By Micah May, of University of Northern British Columbia
Mongolia Study Abroad – Fall 2019 semester – Aug 20th – Sept 5th, 2019
As I sit outside of our basecamp watching the sun set over the Horidol Saridag Mountains, it seems to me that the trip so far has passed both unbelievably quickly and ridiculously slowly. There have been many times of great scenery, new faces, places and exciting activities, but on the other hand, some of the hours have dragged on for what seems like days, whether it be a tedious research task or a gut-wrenching sickness forcing you into the fetal position.
One of the main focuses for this program is to learn about and to conduct conservation field work, which can be both invigorating and tormenting at the same time, as I’m sure most people who have done field work can relate to. For me, the backpacking trip into the Horidol Saridag protected area was a trip that involved both of these field work components. We left Ulaan Uul, the regional town, on August 26th with sunny skies, great anticipation and excitement for the trip. One of the focus projects for the trip was to conduct talus pika surveys, looking at pika occupancy in the talus patches, of which we had already completed 3 full days prior to the trip in locations near our base camp. One of which had resulted in the first live sightings of wild boar by Round River students ever in Mongolia and some gnarly blisters for some members of the group. Unfortunately, the boars were too canny for the camera. The other focus project was on vansemberuu, a lettuce look-a-like plant that grows in high elevation talus patches, looking at their growth patterns and distribution.
Our first base camp on the backpacking trip was in a beautiful meadow along a river in the Horidol Saridag, and it became both a great place to return to each evening and a place some of the group looked back on with some disgust. For me, getting up every morning, eating a hardy breakfast of müsli (granola), peanut butter, milk powder and water and then heading off to the talus patches high up on the adjacent slope from camp was something I both looked forward to and somewhat dreaded. The amazing views of the Darhad Valley below, the mountains of the Horidol Saridag, and the fresh mountain air was invigorating and stunning. However, I knew that large granite boulders would be welcoming me and my leather hiking boots with sharp edges and constant movement, which if you weren’t careful, you could easily end up ass over tea kettle with some large purple blotches the next morning. It also meant that I would be looking for small pika hay piles and piles of pika poo for hours at a time. And I don’t think I was alone, because on one of the days I overheard Klara announce, “I think the highlight of my day is this big pile of poo,” not something you usually hear on a nice day hiking in the mountains.
The first base camp was also where the sickness that plagued our trip blossomed. It had begun to show itself much earlier in the trip when we first arrived in Ulaan Uul on August 20th, but it really showed its true personality during the evenings of August 26th and 27th. The first victims were Lonnie and Sophie who found themselves puking together outside the tents at 1:00am in a bonding experience neither of them had predicted. They spent the next day at camp sleeping it off it in the sun, while the rest of us spent our day in the talus patches counting the many Vansemberuu that we found. Later that evening the next victim was claimed when Rosie first felt nauseous, then at midnight found herself crawling from her tent projectile puking. I was the last victim of the trip, when after an upset stomach and some very hot, tedious pika plots, I found myself laying on the ground in the fetal position between puking sessions.
Despite the sickness and the many hours of data collection, the mountains of the Horidol Saridag were utterly stunning with their jagged limestone peaks, rolling alpine meadows, clear flowing streams and various raptors that kept our eyes on the skies. I think the best part for me was the time spent with my fellow students, the instructors, and mentors, exploring new terrain and laughing our asses off when someone mentioned another pika poop joke. The time spent with Nyam-ochir, our guide and ranger mentor, was also incredibly special. Seeing how in tuned he was with his surroundings and the ease with which he could identify a far-off bird made me truly appreciate how connected one can be with the natural world around them. Cooking and playing cards with Nyam-ochir also allowed each of us to get to know him on a personal level, something that very few outsiders would get the chance to do, and something I will treasure about my time in the Darhad. I left the Horidol Saridag tired, but appreciative of all that I had learned and experienced during our brief trip to the high places.
On return from our trip, we had the privilege to participate in 2 intensive days of planning meetings for the 3 Darhad Valley National Parks. We got the chance to learn about park objectives and goals for the next 5 years, as well as to provide our thoughts on future park endeavours, such as long-term conservation projects, local education and collaboration efforts. It was a great opportunity to connect with various parks staff and members of their families, enjoy copious amounts of good food, and to dance our buns off to both Mongolian and Western Electronic music on the final night with a little dance party.
Overall, the trip so far has been filled with several amazing experiences and many wonderful personal connections that I will remember for the rest of my life. It has also made me appreciate the importance of keeping your head up and a smile on your face, even when you are feeling tired and sore after a long day of field work. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself so far and I can’t wait for the many adventures to come!