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By Sam Cahaly of Colby College Our first backpacking trip took place in the Tamango sector of the Patagonian National Park, a 3-day ordeal that would overall include about 22 km of hiking with a day of rest in the…
By Ella Doyle from University of Vermont Our first research project of the semester was to determine the Least Acceptable Change (LAC) on the hiking trails that run from Valle Chacabuco to Lago Jeinimeni in Parque Nacional Patagonica (PNP). LAC…
by Ziggy Berkoff of the University of Vermont March 4, 2023 Our second full day at Camp Kaziikini near Sankuko, Botswana. Today started like any other transect day, the harsh beeping from my watch startled me from my deeply detailed…
By Marcus Demian of North Carolina State University Wednesday, February 1st: It feels like a lot happened today: up by 9:00 am in Johannesburg, ate quickly, managed to check into the Maun flight without getting there late despite confusing directions,…
Ever sweatier, ever dirtier, more blistered and more tired, and more content. And the lingering sentiment: Thank you. That was incredible. What’s next?
We learned from the personal experiences of our guides, the community members, and from each other within our own group as well. The effort and care of everyone has been what made this experience so much more than just a study abroad program; so much more than just getting an education. Everyone offered us kinship, just as much as we offered it.
This group has flourished into something so incredibly unique, and I feel so grateful for each and every person involved. These folks have created an incredible experience that I’ll never forget. I felt more at home here in Botswana than I ever expected to, and that’s thanks to all the wonderful people that have contributed to this program and that I have been lucky enough to share this experience with.
By Travis Goodin from Westminster College Life is brought into the camp with an early sunrise and the soothing calls of the camp owners’ roosters and the native southern lapwing. As the breakfast crew makes their way out of their…
There were many goals for this trip. For us as RRCS students the main goal was to learn a little about the local culture and kids and possibly pass some of our knowledge, the little we may have, on. Round River´s were to build a relationship with the local community and to help to ensure future protection for BNP El Mosco. The local students goals hopefully mirrored the RRCS students goals in coming to Patagonia: to get exposed to something new and possibly further their knowledge of the natural world and help to conserve it.
Instead of asking how are you, our escort guides would ask, where are you? Are you here? Le teng? And in the bush, re teng. We are here. I think that phrase encapsulates our time at Mopane Camp. We are here, present in the moment, just us in the bush.
Our goal (team 4) for the day was to survey the Los Coigues trail and the remainder of the Los Carpinteros trail. We hiked along quickly, taking many data points, and only stopping to eat lunch at a lakeside beach, finishing the 12k day at 2:30pm. As we drove back to basecamp to return to the other 3 teams, I was left feeling grateful that I was able to spend the past days in beautiful Tamango, surrounded by wildflowers and songbirds, doing research I enjoyed.
The stories told by these pans, I realized, would soon include our story; the 9 sets of sandal-tracks or bare footprints running through the open pan, stopping occasionally for photos or to look at an interesting animal track, reveling in the beauty of being surrounded by so little. We spent our time on the pan, reflecting, before loading into our trusty land cruisers and heading off to our next adventure.
by Isabel Masi of Montana State University WINTER Waking up to torrential rain and soggy tents, we crawled out of our safe sleeping bags and prepared for our departure. The day was October 27th, and we were not stoked. We…
By Briana Heller of the University of Vermont Upon our first arrival in Kaziikini, we were happily surprised to discover showers and toilets. While standing in the dry heat of the Botswana bush, brown streaks across our skin from where…
by Oskar Robinson of Montana State University We drove south from Cochrane on the Carreterra Austral, bags packed with our camping gear and work wear for the week away. Quincy and I will be spending our homestay at the campo…
By James Lane of Colby College One chilly spring afternoon, all of the Round River Patagonia students, as well as our instructors, crowded into the warmth and coziness of Jose and Claudia´s house. We were there to learn some embroidery…