Recently, I had a week of fieldwork that illustrates the highs, lows, and in-betweens that comprise most scientific projects. Research proceeds in fits and starts, whether we’re talking high-energy particle physics, molecular genetics, or (most critically) Inyo Mountains salamanders, as during my week of contrasts: Day 1—My goal was to investigate a possible salamander locality on the west side of the Inyos, which took two hours of walking and 1500 feet of elevation gain to reach. Although the locality looked promising, there were only about 60 meters of decent habitat, few flippable rocks, and no salamanders lounging about. Salamanders may occur in the canyon (it is difficult to conclusively demonstrate that a small, cryptic species is not present in a place with appropriate habitat), but the chances of this seem slim. Yet even though I did not use my SED (Salamander Entrapment Device) to good effect, the trip was moderately successful because I gathered some useful observations about factors affecting Inyo Mountains salamander distribution. Rating for the day: +. Day 2—Downhill plummet. . . My plan was to investigate a documented west-side locality that I had not visited before. Because access to salamander habitat in the canyon is blocked by a sixty-foot-high dry falls and I did not want to tackle the barrier on my own, I took along my local friends and hosts, Stacey and Ceal, plus a rope and some climbing gear for safety. Hah. At the base of the falls we found a class 4 route that looked passable without a rope. We started up a series of ledges and cracks, with Stacey in the lead, me in the middle, and Ceal in the rear. When we were about halfway up, I heard Stacey remark, “This block feels loose.” I glanced up, just as a piece of rock perhaps one foot by two feet came hurtling free. I was about eight feet below Stacey and only had a moment to flinch before being enveloped in noise from shattering rock, dust, and pain, and then hearing Ceal cry out from below. I was hit in the head and left hand, but was more worried about Ceal—who fortunately avoided getting whacked in the head, although large rocks hit her calf and foot. We were able to down-climb our route, and once in a safe spot determined that we had avoided serious injury—a lucky thing because “it” could have been very bad. For me, a thick hat (and hard head?) prevented a scalp wound or concussion, and although my left hand was swollen and bleeding, nothing felt broken. Ceal also was free of any broken bones, although her calf soon swelled to the size of her thigh and an orthopedist eventually diagnosed temporary nerve damage to her leg. We retreated to the car—enough high-angle salamandering for one day—and hobbled into a more accessible site. We managed to uncover a few beasts there, but the day was still demoralizing, especially in the after-wash of my rockfall-induced adrenaline rush. There were several ironies about the accident. First, in all my years of mountaineering, I’d never been involved in a rockfall accident, although I’d had several close calls along the way. Second, I am more nervous about working alone in difficult terrain, and yet the accident occurred in the company of friends. Even though no one was seriously hurt, the day was hard going and its rating had to be at least: ———. Day 3—Not much to say about day 3, except that it involved 3,000 feet of tough elevation gain up a very steep trail (followed by the subsequent, equal loss), only to find a site completely unsuitable for Inyo Mountain salamanders. Crap. (Actually, my language at the time was a bit more colorful.) My head and hand still hurt badly; I was tired and generally pissed off about the whole business, but at least I did not get assaulted by flying rocks. Rating for the day: ——.
Day 4—My best Inyo Mountains salamander day, ever. I found twenty (large and small, gravid and non-gravid) in two hours of searching. It was a lovely day for fieldwork, with mild temperatures, plenty of sun, and a beautiful autumnal desert sky. The High Sierra stood clear to the west, I was working amidst small waterfalls and tiny alcoves of maidenhair fern and columbine, and although my head and hand still throbbed, the abundance of salamanders and the canyon’s magic graced my entire project, rockfall and all. Lots of excellent data, and a rating for the day of: + + +. Day 5—I returned to a site that I had visited three times before, over the course of several years. During the hour-long hike in I pledged to slow down, relax, look, and ask more questions about the whys of salamander presence and absence. I worked slowly and deliberately, and found twice as many salamanders as during my previous visits to the canyon. My hand and hand felt a bit better, and I was happy and content in the presence of Batrachoseps campi, enveloped in silence and the pleasures of good work. Rating for the day: ++. So it went during my up-and-down research week: two excellent days, one mildly decent day, one bad day, and one awful day. Two weeks later, I am reminded of the rockfall accident whenever I flex my left hand, accidentally bump my bruised bone, or see Ceal limp by. But I recollect, even more powerfully, the pleasures of day 4, when there were salamanders everywhere and I was taken, fully, by my good fortune: to work in such beautiful and challenging country, with an even more amazing creature.
39 Comments
Curt
11/17/2017 09:06:36 am
Remember the Large rockfall when we were climbing at Keyhole, that ripped across the canyon shortly after a couple with 2 small kids had passed? "All's well that ends well, said Ma!" (Laura Ingals Wilder) lol
Reply
Chris
11/17/2017 09:19:54 am
Yes I do. Rocks move, mountains move, canyons move. It's an unpredictable world. "Ma, would you just shut up!" (Laura Ingals Wilder, "The Unpublished Memoir."
Reply
8/1/2022 03:41:05 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://takipcisatinalz.com/takipci-2/
Reply
8/1/2022 11:57:57 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://www.ugurelektronik.com/
Reply
8/2/2022 06:15:19 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://takipcialdim.com/ucuz-takipci-satin-al/
Reply
8/2/2022 11:55:04 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://www.takipcikenti.com/instagram/turk-takipci/
Reply
8/9/2022 05:20:01 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://www.smsbankasi.net/2022/08/amazon-shopify-aliexpress-walmart-ebay.html
Reply
8/11/2022 03:21:59 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://bit.ly/instagram-takipci-satin-al-takipci
Reply
8/19/2022 01:35:59 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://guvenbozum.com/
Reply
9/5/2022 07:25:18 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://freecodezilla.net/free-download-all-in-one-wp-migration-nulled/
Reply
9/9/2022 10:35:20 pm
https://taraftarium24izle.net/category/futbol/
Reply
9/11/2022 02:05:17 pm
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://kurma.website/
Reply
9/12/2022 02:31:39 am
Really informative article, I had the opportunity to learn a lot, thank you. https://odemebozdurma.com/
Reply
9/24/2022 11:10:55 am
sikayetgir.com En trend şikayetvar yorumlarını sizin için yayınlıyor.
Reply
9/30/2022 09:38:56 am
It's great to have this type of content. Good luck with your spirit. Thank you. https://bit.ly/site-kurma
Reply
10/1/2022 07:19:20 pm
https://devletbasvurusu.com/ibb-promosyonlari-27-bin-tl-olarak-aciklandi/
Reply
10/4/2022 01:29:19 pm
I think this post is useful for people. It has been very useful for me. Looking forward to the next one, thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/nigde-escort/
Reply
10/5/2022 02:30:06 am
It was a post that I found very successful. Good luck to you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/mugla-escort/ula-escort/
Reply
10/6/2022 02:27:40 am
I follow your posts closely. I can find it thanks to your reliable share. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/denizli-escort/guney-escort/
Reply
10/6/2022 08:42:41 am
I support your continuation of your posts. I will be happy as new posts come. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/manisa-escort/gordes-escort/
Reply
10/7/2022 03:36:07 am
I think the content is at a successful level. It adds enough information. Thank you. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/manisa-escort/turgutlu-escort/
Reply
10/7/2022 05:50:58 pm
Thank you for your sharing. I must say that I am successful in your content. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/mersin-escort/camliyayla-escort/
Reply
10/8/2022 04:17:25 am
Thoughtful and real content is shared. Thank you for these shares. https://escortnova.com/escort-ilanlari/izmir-escort/kinik-escort/
Reply
11/22/2022 09:50:22 am
Tıkla evde calismaya basla: https://sites.google.com/view/evden-ek-is/
Reply
12/10/2022 10:20:49 am
Garantili Tiktok takipçi satın al: https://takipcialdim.com/tiktok-takipci-satin-al/
Reply
12/16/2022 04:25:18 am
takipçi satın al ve sitemizi ziyaret et: https://takipcim.com.tr/
Reply
1/8/2023 02:59:45 pm
100 tl deneme bonusu veren siteleri öğrenmek istiyorsan tıkla.
Reply
6/30/2023 03:44:30 pm
En iyi hakkari ilan sitesi burada. https://hakkari.escorthun.com/
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI am a professor emeritus of Environmental Science and Ecology at SUNY Brockport. What began in 2017 as a sabbatical blog continues in a haphazard way, as the spirt moves me and time allows. The focus, though, remains the same - the natural world, in all of its complexity and beauty, and our relation to it. Archives
November 2023
Categories |