African Savanna Ecology and Paleoecology

In writing this I would like to begin by reminding everyone that if you were lucky enough to not have a parasite while in Africa for two weeks, maybe don’t throw away your streak the last time you get dinner. Specifically if you find yourself in airport hotel 67, DON’T order the chicken curry swahili style. For the love of all things holy guys, it’s not worth it. It just comes back to haunt you days later, in waves, with a conviction stronger than your preacher’s. Not worth it, not the swahili style. I have become a POW to my GI tract. Punishment for getting too comfortable, too confident. Just like you would see on the back mud flaps of an African eighteen wheeler I summon the words “The bible” and “Trust no one”.

In other news, “Africa? More like awesome!” – I couldn’t have said it better myself, oh wait, I did.

Never before or ever again will I come to face human history in such vivid extremes, digging up stone tools and butchered fossils which waited for my hand to be uncovered after millions of years. Where else may I linger in the frigid airs of a red, earthen caldera to see injured lions and bull elephants and pink fields of flamingo. Where else may I conjure a kill through manifestation “man I wanna see a dead animal” or experience the spectacle of the ostrich mating dance. And how else could I ever be part of such a fun group of people, or to have the opportunity to publish with a renowned scholar of anthropology. Africa, only in Africa. I mean I literally saw a several ton elephant on its knees eating dirt, it doesn’t get much better than that.

To answer the prompt provided directly (which I initiallty, acciddently neglected), I found that my travels within Africa, especially within NgoroNgoro, allowed me to better frame the very nuanced interconnected presence of nature. The volcanic ash there is red with iron and rich in nitrogens, fertilizing lush greenery, and the higher elevations of the caldera led to the increases in rainfall and drops in temperature experienced by the region. And this of course is formed by the rift valleys of Africa, of the formation of Gondwana, and of the empalcemtn of “high Africa” as a whole – geology certaintly plays a role. And at the very center of the crater, with its diameter of 20km, there is a habitat made of grasses and sparse acacia upkept by the browsing and grazing creatures. There are pools and a great lake filled with rain waters to support fish and krill, birds and hippo, even water dependent creatures such as the elephant as well. Therefore I feel that this greatly illustrates that point, that every portion of the crater from its geology to its climate to its fauna and flora interact in ways that stabilize and affect the others. And although NgoroNgoro is a national park and therefore has no settlers, I found that outside of these regions and specifically within the Maasai occupied game reserves there was a great deal of co-existence between man and beast. Though the Maasai do not hunt wild game, they have a great respect for the animals of the savanna – both predator and prey. They must defend their herds and even us from predators, while also existing in the plains which are fertilized by the migrations of grazers and browsers such as the larger “twiga” or giraffes. The plains which are upkept by their grazing as they may prune young trees and allow space for younger grasses to grow. The animals of Africa are abudnant and spectactular, dense and unqiue. And in many cases, found nowhere else in the world.

The environment has also shaped these ecological communities in many ways – itself involving the geology, precipitations, seasonality, and nutrient layers of the surrounding area, specifically East Africa. And though of course there are many broad effects and therefore my answer will have a similar scale, I feel that in general the environment of Eastern Africa is very unique and so has led to its unique ecology. The East of Africa is considered high Africa, and so alters the annual precipitation of the area. There are rift valleys which have begun to split the continent apart and produced lots of volcanic activity, providing volcanically rich and therefore fertile soils. These among other things have made the ways in which the savanna and its creatures have been able to interact and evolve, and therefore has led to traits such as having large numbers of extant predator species and great numbers of niches filled by creatures such as the giraffe. And of course these same conditions affected the production of early man, driving him toward the use of two legs in order to gain advantages in comparison to predator, prey, and the environment. Shedding hair so we might sweat, running so we might chase down prey, standing as to be cooled and see further. The paleoenvironment of Africa is specifically what allowed for the dominance of future man, its shifting from heavily wooded to open savanna forced the hand of evolution and made for a great challenge and yet calling for us to evolve to our current form. 

And in terms of what were some of my favorite moments and experiences, I have a few in mind. I feel that when I had the time to merely stand and look, waiting for a while to watch creatures and their behaviors was most fulfilling – being still and feeling one with nature, so to speak. For example, when we were on foot in rthe Endoro conservation area and gazing up toward the elephant caves to see elephants on their knees eating the earth – there was nothing comparable to that. I watched for minutes as they traded positions and left. And later in the trip, I found that I loved when I was merely standing to watch over the great flocks of birds in the crater floor as they fed and swam and called. It made me feel as if I was in heaven. It was still and natural and perfect, and so of course one of my very favorite moments! And un-favorite moments? None.

I will admit that there was nothing I found to disfavor in this course, as even the tough nights of sand all up in my face or the breaking down land rovers or the GI issues I feel will only lead to better stories, stronger memories, and longer laughs.

And finally the three things which I intend to remember after learning them on this course are that hominins left a lot of stone tools (like A LOT), elephants eat dirt in order to replenish salts and electrolytes, and leopards in heat smell like corn tortillas. Of course I could go on and on, and into a much greater depth, but I think we might end up being here for a long long while.

And on a more reflective note (as this is meant to be my reflection), I would like to begin by saying that I very much appreciate the work of both professor Solomon and professor Dominguez Rodrigo. Professor Solomon was basically our dad the entire time (and was thought to be so by many turkish dudes “13! Good job, but big problem.”), making sure we were on time and safe and having fun. And of course professor Manuel graciously invited us into his site and allowed us to help with something as delicate as excavation, a pleasure and opportunity beyond words. I could continue for pages to write in thanks, but I will keep it short as we are all aware and appreciative of the efforts that they both made in order for our trip to run smoothly and for us as students to have the time of our lives – which we certainly did. Thank you both.

And in regards to my fellow students, they were fantastic and if you are reading this I love you all. Hopefully the crawfish boil and pool party reunion at Kamden’s house pans out. But truly, I feel that I have never met a more engaged and affable group of young men and women (young men being Milton). And I appreciate that we all laughed a ton and we bounced ideas and excitement off of one another. I remember being in the crater and listening to Marlo and Alex using their brains to figure out why there was a soda lake at its center, and I was thinking to myself, “Wow. Maybe Rice does make people smart.” I would consider you all close friends and I hope to stay in touch. You are all invited to the wedding of course.

In summary, which there is no good way of doing in light of the grand and indescribable nature of this trip, I find that I am content. I am thankful and fulfilled. I have stories to tell and may carry for the rest of my life. Friends I will look forward to seeing. Professors which I more greatly admire and hope to work with. And of course memories that are unparalleled in grandeur. I love Africa, I wish it well, and I hope to return.

I couldn’t have asked for more from this trip. I learned more than I ever imagined, and I experienced more than I could have ever dreamed. Thank you all.

Callsign “bravo charlie ermm what the sigma” out.

Godspeed and the best of luck to you all,

Your friend Kamden O’Connor

Although it wasn’t the smoothest of transitions, we meant to travel from Tanzania to Kenya, Kenya to Istanbul, and Istanbul to Houston.

We began by tracing our footsteps through much of our trip, as if a reminder and retelling of the story we had spun over the last two weeks. Here were the desert lands and winding roads of olduvai, and later the frigid altitudes and lush greenery of the Ngorongoro, traveling through its mountain passes with red earth and flecks of rains clinging to our windshield. In time we got up to 11 breakdowns, which is obviously a whole lot. And we ended up being delayed by about an hour and a half as the common friends of the tourism circuit came to the aid of Crispin and Uncle Mohammed. First it seemed like it was the filter, then a fuel pump. And then we all came to the realization that it was neither but in fact just a big mess (but nobody’s fault). And at the very least, it only added to the adventure and improved our stories through our suffering!

We did in fact make it to Nairobi and to the Airport 67 Hotel, a place which I felt would have been similar to “Mr. Taco” being that I wasn’t sure it was real. And although we turned down very sketchy looking streets with men burning fires on the corners, it did in fact exist. Thankfully. And there was a bed with a hot shower, and a restaurant with sodas and warm food.

The flight was nothing to write home about, but, I will actually do that anyways. I ended up watching Django Unchained and ate some yummy Turkish meals which I would struggle to remember or name, and over the 6 hours that I felt I was gaining bed sores that was all I got done beyond improving some of my previous blogs and sleepin.

Arriving in Turkey however was something else. The airline always made it seem as if it was the center of the universe, and I am beginning to think they were right (let it be known that whoever runs the tourism ads is insanely goated and needs a raise). There were street dogs and cats who were sweet and well groomed, the ancient grand bazaar with its turkish delights and handworks and myriads of glowing, fluorescent stalls called to us. I feel I should take a moment longer to discuss it. Men walked the tile floors with cigarettes in mouth and wares on their back, calling to you in native tongues and stopping to shake in your hand in hope you may stop a while longer. There was art and foods, the strong scents of spice perfumes, silks and prayer matts, the whispers of conversations and the shouts of deals made and money to be saved. And of course we dined. Pida in the afternoon and dinner on the cobbled street during the evening. The table was set and the mood lighting was on, warm sesame breads were baked and their brands of beer poured freely into our bellies. There were fresh olives covered in olive oil (I ate 13, don’t throw up) and of course the meats. Lamb and beef and chicken, prepared and cooked traditionally, being delicious and wholesome. And so I am not sure dinner is the correct word for it, but rather feast, especially as it came with a show. Ladies and gentlemen, the guest of honor at our meager table was none other than the most adorable cat in the entire universe. I feel bad to say it not only because I have one of my own, but in reality because I couldn’t take him home.

I hated to leave Turkey when I had at first been bummed about our layover; however, I am fairly confident that I will return. Now came the beast though, the dreaded coming flight – 12 hours. Despite my apprehensions, I somewhat enjoyed it, watching Top Gun Maverick and saluting the scenes when they ship out and getting goosebumps when they blow up the bunker and say bullseye (I am an American patriot come on guys). I got to stand up twice which was awesome, I ate some fantastic tres leches, and when asked at customs if I bought anything in Africa I said I wasn’t sure knowing full well there was a 5 foot Maasai spear in my bag.

Glad to be home, but sad to be gone. I will miss Africa, but certainly not the comforts of home.

Godspeed,
Kamden

It’s hard work being a self proclaimed Jr. Professor! FIRST you gotta go outside, THEN you gotta stoop down, AND THEN you got to pick up long bones for the MAN like an indentured servant. The “MAN” as in my very nice professor – and although I love him, I fear I may have been bribed at the prospect of being published! In all seriousness, what an unexpected and yet appreciated opportunity to work with my professor so suddenly in order to reconstruct the paleoenvironment of the gully which we had searched previously. For those unawares, professor Manuel offered that we may be published with him as co-authors if we were able to help collect more data from the same gully that we grabbed our teeth. He planned to more accuractely and quantitatieyl predict the paleoenviroemtn of the region, and hoped we may work with him during the Fall of the coming year. Count me in!

The MAN or rather Professor Dominguez-Rodrigo, in case you are unwares, is a very big deal within the anthropology world. He’s the top dog, the crem de la crem, the big man, the boss, el jefe, the dude who was my Bio Anth teacher – so to speak (he wears a lot of cool hats and I respect him very much). Anyways, today we learned very much from el jefe. And before we extrapolate any further into that, may I point out that whenever I discuss the sort of phenomenon that is absolutely mind blowing and yet customary to this field, the only words thoughtful enough to escape my mouth are “cool” and “awesome” and “righteous” and shaka” and “oh wow”. That’s basically it, so I apologize to everyone who had the displeasure of experiencing such bad explanatory vocabulary. For example, after hearing baffling explanations into how one may tell the predator of an ancient bone by the slightest of grazes, my response is to shake my head and say one of the previous. I am glad to say it happened often, being dumbfounded, that is, as my professor with his wife and his team and many others continually sent my imagination to the stratosphere. Its hard to imagine a time I have found a similar love of learning in such short time.

And later after recovering from my mind getting blown up, Maasai women set up their wares right outside of our camp, calling jambo and karibu. And of course I wanted to buy a few things for the folks because I am Kamden and that happens to be my love language, and so I would squat and look over their handiworks. I’d scratch the mustache and utter a long “hmmm” while reaching for my wallet and later quickly retract it. I think they thought it was very funny, as in a short time me would all look around at each other and they would reach for a missing mustache and I for mine, and we would all let loose a collective sigh, “hmmmmmm”. They all laughed and of course I did too, I started to overdo it and that made it all the better. We all shared a laugh, they were given money, and I was handed wonderful gifts – everybody wins!

I also believe we haven’t talked much about him, but there’s a camp cat who we’ve lovingly named rabies. A stray tomcat, with the loudest most grisled cry you’ve ever heard, “MAOOOOO”, it sounds that if his job wasn’t to be lazing around all day it would be busting his hump as a unionized dock worker. Anyways, Mr. Rabies seems to be a man’s man, and I am happy to say that he favors me very much. He’d like to follow me for scratches on the butt as I walked back to my tent and would loop in and out of my boots while I was eating popcorn (it was always served before dinner and was tremendous). He was a good boy. We love you Rabies.

Tomorrow we leave the gorge and head toward Nairobi, beginning the first leg of our adventure home. I definitely look forward to coming home, but then again, I have found one here. Among the bones and stones, beneath these unfamiliar stars and in these ancient gullies and past the trickling streams. Here I have left a bit of myself.

I make pray that we make it home safe to give everyone a big huge and a neat gift.

I love you all and will see you soon,
Kamden

The men huddle around their squat fires, sending ash and ember skyward. Each glowing with a vibrant hue of amber and seemingly adding an ancient age to the faces of its tenders by the work of its warm, lapping distortions. These men, with their traditional cover and clubs, sat encircling their work and above them as if entranced came the outstretched arms of the universe, holding them in its hands. The dusts of the milky way, the constellations of the crux and of centaurus and of scorpius were all here. And just as the flames of the fire’s warmth licked upward, so too were my eyes lethargicly engaged in the heavens – for here was a sight. Here was the universe at my fingers and spilling into all eternity before me. A sky which has remained timeless, and waiting, and wonderful for both early man and myself.

This feeling is much like that of an earlier experience today. I sat in the dust like the opening scenes of Indiana Jones in Cairo (I think that’s where it was), working at a well pedigreed site with the use of ancient hammerstones, chisel, and brush. I passively listened to the banter of men in the words of swahili and heard all around me the cacophony of excavation, the abundance of metallic symphony driving into the barren earth. I first uncovered an ancient stone tool, and later a bone removed from its long forgotten owner. Here they had remained till this day, waiting and wonderful, just for me. This tool of a quartzen make and the bone of a dark complexion, left by man and discovered by his predecessor – what a wonderful feeling it was, there was an overwhelming sense of it! Maybe it was continuity, or dumb luck, maybe a sense of comfort as we returned these artifacts to humanity, as if the remains of a soldier were repatriated to his home. Regardless, I enjoyed it! And others were working on the ribs and pelvis of a Sivatherium, others still the peculiar and unidentified fragments of ancient butchery, and of course others uncovered more and more stone tools. And I mean lots, like I have said, we literally use them as hammers – pounding and cracking away with an ancient tool, to uncover more of the same (Circle of life baby). Rediscovering and remembering, retelling the stories which had passed long ago. Wondering and waiting to know, what was this place? What were we like? Empathetic or good, callous and barbaric? And how to find these answers… well, merely look at your feet, brush away the dust, strike you pick, and finally – ponder.

That’s how it is done, that is how we might memorialize this man before man, the culture and society and consciousness before our own. Just by workin, and let me say – it’s HARD work. I felt like I was a geriatric in a matter of minutes.

Early today we were also taken to the Maasai market, which in short, ended in me being wrapped in a handmade belt and later shakin my junk like a belly dancer for the Maasai people. I did come away with a few brass bracelets and a bunch of beads I mistook for a necklace. Hopefully I am able to find a few more gifts that aren’t “worth” 200,000 shillings and look like they are from 2008 and cause me to shake like busted bottle of pop.

We also finally opened our camera traps this evening! No primates, but plenty of Maasai and their domestics. And of course a few jackals, birds, giraffes way out of frame, and a chupacabra lookin thing. “Alpha leader, there were no bogies sighted of the primate variety. Over.” Overall, it was a great learning experience as I now understand better positioning and parameters to use if I were to repeat this activity. Also we were meant to more thoroughly measure abundance in regards to distance from water, but we mainly just focused on the pleasure of actually capturing photos! We did great and I am proud of what data we collected and wghat we have learned.

Only a few more days in this foreign place now made familiar, I can’t wait to see you all.

Godspeed and with the greatest amount of love,
Mr. Kamden

“Well, out of 120 quadrats 119 were covered in poop. Only the first wasn’t, but I don’t trust it. I don’t think we really knew what poop was yet.” Let it be known that I am a subpar researcher, but also that research is hard! It’s like really hard guys I am not even joking. First of all, the condition of “poop or no poop” was too basic, because let me tell you, it was everywhere. And don’t worry, it’s all animal – I think. We were on the outskirts of a dried up watering hole, only flourishing with green and gatherings during the wet season. But here it was nonetheless, dry and cracking in the heat of the sun, all the while its parched contour formed the outer boundary of our study. We wished to measure the density of poop and how it differs as you travel further from water; however, there were problems. Like I said, poop was just everywhere for one. But also our transects which are basically our area of survey were supposed to be parallel – they weren’t. Lets just say that somehow, even after setting up strict measurement and placement guidelines, we ended up running right through one another. To be fair they included things like “67 feet from the watering hole edge” but there was no water so like what even is the edge, as well as a compass heading of 35 degrees NS which almost no one ended up following – just be glad that none of us are employed yet.

It was hard to use our data, because it sucked, BUT perhaps that is good because what was most priceless was the overall experience. If I were to complete transects again I would be much more prepared and understanding of how to perform them and improve them. For that I am very thankful! I certaintly have a greater grasp upon the challenegs of field work, and have a new desire to complete much more of it in the future. If I ever get the chance again, I will be a little more specific and I hope will all my heart a little more parallel.

Later in the evening and after lunch – which I have not discussed often but will say is usually very yummy – we traveled once again to the Olduvai museum (different from that of the Leakey’s, this one is very near to camp and had most of its exhibits constructed by professor Manuel) so that we might identify the teeth we collected, and later reconstruct the paleoenvironment of the area. I had already completed the ID’s of all the teeth I had collected previously and so this portion of the class was rather relaxed. However, we did end up discussing the beginning of a reconstruction, counted the overall abundance, and made a few predictions. The gully therefore was most likely an open grassland near water, which makes sense cause the bones were found in a river bed area. Professor Manuel also discussed with us the idea that perhaps early man could have used the hot springs within this paleoenviroment in order to cook early foods, an idea that fascinated me greatly. I hope to research it further, and to dream of ways in which I may help to understand it.

Also a quick side note is that I made professor Solomon laugh really hard after I explained that professor Manuel looked like he was a rainforest cafe waiter. He went around with his field clothes, with pen and paper in hand, writing down our tooth abundance as if it was our orders and pointing at our notebooks like menus. Go me, that was awesome!

Hopefully I have more to tell and learn shortly, and I look forward to using bovid abundance to reconstruct the paleo environment!

Thank you for reading and I can’t wait to see everybody!

Godspeed,
Kamden

“Nobody forget your teeth!” What kind of question is that you might ask? An appropriate one. Dr. Solomon was asking about my fossils not my pearly whites, but I hope I am bringing both wherever I go! Today we surveyed a gully of Olduvai gorge, learning of the geological record in the area through seeing it at work. Here was volcanic ash layered yellow and salty and soft, the LAS upper river with wide spanning black dirts and dark stones, and bones – bones were here. Bones were everywhere. Each fossilized, some whole, but few were what we were looking for. We needed teeth, and yet I found plenty of them. A few from an elephant, one from an ancient warthog, and the rest from the offshoots of long expired ungulates. Everyone kept their heads down and their hopes up during the search for such things, and in time we all did end with a very sizable number of data points – that being plenty of teeth! We meant to use them in order to reconstruct the environment which occurred in this gully around 1.5 million years ago, and so could employ our paleo methods such as bovid distribution in order to gain insight (that one was mine).

We traveled to the museum and learned how to correctly identify the teeth, refining the characteristic morphology of grazers with their robust crowns or of browsers with their shearing crests among others. We were taught to distinguish between the different tribes of bovid, and were made aware of how to be more successful in refining our guesses – and so were we? No. We kinda sucked, but we got much better over time and used Professor Manuel for help often, and in this case often actually means very often. I have no shame though. He’s about the msot expert, expert you could ask for.

And in the evening we traveled to the Leakey museum, which was the camp of the original excavators of Olduvai. The Leakey’s were the proverbial mother and father of the gorge, beginning the first excavations and finding the first of many sites along with Paranthropus. I especially appreciated it because we were able to see the artifacts of both their working lives and their digs. There was a landrover from the 60s parked as if returned from a day of work, last driven by its pedigreed owners. The beds were original, the buildings furnished, and the grounds are where they would have walked and been familiar. It’s funny, but apparently the museum does not get many visitors. And at the thought of that I imagined the distant future, that someday perhaps the human race will explore space and colonize the stars, and when seperated from Earth will look toward the early evolution of man with more interest and longing. Seeing as the gorge is of such importance to our understanding of early man, I am sure the Leakey family will grow in the same respect as the people who discovered it all. Basically, maybe cool people from space will visit and help fill up the guest book! Speaking of, I made an off hand joke that I saw president Obama had visited – that was a mistake. Disinformation spread like butter on hot toast and everyone else was telling everyone else, “oh my gosh Obama was here”, I hate to break it to everyone but no, he wasn’t (commence crying).

Overall today was wonderful and enlightening, and I feel I have already learned so much. I can’t wait for what is to come and look forward to the great opportunties that lay ahead.

Thank you for reading.

Godspeed,
Fossil expert Kamden

Well ladies and gentleman, I just enjoyed a brewski with the fellas. It was Serenegti Lager, apparently the winner of several international gold medals. And of course the savanna is as beautiful as ever, a horse with no name is once again aptly fitting for the occasion (as has become my habit) as we have begun our start toward Olduvai once more.

I think my words were, “That’s crazy talk!” Apparently every single piece of quartz, and there were quite a few (thousands), which was present within the gorge had been transported not by geology nor the modern counterparts of ancient man, but rather selectively chosen, transported, and used by hominids. Every. Single. One. There were thousands (emphasis!), everywhere you looked was a tool which carried a cutting edge, and the last man who held it was 1.8 million years your senior. “Boom” – that’s the sound of your brain exploding.

And so because of this fact, I find that the gorge is perhaps the most unique place upon the earth. Making one feel as if you are standing upon a planet far removed from our own. The vegetation is sparse, the geology is brazenly apparent, and the feeling of eternal belonging is understated. Man evolved within these rocks, here he hunted his game, and at night found his rest beneath these same stars. All buried beneath volcanic ejecta and ash, the rolling changes of the earth just lay waiting to be remembered. And the intelligence of those who study here is baffling, if you find yourself picking up a two inch long piece of rib then you should expect to find an answer as to its owner – warthog, antelope, otherwise. Each was larger, more predatory, more intimidating in antiquity as well. “Its a miracle we survived” said professor Manuel, and after seeing the carnivores, yep. I’d die. The world was a different place then and here it stands beneath my feet waiting to be discovered, preserved in its earthen shackles and tomb. What a world it is that a man may look into the face of his ancestor, to know his habits, and to relive his world millions of years thereafter. To uncover his camps and tools, to stare into the hollow eyes which gazed upon the same earthen walls.

These quartzen stones were theirs, with cutting edges last used to butcher the meat of long extinct animals, and here am I amidst it all. In awe of the reality of man, in wonder of where I have come from, and in pondering of where we may go. After all, here I am, a mere stepping stone upon the evolution of man – one with intent to listen to the story of the soul, and to imagine the observers of old.

There never was and never will be another place like Olduvai. Unfamiliar and yet homely. Calling and yet eerie.

Today is Sunday, the sabbath. It was more relaxed and well deserved, being spent mostly in visiting the museum in order to be afforded context to the evolution of men as well as to find rest at camp and abroad. We heard of the 6 million years of human evolution, and we literally traced the footsteps of ancient man. We set our eyes upon our ancestors, we became familiar with their tools, and of the intensely large fauna which they contended with. I can’t wait to learn more! And of course the day was spent writing, reading, going on walks, cleaning up, and making friendship bracelets! That part was awesome, and we were thankful for it – what beats an ice cold brewski? We traveled to a lodge not too far from camp which was set upon one of the great granite outcroppings of the serengeti, here we stood in the face of the sun to watch the it dip low beneath the horizon. And here I wondered, what will we discover? What will we learn? And of course, what will we be doing? I can’t wait to get to the bottom of these questions, and to relay it all in writing.

Here’s to hoping that each is more grand than I may ever imagine.

Godspeed,
Kamden

I had been sitting with “Uncle Mohammed” in the front of the Land Rover once again (its become customary), looking out the window.

A horse with no name fit the vibe perfectly – the sun slowly ebbing below the horizon of ancient mountains as our convoy traveled through the eternal grasslands of the Serengeti. We were transient beings in this place. We were returning to Olduvai, spotting hyenas which came from their dens, and black backed jackals which scurried in pairs. The sky was blistered with the hues of sullen red and lilac and blues, all draping the darkened silhouette of the arid mountains to the East – framing the rising moon as if a great, jaundiced eye.

I had thought initially that a week of safari was excessive, as unfortunately it seems that the more often you see an animal the less exciting it tends to become. For example, we certainly had times where we nonchalantly debated between seeing another hippo or a distant bull elephant. However, I feel that this pattern becomes entirely removed when it comes to animal behavior, and certainly rather rare animal encounters too.

What didn’t I see (rhinos and leopards, cry cry. I will explain later but somehow I kept manifesting things, so I just started saying I’d love to see a leopard eating a rhino while its getting destroyed by some wild dogs – didn’t work, somehow)? We entered the park to great brush fires fleeing toward the West, providing breathing room for the young grasses to take root. Shortly thereafter we happened upon a pair of ostriches, the female ruffled and waiting, and the male preparing for his mating dance. I suggest you research what it looked like as my description will no where near capture how funny it was, however, find comfort in the fact that I found the time to narrate the entire affair for the group. I also found the time to narrate the spotting of animals like I was in Top Gun, “This is call sign bravo charlie ermm what the sigma, Alpha leader we got a couple of bogies at 2 O’Clock, of the giraffid variety, prepare to engage.” and of course Dr. Solomon would respond with “Roger, roger.” It was very official, you might even say tactical. And as we continued on our way further toward enemy territory we saw the long rotted bones of ungulates, the heads of hippos resting in their pools, and the clans of banded mongeese pawing at their dens. But perhaps most jarring yet was the pride feasting upon their prey.

Minutes before its appearance I told everyone I needed to catch a break! Can a man just see a dead animal?! And low and behold, the powers of the universe throw a dog a bone and there we arrive to the fresh kill of the lionesses. The male, young, and themselves feasting in that order. Its lips removed in the act of suffocation, and the tail within the chaos of the hunt. A reminder of the brutality of the wild, and yet the nurturing circle of life – all has its balance and each bearing its purpose.

And of course I cannot excuse the lonely baboon upon a jutting rock of granite (perhaps a male searchin for a bachelor herd or on lookout duty for an unviewable troop), nor the yonder black backed jackals which returned as the sun came down and the dusts of the fleeting vehicles died away.

We had some unfortunate breaks, but all in a day’s work. First it was one, then another – engine problem, rough roads, balded tires. A blessing and a curse, they came arriving at dusk and yet afforded us the natural wonders often paradoxically hidden by the light of day. Brown spotted hyenas, and African wildcats. Nesting secretary birds and rock hyraxes.

It was a day of adventure and splendor, but certainly not one of rest. And that itself is a commodity I never realized l could ever be more obliged and excited to forgo.

We are still in tents and eating from foods cooked over open fires. We still have much work to do, and the anthropology only just begins.

As they say, “We ride at dawn!” And I believe they also say, “Bro what the freak!” among other sorts of tactical lingo. Here’s to hoping I can discover a new hominin species so I can name it Rubycus Cuteycus. Thank you for reading!

Godspeed,
Kamden or rather “bravo charlie ermm what the sigma”

I don’t recognize these stars, I initially thought the southern cross was the upside down big dipper. And at first I found it was funny, and yet later eerie as I stood beneath those stars. The continent of Africa is cold, and its winds were whipping over the valley, grating the boulders which held our tents. Here was I, at the precipice of humanity, viewing the same stars, seeing the same creatures, and walking upon the same Earth as my predecessors. It felt as if a tomb, a place formed to hold the long aged bones of man within this gorge, created as the continent of Africa is slowly ripped apart – millenia by millenia (that’s hard, I don’t know how to spell that word, but maybe that’s it!).

I have found Olduvai to be a place of introspection, walking amongst the spiked flora which have given this place its name. I wonder what it means to be human and ancient, and yet understand there to be no answer. Whether it is what lies beneath or what remains ahead, I am as transient as the wind, shifting into place like these sands.

Quick side note while speaking poetically of sands – that’s exactly what got into my tent and all up in my mouth last night. The grand, whipping winds would lift the rain flies and usher into our tents the very fine grains of Olduvai, leaving us all caked and miserable. However, that was last night and since then we have migrated, but today we finally began some biological research apart from better recognizing the general ecology of the African continent. There is a floodplain, Lake Olbalbal, which is especially full after the recent wet season. And so we set out 6 camera traps, hoping to better understand the ways in which distance from water affects the abundance of invertebrate animals on the savanna. We therefore met with the “big chair”, the chief of all Maasai within the region, in order to receive his blessing for our work! And a guard was also hired from the tribe, whose name I think was Bubba, and his job was to ensure no cute Maasai kids or their wandering goats got ahold of our stuff!

In terms of miles, they were placed .13 miles apart .3 further from the lake, so that our area ended up looking like the six on a pair of dice.

At this time I also began to sit with our other driver Mohammed, who I quickly came to enjoy talking to. He’s a super cool guy, and I told everyone he reminded me of my grandma! Mainly because he wears quarter zips and loafers, and is also just old and nice. We introduced ourselves formally, and after talking about the farm he works and the children he has, he told me he would call me “Kam” and so I let him know that he’d now be “Uncle” Mohammed. After all, my other uncles call me the same, and I rather enjoy their company too.

Let’s hope we see something more than grizzled old goats on the cameras. Oh, and of course, maybe while in Olduvai I can solve the mysteries of the universe – that would be righteous! Also, I am thankful I am able to keep Uncle Mohammed company, he seemed to enjoy it as much as I did. And and, obligatory but interesting as always, no primates today. No blue monkeys (cry). BUT, perhaps we will see a few, most likely some olive baboons, on our cameras.
Thank you for reading and here’s to hoping.

Godspeed and with all of my love,
“Kam”

“It’s a land without time.” We sat watching the high clouds lethargically lower over the volcanic earth of the crater floor, loosing upon the land frigid airs which only better embellished the mystique of the NgoroNgoro. It was bittersweet, because in this scene I found myself both in awe and lamentation. I sat thinking, what was the role of man in this place? Surely it wasn’t meant for me, and yet it gave me an unfamiliar sense of pleasure, an innate desire of belonging. For here was a brilliant sight – greater and lesser flamingo, egyptian geese and sacred ibis, ostrich and crowned crane, all within the confines of the fresh waters of the earthen crater and acting as themselves – feeding, mating, calling. The glow of the sunny waters was like the wheaten fields of Elysian, the cool air like that of a dream. But here was I among many others, the children of men in this proverbial garden of Eden, piled high into stalling vehicles and gawking at this place without time. Despite us the plains here remain nonetheless, with their yonder escarpments being draped with those now familiar clouds painted in sheets of rain. The land has no voice, and so seems to be obdurate to the march of change; and yet, in its silence is unwell.

I learned that the tribal Maasai had once lived here, ordaining the crater with its name by the sounds of their cattle’s bell. And yet, they are now an antiquity clinging to tradition. The Maasai are now an inconvenience to the tourism of foreigners and to the conservation necessitated by human activity, and so were removed. The crater is no longer their home, and it is no longer unadulterated. Therefore, who am I to take their place instead? My husbandry or lifestyle is no less improved, I am no better a steward of the land or the crater. But I am favored nonetheless, and so instead of their return to this place the bastion of natural beauty which is the crater has been culled of its brutality by the wake of the modern man with polluting land rovers, transitory picnic benches, and public restrooms. All here for my comfort, and yet the environments detraction.

Every lion knows the smell of us, every kite follows waiting for scraps and refuse. Am I grateful to have experienced such splendor, to have seen a pride of lions dozing and to have heard the low grunts of hippos in their pools – certainly. I have never seen anything more wonderful in my life, and have never known more natural splendor. But in the same way, I am ashamed to know that myself and man is but a disturbance, a hindrance, a parasite to their existence. Man is the hunter and poacher, the tourist and distraction. Before there was man in this place without time, it was free of the necessity of tourism and conservation. It just existed – vibrant and endless. And so I sit here wondering if maybe some things are better left alone. If this land without time is better left without man, silent but thriving in the shroud of its earthen ramparts, its muddied wallows, and its blowing grasses. Though we might have never appreciated it, I long for that ancient past. The rawness of nature. I long for the eternal sands of time which are now scattered and lost to the treads of range rovers, to the alien tracks of man, and to the advance of policy. Like the weapon of the antiquated Maasai, the contemporary existence of the NgoroNgoro is a double edged sword.

And although it breaks the flow, thats okay! Thank you for reading and I hope that wasn’t too absract. Regardless, I saw primates and to celebrate here’s an appropriate amount of onomatopoeia – “Doot do do loot doot!” They were olive baboons to be more specific, and let me say, they are cute but also terrifying (warranted)! The ladies had their babies clinging to their chests and jumping from thin branch to branch, while the males with their capes were large and more lonely and big! It was at the gates of the crater as we waited to enter, and as they waited to pilfer the scraps left by those absent minded on safari. One of our cars also spotted a very large group, and spotting in the crater came down to mere luck. To keep my sanity I’ll assume everyone in the vehicle was a fellow irishman, so at least we are sharing the love and the luck cause I unfortunately was unable to see it. There also seemed to be a bit of mating occurigna t the gates, but other than that and short bouts of climbing, I was not able to view much behavior

Thank you for reading.

Godspeed,
Mr. Kamden