just as I was about to post it. I waited and waited for a miracle, for my page to reappear. Instead I had to re-boot, losing everything I had just written.

The Wonderland Trail

I've been pretty lazy all summer, and now that I have one week left before school, I am bound for an adventure that has been on my mind for a few years now. The Wonderland Trail. It circumnavigates the 14, 410 foot icon of Washington State, Mt. Rainier. With a total of 93 miles, this trail weaves up and down through rugged glacial deposit terrain, ancient fog soaked forests, and the key to every outdoor enthusiasts heart. I've worked two summers on the mountain, first at Sunrise and secondly at Paradise. I have explored several portions of the trail and even summited the mountain four times. I've never had enough time to backpack this trail until now. Whereas the majority of people backpack it in ten to twelve days, I will be backpacking it in six. That means, on average, I will be hiking fifteen miles a day. Also, since I've hiked a lot of this trail, I don't want to take it leisurely. My grandma Jean will be meeting me at the Longmire Lodge half way through. She will be bringing me my food supplies for the rest of the trip.

Johnson's Hairstreak

Consider yourself lucky if you see this butterfly. Endemic to the Pacific Northwest, Johnson's Hairstreak spends most of its life in the canopy of old-growth forests, specifically in pines where the mistletoe parasite also makes its home. Johnson's Hairstreak lays its eggs in the mistletoe where the the larvae then eat the new shoots. Once they are strong enough to venture off, they look for mates and collect their nectar from a variety of plants. Unfortunately their numbers are thought to be declining due to the logging of old-growth forests, development, and other factors.

As I bask in the new rays of the June sunshine I know that these butterflies are also taking in the sun, fluttering their way through the tree tops of whats left of our old-growth forests. And wherever you find your "wings" taking you, I know it is someplace magnificent. May I suggest stopping awhile and watching the life going on around you. Each with their purpose in life, living and dying, unselfishly making room for another life to begin.

And just as the sun begins and ends, on this day my independent contract ends and my summer begins. With my newly gained tree climbing skills I plan to venture into many tree tops. I plan to also partake in some smaller tasks in life I've been meaning to incorporate. Tasks such as knitting, or charcoal drawing, reading a good book, jump roping, backpacking, and making jewelry. Will keep ya posted!

Little Water Bear vs. Dancing Gummy Bear

Close up of a Water Bear

"Strange is this little animal, because of its exceptional and strange morphology and because it closely resembles a bear en miniature. That is the reason why I decided to call it little water bear."

J.A.E. Goeze (Pastor at St. Blasii, Quedlinburg, Germany), 1773

Photo by Eny Yusnizar

"The original dancing bear was taller and thinner than the chubby little bear of today, but became immediately popular among the children of Bonn."

Paul a. Schons, The Millionaire and His Candy 2003

Tree Spirits

As he dangled in the air, a small breeze gently rocked his tree boat against the oak limb beneath him. It too dangled from his saddle as he stared at the rope system in front of him and the webbing used to attach one end of the tree boat to the sturdy oak trunk. I rested and watched as fellow student Hallow put the knowledge we learned into use. Here we were in Oregon City, Oregon to learn advance tree climbing skills with Tim Kovar, New Tribe.

The tree climbing was done on a beautiful farm with green grassy hills and groves of Oak, Cedar, and Douglas-fir trees. Hallow drove down from Canada and I from the Seattle area. The first day I arrived we set up our tree boats and hung out in them. Later on that night we climbed up into our tree boats again and looked up at the bright stars as the frogs below talked amongst themselves. The tree climbs spread out in front of me like thick veins. They pulsed with energy and life all awhile being still and content with the passing moons.

Hanging out with the Licorice Ferns

This weekend a few friends and I went to a trail called Mt. Si in the Cascade mountains. We went about one mile up the trail then went off trail to find a tree to climb. The main canopy is made up of tall Douglas-fir trees with branches that start at least 90 feet in the sky. A more appropriate tree for climbing was a Big Leaf Maple. Once I found a good tree I set the rope up and the required knots for DRT. After giving a demonstration and setting each person up, they got to wiggle their way up to where the Licorice Ferns were dangling off the branches. I'm going to "go out on a limb here" and assume they had a pretty good time.


Tomorrow I will be driving down to Portland to learn more about tree climbing with Tim Kovar through Tree Climbing Northwest. http://www.newtribe.com/tcnt.htm
I will be there for four days and look forward to spending more time in the trees!

  

Marbled Murrelet

       Picture this, a monogamous pair of Marbled Murrelet’s just spent several years out at sea and on this special day they traveled over 70 kilometers of ocean and land to the temperate forests of Washington State. Flying into an old-growth forest that has been there for centuries, is now completely gone. They glance over at the secondary forest nearby but this habitat doesn’t work. The young branches of the Douglas fir tree are not broad or tall enough to hold a variety of epiphytes that could protect their single egg from predators. The couple flies onward, in search of a suitable home to raise their chick. This scenario has potentially happened to several Marbled Murrelet’s. Logging and development are the major causes of this unique species numbers to drop, placing it in the endangered category.

Marbled Murrelet's, Brachyramphus marmoratus, spend most of their lives out at sea but when it's time to nest, the pair heads into the woods in search of that perfect place to lay a single egg.They are small birds, roughly the size of a robin and a challenge to research in the large trees of old-growth forests therefore most research takes place at the ocean. For a sound recording and/or video of this bird visit Cornell's wonderful Lab of Ornithology website at http://macaulaylibrary.org/index.do.


Photo courtesy of: San Fransisco State University



Lettuce Lichen



Photo by Daniel Mathews


If you live in the Pacific Northwest you've probably seen me before. I kind of look like a piece of lettuce or maybe a lung so people call me Lettuce Lichen or Lung Lichen. My scientific name is Lobaria oregana and I am the largest in my family. I like to be in areas where there is a lot of water and I can hang out on the branches of trees. When the wind gets really gusty you can find me on the ground waiting to decompose and provide nitrogen to the soil. I pride myself in playing a key role in this ecosystem because I am a nitrogen fixer. I take nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into ammonia which then other plants can use to grow and thrive. Pretty cool huh!?

Las Mariposas

There were several of them chasing each other, fluttering around as if playing tag. One or two would disappear then all of them would gather, twirling with the light breeze, dancing up the current towards the pale blue sky. I watched them dance as I safely sat in my saddle, sixty feet in the sky. I was grounded to a huge Red Oaks armpit. Just half an hour ago those same butterflies were dancing in my stomach as I perched up on one of the largest arms of "Rosie." I took a deep breath and logically thought about my situation. I was safe, the knots were good and I wasn't going anywhere.

After watching those butterflies I got to do a bit of my own dancing in the sky. With one big push off the main trunk my body was propelled backwards, I spun slightly to do a 360 turn to land back at the trunk with my feet.

I adore this painting above by Jaime Jose, it is called El vuelo de las mariposas, The flight of the butterflies. In a way we are all made up of a bunch of small butterflies. Maybe their trying to go up towards the sky, and into our minds they go. Sometimes they get a little anxious and flurry around, running into each other causing chaos. And like this woman in this painting shows, she breaths, calming the flurry, and in turn helping those butterflies to perch and rest.  

Hmmmm

"Are you ADHD?" Peter Treeman Jenkin's asks me. He asks because he thought most tree climber's were. My reply was, no, I really don't think so. But how would I know? What is ADHD? I picture kids with tons of energy running around crazily, unable to focus on one task. So I took a test and would you believe it, I scored a moderate level of adhd. Granted some of the questions were vague but they were questions based on behavioural characteristics and a few of them hit home. A few observations such as, "Concentrates better when moving or fidgeting, has increased anxiety or nervousness, is restless or in constant motion, is always on the "go." On the go.......HMMMM that sounds familiar!

I'm on the go, go, go, all the time, time, time! I just got back from Argentina, now I'm in Atlanta, Georgia and people ask me, what's next? I usually think I'm going to do some sort of silly non-realistic "relaxing" but the last time I said that, look where it brought me.

Tree Man

Either way, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than here in Georgia dangling from a, I believe Peter said, a Southern Sugar Maple Tree. In the first part of the morning we practiced the Double Rope Technique (DRT) which is a series of several knots. Then I practiced some line throwing and in the afternoon I was shimmying my way up into the tree. The tree is on their property in front of the house where guests can stay for the low  price of $45 a night.

I'm pretty tired now and need to get to bed. I can only imagine tomorrow my muscles will be sore and my head already hurts a little from all the information I'm soaking in. When I got into the tree I set up two more pitches, a way to progress further up into the tree. I then set up a downward pitch to get out of the tree. Peter had me learn these methods because I will be climbing taller trees than the maple and have to learn how to work with the different pitches. Peter designs his program based around an individuals needs. Very patient, helpful, and funny, Peter is a better instructor (and person at that) than I ever imagined. His wife Patty does a lot of the behind the scenes work and is also a genuinely good person with a passion for the outdoors.

I have another full day tomorrow and will be joining Peter afterwards to a residential home to inspect hazardous trees. This will be after climbing all day for eight hours. Lovin' it! Stay posted mis amigos!

Wandering Salamander

Look at me, I'm a slimy, lungless, tree climbing salamander! My latin name is Aneides vagrans, fancy wording which means, Aneides in Greek, I lack form or shape and just like my common name says, I'm a wanderer. I've wandered my way into British Columbia hiding under Tan Oak bark shipped there in the late 19th century then sneaking out and seeking refuge in the forests. I like it there quite well but nothing compared to my original home in the damp forests of the redwoods, California. You can find me hiding under rotting logs, dark crevices in rocks, and even waaaaay up in the trees. I'm talkin' over 100 feet up in the sky! There's no need for me to go anywhere else. The complex system in these trees are refuge to all kinds of plants called, epiphytes, meaning these plants grow on other plants for support without hurting them. I'll eat anything I can find like bugs and worms that live here year-around in the forest like me.

If you want to learn more about me and some of my relatives check out the following links:<http://www.californiaherps.com/>

This stuffs intense right here: <http://www.humboldt.edu/redwoods/sillett/publications/spicklerEtAl2006.pdf>

Gato de pelo

Fine cat hair sticks to every inch of my clothing, sneaks its way into my food, and is a constant visual companion in my grandmothers home in Kent, Washington. Her three half siamese cats and my grandmother are my new companions as I work out my spring quarter school plans. My spring independent project is Tree Canopy Research and Climbing. I will be reading two books, writing papers and taking three tree climbing courses. The first one is April 10th to the 16th in Atlanta, Georgia. I will be taught how to safely access and climb trees with the founder Peter Jenkins, of the first recreational tree climbing organization in the US.

http://treeclimbing.com/

After this week course I will be able to acess the tree canopies on my own. For safety reasons I will practice with my re-acquainted friend John who is a certified arborist for the city of Kent. It has been 11 years, along time since our days punching each other on the bus. Besides this exciting transition I will be adding a new member to the family, her name is Smurfett and she's a blue 2003 Honda Element. Perfect for my adventures into the wilderness with plenty of room for gear and AWD for nasty roads. It's time to go read my Forest Canopies book and roll around in some cat hair. I hope everyone is having a nice transition into spring. I'm finally accepting that it will be spring, for a while since I've been back I keep thinking it is going to be fall. This year will be my third summer.

The Juggling is Better

Remember the VERY first post I wrote here? It was about my pasayo, a clown, that followed me around collecting new spanish words and putting them in mate gourds. Then he would try to juggle them and clumsily spill the words out everywhere so at night I had random spanish words racing through my head.

Six months later and I thought of this as I tried to go to bed. Instead of spanish words interruting me during sleep, this time it was preventing me from sleeping. Estoy cansado pero quiero ir a dormir. Si tengo muchas cosas en mis mochillas.... I am tired but I want to go to sleep. Yes I have a lot of things in my bags. And on and on it went. I realize now the pasayo got better at juggling but when I get home to the states he will probably drop a few gourds.

I´m headed on the plane tonight to finally go home. I´m exausted, I´m ready to relax. I will miss Argentina but know I will be back to climb some mountains and confuse the pasayo once again. See you all soon!

Series of Fortunate Events

I admit, tears came to my eyes as I stared out of the bus window at the landscape before me. The tall snowy peaks of Mt. Torre and Mt. Fitz Roy were in the clouds but the scenery below it was just as magnificent. I felt a tightening in my chest and new, at that moment, I had been searching all these years for something unexplainable, and here it was right before me. Time to back up a little, my grandmother and I were on our way to Parque Nacional Monte Leon just a few days ago. This area is a reserved piece of land in the middle of nowhere along the Atlantic coast. We were truding up the hill out of Puerto Santa Cruz when the rental started sputtering and clanging. I pulled over and the car completely died. Great. Maybe we smacked one to many rocks on the bottom of the car while driving across the rocky road from El Calafate. We got some help getting it to a mechanic and the people that kindly helped us called for an english translator. And this was where we first met James Louise. ¡Dios mio! He took us to his home, fed us tea and biscuits and called the Hertz car company for us. Simply put, we would have never met James if our car hadn´t broken down. He is the curator of the museum in Puerto Santa Cruz, english teacher, and musician. He owns two pieces of land in Argentina, one of them being north of El Chalten called El Condor. He actually drove us over 200km to the intersection to El Calafate and El Chalten but no gas stations had gas so he had to leave from there while we caught a bus. The locutorio is expensive here! Time to go explore the area and dream of the day when I will get to come back and ride horses through the fresh breeze and trek along the icefield behind Mt. Fitz Roy. Chau

I stood contently in the middle amongst chattering friends, watching the smiling faces, gentle pats on the back, abrazos y besos. Erik stood nearby tending to the asado meat choices of cow, pork, and chicken flaming over the hot coals. Some sat at the large table while others mingled around the balcony porch underneath the starless sky of the polluted city. ¨Smear some pork fat on dem lips,¨ Benjamine commented to baby Luca, with his gummy toothless grin (thats the baby, not BenG, although I could picture him so with a comment like that). Mama Ashley held him gently then passed him off to other members of his new extended family. Musical flute tunes by Morgan flowed around the bodies and intertwined with the pulses of the city street life.

I wrote this last week at about 5am when I couldn´t get any sleep. I had just gotten over a flu and had three presentations to prepare for, then had to plan my granmothers arrival. I got to bed around 7am that day, got up at about 9 am. I probably wasn´t too productful, found myself crying randomly when nothing was going right. But in the end all went well. All presentations were the best they could be, considering the circumstances. I got all of my upper division credit so I might as well go for a Bachelors of Science with a minor in Spanish, si?

Now Im in the over priced town called Calafate named after a spikey shrub. Calafate, a word I use to curse with after countless hours of it piercing my legs in the backcountry. The cold winds are so strong here I wouldnt be surprised if one day this town rolls over into the large Lago Argentino. The beautiful milky blue lake is fed by the famous Perito Moreno Glacier. Today mi abuela y yo took the rental car to a remote area of the park for lunch and a walk. Later we visited the glacier and watched as this fast moving glacier, two meters a day, threw large chunks of ice out into the lake.

Tomorrow we are driving to the Atlantic Ocean, Parque Nacional Monte León and staying at an estancia. From there we will be exploring some caves and visiting Patagonias residents, magellanic penguins, sea lions, and sea birds. After this we are driving back inland north of Calafate to El Chalten. If the weather is nice we will get to see Mt. Fitzroy and Mt. Torre. THEN, back to Calafate, Buenos Aires...and home! Que bueno, estoy listo.

Azul

I met a girl named Azul. She was 11 years old and looking ill as the double decker bus swerved side to side on the twisty road into Chile. In my poor spanish I came to learn that she loved to macrame bracelets, she showed me all the colorful twine, circuling her tiny wrist and ankles. She liked my trenza and wished she could have one but they wont let them wear trenzas at school. I wanted to give her a gift, a little jewel of some sort but they were packed away in my bag beneath the bus.

The color of the water wasnt quite blue like the sky, it was mixed with green colored geese poo. A naked little boy gleefully dove and splashed into the water as four kids stood watching. He quickly got out and screamed at them with happiness, all the while shakin his little booty and stinking his tongue out. A little girl stood next to him wearing a safari printed dress that held a small pouch around her waist and brown color print up to her neck. Her brown matted hair, bleached by the sun was pulled back into a blue clip. A dread of hair ran long down her back. It flung wildly as she pushed the boy into the water. Four mothers stood nearby in their bright flower printed flowing dresses, their hair pulled back into a loose bun. They had already tried getting money from me and every other person relaxing in the park. She wanted to read my palm but I wouldn´t understand a word of her so I passed.I wondered if those young spirits would ever go to school.

¿Donde estan los condoritos?

Morgan and I sat in the shade, camouflaged by the leaves of a cipres tree. Most of the time we sat, staring out at the rocky cliffs in front of us or way up in the sky, hoping to see the 3m long wingspan of the great condor. But alas, we saw none. We sat, we stretched, read the Tao Te Ching book by William Martin, and fed some nearby ants the flies we killed. We eventually got so bored and killed so many flies that we focused our attention on how the ants were controlling the wrestling strength of the flies legs. It was amazing! There were ants that took pieces of dirt outfrom under the fly, ants that brought sticks over to lay on top of the fly, and ants that bit and tortured the fly. We didnt find the condors but we did find the wonderous life of an ant. Our goal was to try and find the nest of a pair of condors in an area within Nahuel Huapi. With the help of Sergio we buskwacked our way through thick bamboo and spiky plants that pierce the skin and clothing easily. On top of that, it rained the first few days. By GPS we made our way on top of a hill that looked into a 1km long valley with rocky cliffs on the opposite end. We learned a good lesson, the glorious life of a biologist is few and far between reality. Orlando thinks the pichon might have died. It will be furthur investigated. Off again soon to another nest location in Nahuel Huapi. In the meantime, anyone have any questions they would like to know about condors?

UPDATE:

I forgot to mention a few interesting experiences while we were out there. The second day it rained pretty good and our tent was dripping water from the top, down into the middle on our stuff. As it continued to rain we had to figure a way to stop the water coming in. We used two of our foam pads, brought so we could sit on the ground comfortably. There was a gap letting rain through between these foam pads so we cut a plastic bottle in half and set it there. We had a plethora of plastic bottles because the area we were in had no water resources so we had to rely on what water we brought. In the end our set up worked perfectly. The next morning the birds welcomed us to a new sunny and clear day. Birds such as the curious Chucao came as close to landing on top of our tent briefly with a loud chhuuuuuuuuuuucao. Skipping ahead now. At the end of our trip, Orlando, Morgan and I were hiking out and came upon three horses silently resting under the bright moonlight. We talked to them for a bit and one by one more horses arrived. It was getting dark so we left with a trail of horses behind us. As we walked on the sendero de los caballos, trail of the horses, under the guidance of la luna brillante, the bright moon, I had one horse behind me bump into me with its head. Morgan was following another horse when it decided to take a crapp. When we got the end of the trail only two horses remained and as we left, one horse gave us one last farewell.

¡Oh, Condoritos!

Buenos Dias, Allyce and I were discussing how strange how we are able to sleep better in the woods. The white noise of the rushing river flowing by our tent. The sweet cool breeze blowing in through the mesh lining, wafting in rhythms, filling our head with memorable dreams. Now we are in Bariloche, with a constant background of noises, the stale air inside the room made for a disturbing night. Morgan and I left eight days ago with Orlando and assistant Pablo.We took a trail halfway up to a well known Refugio called Jakob. Our condor location was off trail, once off trail we made our way up a river, scrambling over boulders and cursing while stromping over the sharp spikes of Michay and the whipping sticks of Colihue (bamboo). Once we got to the condor nest area we pitched our tent next to the river. For five and a half days we scrambled up steep, slippery rocks to our observation area. The condors nest is called a nido in spanish, although it`s not really a nest, just an indent in soil with a rock overhang for shelter. We had to get high enough to view the chick or pichòn. From about 8 am to 7 pm we looked through our spotting scopes at the lives of the condors. The pichòn is a cute, large, fluffy, and awkward bird covered in a pile of down feathers. Most of the time Pichòn slept, huddled in a corner but sometimes the parents came to feed. Unfortunately I don`t have enough time to write about all that we observed. It was amazing, special, unique, and I treasured every moment. Even mid day when the sun was scorching our brains and we went crazy looking for shade. Or when Morgans Nalgene bottle went tumbling down the steep slope and shattered into pieces. Morgan brought along two flutes so while he sang sweet melodies, I awkwardly tried to make a few notes. Heading out again in a couple of days. Going to enjoy the time off I have.

Nuevas aventuras

Morgan and I have successful connected with Sergio A. Lambertucci,a leading researcher of the Andean Condor. Today we head off into Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi, cerca de Bariloche to camp six days and study the condors. We will be apart of a study that derives from a previous study done by Segio and Orlando. If you`re interested, this is the research paper we are basing our own study off of.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1557-9263.2008.00156.x/abstract
Once we get back we will camp another six days, twice in different areas within the park. Will keep you posted. ¡Nos vemos!

A list of what to bring while traveling

First off, everyone has different needs, the following list is what I have found to work well for traveling light. My grandmother Pamela is visiting me in March so I thought it would be helpful to put together a list plus there are things I wish I would have brought and what to bring while traveling in the future. List also changes on the time of year visiting.

1. Sturdy backpack, depends on your preference, it´s very helpful to have a sleeping bag zipper compartment at the bottom for quick access. Plan on carrying only a large backpack and a small backpack.

2. I wish I would have brought a clothes line that has clips on it. Super easy to use and light. I usually use some rope or like right now my clothes are hanging all over a tree. The thing is, without the clips, random pieces of clothing get blown away.

3. Wish I would have brought a collapsable plastic water container: My nalgene works just fine but doesnt hold enough water. For example, we are staying at a campground that is far from a water source. My professor has a nice container thats not too large and not too small, approximately 1.5 Liters or 50 oz. When he´s not using it, just squishes it down so its compact and light whereas two nalgene bottles do not have this option.

4. Boots, flip flops for showering in, and sneakers.

5. Watch with an alrm clock in it.

6. One warm jacket, once waterproof jacket

7. Sunglasses, warm beanie, ball cap...

8. Grams, I have a few things you can borrow like a beanie cap, gloves, camera, binoculars....

9. Sealable Tupperware container for holding a sandwich and another snack.

10. Only enough clothes to fit in a compressable stuff sack. Por ejemplo: two pairs of pants, one being hiking pants, one pair of shorts, three pairs of shirts, long sleeved shirt, and a light jacket for protection from the sun,two pairs of sneaker socks, and two pairs of warm boot socks. I doubt you will need to bring your boots. Just bring a good pair of sneakers.

11. Extra lightweight bag to bring back goodies in! You will leave with more than you came with for sure.

List of ``must haves`` in Argentina

Here is a list of what everyones buying. Plus a funny update. Last night Amy fell out of her top bunk bed last night. Luckily she´s as agile as a cat and landed on her feet!

First off, if you´re in Bariloche you have to buy:
1. CHOCOLATE!
Entonces...
2. Cuchillos, knives
3. Boleadoras
4. Sam bought a beaver trap
5. I bought a baca belt, cow belt with hair on it!
6. Mate´s
7. Bombillas for the mate´s
8. All types of clothing
9. Pan de Indio gal, not a pan de indio girl but a type of fungus that grows on a tree and forms strange growths.

As our adventures grow, so does this list

Estoy cansada

I´ve been wanting to write since my break in El Bolson but I´ve so busy ever since I got back to the real world. I´m staring at this computer and it´s swaying haha! Too much cafe and mate. I had spanish class this morning and shared my new ceramica mate gourd with everyone. It´s a pajaro, bird. After class I wrote my two spanish presentations, one on one of the founding fathers of Argentina, Perito Moreno and the other presentation on an interview of our choice. I interviewed several people in the artensanal feria in Bariloche, people like Daniel who made the ceramica mate cup I bought, a Cecilia who makes soap, and a Mapuche woman (a true native of Argentina) who makes beautiful silver jewelry.

Then I had a meeting with film director and producer of The Path of the Condor. Here´s the website: http://www.thepathofthecondor.com/
My classmates Morgan, Ben, and I asked him questions about possible projects to join about the condors. We have some more people to contact but it looks likely that my February project will be studying the Condor bird. I´m super excited because not a lot of study has been done on these magnificent birds. Every new information gained about them has great opportunities in areas of re-establishing populations here and in california with the californian condor, new inventions in paragliding, and much much more.

Time to go, tonight I´m eating at the restaurant Sesame with my roommates. Some other things I´ve been working on is a species presentation on the Black-Browed Albatross and another presentation on a research paper about the Condors. Sunday our group leaves to take rental cars north and south to different parks.

Here´s an interesting article my professor just sent me.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/13/argentinian-founding-father-genocide-row

¡Nos Vemos!