A professional writer may write a book about one of the biggest adventures of my life — rafting the Omo River in Ethiopia from headwaters to Lake Turkana. It was a classic National Geographic expedition, but way before gizmos like satellite and cell phones, internet and WiFi. Fall of 1984, the year I got my Masters degree and turned 30, I helped organize and almost completed the entire trip with a team of 9 others.
I have been trying to remember the trip but only the scariest, craziest, and most emotional parts remain lodged in my brain. I guess that’s pretty normal.
Half the team in the second raft heading down the Omo River in Ethiopia
Fortunately, I kept a journal and wrote a popular account of the adventure, so I can go back and relive it a bit. Feel free to click the purple link above to get a flavor of what the future book might include. (Scroll down to where it says “View full-text”.)
Let me know if you enjoyed my tale from 40 years ago.
BTW, I remain curious about communities of birds and how they respond to gradients. Move from high and dry to low and wet you should see a transition to water-loving birds. But how do you quantify these patterns? When do certain bird species drop out or come in, and how abundant do they become? That was the science I wrote about after the expedition. Here’s a link to that paper for any bird nerd pals that might be reading this.
During the expedition, we saw about 4,000 hippopotamuses and 2,000 Nile crocodiles. I began to dream hippos, and when I got home I wrote an illustrated book about a hippo for my 4-year-old niece. I’ll put that up as the next essay in case you have children or grandkids. Remember it was written 40 years ago by a budding “mad” scientist, so read it first.
Photo: Me with White-crested Helmetshrike.
Bring on the hippos! Look forward to your next essay...