Hiking for Rhinoceros Virtual Marathon Update, January 16, 2019
Well the wet weather has put a slight “damper” on my outdoor hiking, but I’m still making respectable progress, considering. And thanks to my sponsors I’m earning over 50 cents a mile for protection of African Wildlife! I’m close on the heels of the two folks who are currently tied for second, and we’re (virtually) almost to Meru National Park.
Meru was the home of the famous Elsa the Lioness, the star of “Born Free.” The Park was in bad shape until 2005 when “the Kenya Wildlife Service, helped by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), restored Meru National Park from near ruin to one of the most promising tourist destinations in Eastern Africa, solving the parks poaching problem. IFAW donated $1.25 million to this major restoration project, and with this money aided in improving the basic infrastructure and provided essential equipment and vehicles for law enforcement activities,” according to wikipedia.
Mudbath at Umani Springs. Photo by keeper Adano Komba
Success stories like Meru National Park keep me going, even in the rain! That, and photos from Lois Hild; while I’m tromping around the Sierra Foothills in my rubber suit, my virtual partner Lois is doing the real thing in Kenya, with camera in hand. Yesterday she shared this image from Umani Springs
et tu, Sarah.
Here in the Sierra Foothills the wonderful wet weather is providing an abundance of opportunities for indulging in pungent mud-like substances in the forest. My hiking companions frequently avail themselves of the offerings and the end result is always the same- a bath. In the tub.
Lyssa plops down in puddles and streams like a happy hippopotamus and likes to take a good slurp while she’s cooling off. She’s smart though- she always faces upstream and knows the rule about always drinking upstream from the herd.
Resistance is Futile
Pippi is a connoisseur of canine perfumes. She has a nose for putrid and pungent- a dab here and a dab there, and she’s one proud pup. She’s not keen on getting in the tub when we get home, but I leave her no other options. Resistance is futile.
It was mostly too wet outside this week to take out the big camera, but here are a few favorite snapshots from the week….
Happy Trail, Shirley & Co
Tagging along with Dr Chris on a section of the Western States TrailMossy cliff down in the canyon of the South ForkCamp Creek on a rainy dayLucy steals the show. Again. Wearing her new fiber-optic multi-modal, re-chargable super duper night light harness from #noxgear
