The Final Post

Some thoughts from the students as the course draws to an end:

"This has been an incredible experience. I have learned a lot about geology and ecology, seen a ton of incredible places, and met some awesome people. However, the most unexpected benefit of this trip was the Brazilian food; every dinner I had was amazing. The meat, especially, was excellent, no matter where we were or what type of meat it was. I cannot wait to come back to Brazil later in my life to experience this wonderful country, including its meat, another time." Nathan

"Our first free night in Florianopolis, almost the whole kid crew piled into a van and went to a jazz club — Casa de Noca. I felt this was my first true experience of Brazilian nightlife complete with a vast selection of great music, dope dancing, and a large conglomerate (had to at least mention a rock) of people enjoying their respective nights. I wouldn't change anything about this night, I learned so much from talking to some locals and just watching and participating in the jazzy atmosphere. Well, maybe I would've traded out the cheap Brazilian Pilsner beer... But in any event, the whole gang seemed to thoroughly enjoy that night." Andrew

"This trip consisted of countless amazing experiences ranging from bonding with a great group of people to enjoying the pristine beauty of Brazil. There were also many hilarious situations that would only stem from the kind of field work we were doing. Some of the best were our river crossings, near-vertical climbs, and car malfunctions. However, my favorite was by far sprinting through the forest, trying to keep pace with our tour guides. Seeing our middle aged tour guide outrun all of us, including Emmanuel, and proceed to slide under a tree at full speed, and emerge on the other side to continue running without losing any momentum was an awesome experience I wouldn't be able to get anywhere else." Sam

"Despite all the awesome shenanigans and non-shenanigans that deserve to be written as legends, the grey rainy day in Torres, for some reasons, stands to be my no. 1 moment of the maymester. The geology atmosphere was lit that day. Everyone was running around the outcrops and grinding hard. It's impressive that we all suddenly became very serious about a question regarding the formation of Torres. Perhaps it is due to the pressure of the midterm, perhaps not. Either way, it was amusing for me. The other reason is that there were too many no. 2 moments, which would not be suitable for public disclosure anyways." XJ

"All I can say is what a trip. Looking back at all of our adventures and photos (Don't forget the second photo, Guil, haha), I have realized that I don't have a single favorite experience. My favorite part of the trip has been getting to know everybody and developing as a student and as a person. I see it as a blessing how close our group got in just one month and I know that these friendships will last for years to come. I want to thank our leaders -- Guil, Lydia, Malu, and Jen -- for such a wonderful time and for giving us an experience of a lifetime and I want to thank you -- our readers -- for keeping up with us on our journey." Matan

"My favorite part of the Maymester was visiting the Atlantic Forest in Ilha do Cardoso. It was amazing to me to see such variety of different environments on a small island. And although we didn't get to see any of the native peccaries, I loved seeing how the flora and fauna interacted with one another to create this incredibly diverse but fragile ecosystem." Ryan

"This whole month of being in Brazil was an amazing experience, but nothing made me appreciate the uniqueness of this place quite like seeing the family of capuchin monkeys soaring through the trees on the hike in PETAR. It was a long day of caving and hiking up until that point, and then all of a sudden we were right in the middle of a special event that can only be seen in rainforests like this. Everyone was so excited to get a glimpse of these little primates, and it really made me realize how far out of the normal, every day college experience we were on this trip. This kind of learning, experiencing science in the field, is really one the most impactful and engaging experiences I've had." Dan

"Perhaps one of the best things on this trip was the opportunity to see the diverse wildlife all around us and how they interact with the environment. The incredibly smart tour guides showed us the many uses of local plants and the helped point out animals that we would have never seen on our own. They also pointed out local geological features that better our understanding of the contexts that we needed to consider. This was an experience that would not have been possible outside of the program and this was certainly a life changing experience. Thanks for reading the blog and thanks to all the professors, graduate students, and guides that made this trip possible." Ben

"My most favorite part of the Maymester was undoubtedly our first hike in PETAR. It was our first day out in the field with Badass Malu, and I was super stoked to be in the rainforest to do some ecology. On our way up, our guides stopped us every now and then to tell us about plants with medicinal properties. We saw toucans, heard parakeets, and ate some Cana do Brejo among other things. This was also the first day we talked about palmitos, a tree that became a group favorite soon after. This was also the day we learned about the monkeys that live in the Atlantic rainforest, as our expert tour guides started calling them at the sight of freshly eaten bromeliad leaves. The one thing that made this day the best though was the hike on our way back. The guides took us through a shortcut which turned out to be the funnest hike we did. We had to resort to using tree roots, trunks, and branches (really anything sturdy enough to hold our weight) to propel ourselves up against the steep mountain hills. At the end of the hike, we all felt like we had accomplished something really great (if I can do this, I can do anything!), or at least I did. While that was my favorite hike, a lot of things made this trip an incredible experience for me. Never in my life have I been given a nickname before, and being called Avarninha (little Avarna) was one of the best feelings ever. In the animated character assignments, I was given the character of Nemo, which is an accomplishment in itself. Apparently I'm tiny and think I can do everything! All in all, this month is going to hold a big place in my heart and soul forever. Thank you Guil, Malu, Lydia, Jen, and Pablo for making this happen!" Avarninha out

Day 22 - The Day Carsen Pet the Poisonous Viper

After a late night of Guil beating everyone at ping-pong, XJ claiming to be the best at pool, and Sam celebrating the last minutes of his birthday in the ball pit, the group was ready (with dry shoes) for round two of Ilha do Cardoso. Forty minutes and some dolphins later we deboarded our boat and landed on the island. Malu led our group, along with our trusted guides, quickly through the sandy and lowland forests that we explored yesterday, into the sub-mountain forest to do some ecology.



A few kilometers into the hike, our guide whispered us to stop. The language barrier had us confused and so we waited patiently for our instructors to translate what we predicted to be a huge snake ahead (we were wrong). Slowly we started walking and came across some recently cut palmito trees, a protected species in Brazil. We learned that the illegal harvesting of these trees was still being done, despite the cultivation of its commercial variety (a species similar to the palmito). While our first instinct was to blame the local poachers, we soon realized that they were not completely at fault. The real blame lies on the people who create a market for the product - the people who demand the product and the middlemen and retailers who sell the products. As we made our way through the trail passing by some cut up stumps, our expert guide with super human vision had spotted and diverted us from not just one, but two poisonous snakes (Don't worry Carsen's parents, she didn't actually pet the snake). Finally, after what seemed like kilometers in the order of at least 10, we stopped by the river to eat lunch and do some activities.

First up was geology. We examined the rocks in and around the river bed to decipher its composition. We decided that there were 2 types of rocks, the dominant one being granite and the other one basalt. We observed that all the big boulders in the river were made of granite, which after a short debate, we concluded were feltspar rich, giving it its opaque quality, compared to quartz, which would have made it more transparent. Ali discovered a large quartz crystal which indicated the presence of quartz veins in the rocks. The piece of basalt that we found probably came from a basalt dike, from the same basalt eruptions 135 mya that we have previously talked about. Undeterred by our growling stomachs, Guil continued to talk about what he loves the most, rocks. But as Jen and the tour guides were sneaking bites of food in the back, Malu suggested that we all stop to eat. Some lucky members of the group brought their own PB&J sandwiches, thanks to a rare find at a grocery store the night before. And the others were saved from their regular ham and cheese (or only cheese) sandwiches by the hot sauce that Grant smuggled into the forest.

After lunch, we got into pairs to do an ecology activity and had our plots inspected for snakes before we started. Having conducted diversity plots and transects over the past few days, our group of pro-ecologists collected the data quickly. Once Malu tabulated everyone’s data, we learned that the sub-mountain forest was younger than the lowland forest as it had a higher frequency of trees less than 5 cm in diameter. On contemplating the geomorphological profile, we noted that the shallower soil in the slopey sub-mountain forest prevented trees from growing too big too fast, compared to the deep and nutrient-rich soils in the lowland forests. The transects we did in the sub-mountain forest had one additional measure - the cut down palmito trees, which ranged in diameter from 10 to 20 cm, just the right size for the heart of palmito to be profitable. We also found that the density of palmito seedlings in the sub-mountain and lowland forest was similar, providing some hope for palmito regeneration despite its illegal harvesting.

With the excitement of seeing some of the much talked about white lipped peccaries, we wrapped up the activity and followed Malu to the peccary traps. While some described the traps as surprisingly primitive, others disagreed. The large fenced traps were baited with corn to attract the peccaries. The traps have been shown to be effective at catching peccaries safely and effectively – with a record high of 8 individuals being caught with the same trap at a different site. Peccaries can grow up to 90 pounds, which means the trap would have to be sturdy enough to stop the individuals from breaking out. To prevent the animals from digging their way out, the poles are dug deep into the soil. We also learned about the importance of the soil around the trap to its success, as the muddy clay soil serves as a perfect wallowing grounds for the peccaries who love to roll in it.

Though the highest point of our hike was at a mere 160 m above sea level, though we crossed only maybe 3 rivers (the first taking Avarna’s left foot, the second taking Carsen’s right foot, and the third taking both of Sam’s feet), and passed only 2 poisonous snakes, the total distance we walked was 13 km!!! With sore feet we got to the beach to find 2 dolphins waiting for us 20 m away from the shore. It was a mother teaching her child how to catch fish, as the guide explained to us. It was the perfect end to a long day.

Avarnito and Benjinia

Day 21 - Pablo's palmito

While we were pulling our hair out figuring out geologic sequences, our TA Jen revealed that her work actively revolves around just that—pulling out hair.  We were hooked, just like she hooks peccaries. A deep plunge into ecology, the day started and ended on a beach, but we passed through so many different ecosystems along the way, including a sandy rain forest, a lowland rain forest, and a mangrove, and, more interestingly, the different ways the flora survive in them.

Invoking our geologic training, we deduced that the sandy rain forest was nutrient poor because the predominately sandy soil was mostly made of quartz, which leads to soils without much nutrition. Many of the plants had to turn carnivorous: if they couldn’t find nutrients in the soil, they would make the nutrients come to them in other ways. And the trees were awfully protective: their leaves were very waxy because they did not want to lose their valuable investments.

We walked along, noting the changing makeup of species as the ecosystems changed. In the lowland rain forest, the species diversity greatly increased and we were introduced to deductive ecology training: whose seed is it? If it was the seed that was the same color as its leaves, it was probably made for the bats – they are not good at seeing colors. If it was the hard, colorful, and lipid-rich, it was probably made for the birds (these seeds are probably poisonous). If it was the sweet fruit whose seeds were exposed by the fruit being broken open, it was probably made for us or, rather, mammals.

By the pond where presumably the last tapir of the island drew its last breath, we carried out diversity plots and tree diameter measurements. The diversity plots and tree diameter measurements, when analyzed in context of our other two ecosystems: PETAR and the Parque Nacional da Serra Geral, provided insight to the nature of not just this segment of the Atlantic rainforests, but of ecosystems in general. One group found human feces in their tree diameter measurements, which did not provide much, if any, insight at all. While there were less palmito trees in this rain forest, did we even want more? On one hand, palmito trees are a valuable resource in a rain forest for the flora and fauna. On the other hand, the less room they took up, the more space opened up for other trees. Similar debates were held about the value in having rain forests in different stages for the different flora and fauna that exist within them. While the default answer was always aiming for the most mature forest, we explored the value in intermediate forests; one notable one being the perhaps greater abundance of medicinal herbs.

Taking in the Gucci sunset and magical clouds and dolphin dips, we had a Gucci ride back on the boat. To everyone’s disappointment, Pablo, our beloved companion and Gucci behavior enforcer, will be leaving us tomorrow. At the same time, we lit up Cananeia with the celebration of the birthday of Sam G, who is a firm believer in the art of Aluba.

By Scotty & Xis Jota.

Day 19 - “All this mud, that’s my poop” -Avarna

This was it. The day we had been waiting for. All of our training in hiking, climbing, spelunking and under-ground river crossing had led us to this day. Arising before the dawn (5:30 breakfast time to be exact) we embarked on our longest, most arduous field expedition to date. A two-and-a-half-hour bus ride found us at the entrance of a relatively untamed park, covered in dense rainforest, spotted with steep cliffs, and cut through the middle with an array of rivers and streams. We were off the edge of the map now, especially since Guil forgot to enforce rule number one today (Where are we?).

The past few days of excursion served us well as we traveled largely without incident through jungles, fields, and bamboo forests. Minor slips and skids found almost everyone on the trail as we tried to balance ourselves out and keep from falling.  Most of us didn’t make it out…

The end of the hike to the caves offered a spectacular view of a sinkhole, collapsed after years of slow erosion of the rock underlying the surface of the land. Descent into the sinkhole was followed by a quick measurement of the strike and dip (~ 205 degrees / 70 degrees northwest) of the rock features composing the wall of the hole, and a routine field lunch (ham sandwiches were replaced by salami today).

Then, it was time to go underground as we half slid, half stumbled our way down into the depths of the cave. We were immediately greeted by a variety of complex and beautiful cave formations unlike any we had seen before. At the base of these was another novel structure known as a travertine, a terrace-like formation composed of small grains of calcite, precipitated from the evaporating droplets of water dripping from the ceiling as they flowed over the cave floor. These travertines were particularly impressive to look at as water, disturbed by Avarna and Lydia, flowed over their steps to the large underground river below.

Next up was another part of the cave, where we found a large basalt dike intruding into the cave rock.  Interestingly, this dike strikes East-West, which is uncommon as most dikes in the region strike North-South, a characteristic feature of the East-West splitting of South America and Africa. The return trip to the trail through the cave involved several river crossings, which were handled expertly by the now well-adjusted students, instructors, and guides of the Maymester.

As we exited the mouth of the cave, we were met by a strange sound – a high-pitched whistling from one of our guides, Ditinho. The leaves of the canopy rustled, and a similar sound projected out from the tops of the trees. Three days of waiting and searching had finally paid off. It was a family of Capuchin monkeys! Everyone immediately rushed along the trail to the best vantage points to get a quick glimpse of the friendly primates. The hustle was well worth it, as the majority of the group witnessed the whole group of monkeys, including a mother with a baby wrapped around her chest, leap between the trees right above our heads.

The most notable aspect of the hike, aside from the amazing geological formations and the monkeys, of course, was Emanuel’s infamous mid-race face plant.  The guides who accompanied our group moved at a remarkably fast pace during this hike (we think they were trying to see if we could keep up), but after a bit of egging on by the Trio (Emanuel, XJ, and Matan), the race was on.  All of a sudden, the guides took off running and the rest of the group followed suit.  When Emanuel got the memo, his Olympic build took off running, but we learned today that mud beats man.  The mud was slipping out from under him so fast that he was literally running in place! After slipping in place about 5 times, he finally took a tumble into the mud.  It is safe to say that the Maymester students and TA’s were thoroughly defeated by the guides, but we put up a great fight.

After a long hike in wet boots and even wetter socks, plus a million pictures on Guil’s camera (don’t forget the second photo!), we finished the hike with smiles on our faces.  The hardest part of the trip was now over.

Reporting to you live from dinner,

Datan (Dan and Matan)

Day 18 – How Malu Are You?

Malu is still here, and so are we. Today the Queen Badass, otherwise known as Mufasa, headed our first real ecology lesson, creating individual plots of 1.5 x 1.5 meters in order to observe the jungle’s biodiversity. In pairs, we set out towards the forest and began classifying species, diversity, whether the species were dispersed or clumped together, and if there were any dominant plant types within our plots. Next, we worked on a transect with our partner (G-rated, I promise), taking 20 steps perpendicular to the trail behind, measuring the number of trees in our path and their diameters. This information hints at the relative ages of the trees, which informs us of the general age of the forest around us. 

Then, the party started. Our underground adventure included exploring two caves, one dry and one wet; but, first, let us talk about how these caves formed. As with most caves, this one was made of limestone, a sedimentary rock that is particularly susceptible to water erosion, much like the wicked witch of the west (I’M MELTING!). These caves formed when water started to dissolve the limestone, and as the water ran through the earth, the earth slowly moved upward, creating the cavernous pathways we trekked through.

Evidenced by a phenomenon known as an elephant’s foot, when a forming stalactite hits the water below and spreads out, forming a wide 3D puddle, we were able to identify how high the water level used to be. Our brains full of new knowledge, our bladders full of pee, and our stomachs full of nothing, we headed out of the cave towards the river to have lunch.

To end the day, we took a bath and a trip on our favorite rocket ship, flying through the tunnel of our second cave, assisted by chest deep water and a rope. Known as the wedding cave due to the numerous weddings held there, we all channeled our inner Tarzans (and Janes) to wade through the ice-cold river. As Jen froze to death, we each took a final plunge headfirst into the water, guided by the graceful hand of Ditinho and Malu, and emerged on the other side, baptized. Despite some head conks (we had helmets!) and busted lips, we made it safely and soundly to the other side.

Finally the day ended with several group photos, all in which the girls (obviously) one-upped the guys with their muscles. Here’s to our 5am wake-up tomorrow. Help.

And after a long day, it was clear we were all pretty Malu.

Kronk (Squesk squweakity squeak sqeak) and The one with the busted lip

Emmanuel and Virginia

Day 17 – These Boots Were Made for Walking

Today we learned the true definition of a hike. After celebrating Malu’s arrival last night, we woke up bright and early, vastly unprepared for the day ahead. Until this point, we thought Guil had set out some pretty challenging treks for us, but the jungle is Malu’s kingdom and she set us off on a grand tour of everything the Atlantic Forest has to offer.

After a classic Brazilian breakfast of fruit, pastries, and ham and cheese sandwiches, we boarded our mammoth of a tour bus. Our destination: PETAR, a Sao Paulo state park that contains the largest continuous tract of the Atlantic Forest. Accompanying us were our three trusty native guides, who were incredibly well versed in the secrets of the forest.

As we set out on the trail it quickly became clear that we were far removed from the barren, rocky outcrops we had grown so accustomed to. The forest was an explosion of life and biodiversity. Every few minutes, our guides stopped us to point out some of the fascinating plants bordering the trail, from medicinal stalks and tangerines to selectively sharp tree branches, which could easily slice open an arm if rubbed the wrong way.  

 About an hour into our hike we came across a wide river, which we had to cross in order to reach our destination. With the help of our guides, we were able to traverse this monster, although we baptized most of the group’s boots in the process. We continued on the trail for a few kilometers, until we reached a massive cave entrance. A quick lunch followed and Guil finally brought us back to our roots by presenting us with some challenging questions about the surrounding rock features and their origin. In a departure from the igneous rocks of the past week, the stratification and fine composition of the surrounding rock led us to conclude that we were standing atop sedimentary limestone. We studied the structure of the cave exterior and observed that the layers of rock making up the cave entrance tended to fold down as it neared the cave’s opening. This is because that specific rock deformed in a ductile way, which allowed it to become curved in either direction. The folded rock also caused it to be easier to weather, which caused the cave’s opening to form.

Following an unnecessarily wet group photo (thanks Emmanuel!), we set out for the long trip home. The hike began with a desperate, grasping crawl up a steep hillside, followed by a much-needed downward slope. Finally, after one last river crossing, we reached our home sweet bus, slipped out of our soggy boots, and piled in. We returned home a little wetter, and much more exhausted, but with a new appreciation for both the bountiful forests of Brazil and the geological gems hiding inside.

Rainforest Ryan and Not So Dry Nick

Days 14-16 - Beaching and Moving

Days off in Florianópolis and a day driving to PETAR...