Archive for

Aug 21

Marvelous Mara

Greetings all,

It’s mid-August and I’m still cataloging photos from a seventeen-day visit to Kenya two months ago. The main reason I’m not finished is making an iMovie of the trek up Kilimanjaro lasted longer than expected. But now it’s completed and I get to work with (and experience once again) a wonderful trip highlighted by my fifth visit to the marvelous Maasai Mara Game Reserve located in south western Kenya. The Mara (roughly the size of the Northern Range in Yellowstone National Park) is the northern extension of the Serengeti ecosystem and generally hosts the “Great Migration” July through October each year — approximately 1.5 million wildebeests, 500,00 gazelles and 250,000 zebras participate. This year the migration arrived earlier than expected and it was grand but then again, the Mara is always a special place. Below are a few photos.

Grasslands of the Mara spotted with trees and clouds (Mara means spotted) – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Tanzania and Kenya border marker – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Male Agama lizard – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Little bee-eater – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Lilac-breasted roller – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Male Southern Ground hornbills – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Female Masai ostriches – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

African elephant with calf – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

African elephants – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Masai giraffes- Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Common hippopotamus – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Plains zebras – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Common wildebeests with Plains zebras – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Common wildebeests crossing the Mara River – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Spotted hyena – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Black-backed jackals – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Lions – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Female with male lion – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Male lion – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Sunrise on the Mara – Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

Aug 4

Amber’s Article

Recently my friend Amber Travsky (Contributing Outdoors Columnist for the Laramie Boomerang) wrote a nice piece on my summit of Mount Kilimanjaro; it appeared in our local newspaper July 15, 2017. I tried forwarding the Boomerang article to a few of you but was unsuccessful. So, Amber provided me an unedited copy and gave me permission to share. Have also included two photos appearing in the paper with newspaper captions, as well as a photo that’s a favorite of mine. Now that all the Kilimanjaro photos are catalogued I’ll begin cataloging photos from my June trip to Kenya; will share some shortly.

Cheers,

Michael

climing kili

Mount Kilimanjaro rises above the savannah of Tanzania. At 19,344 feet, it is the highest point in Africa and the tallest freestanding mountain on earth. Laramie resident Michael Day recently made it to the summit during a seven-day trek that began at 6,000 feet. (Laramie Boomerang July 15, 2017)

Laramie resident Michael Day poses at Uhuru Peak, marking the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. Day, an avid trekker who hiked to the base camp of Mount Everest five years ago, said coming down from the summit and completing an 18-hour hike in one day was one of his toughest days ever in all his adventures. He’s ready to do it again though, and is already contemplating a return to include more time to explore the volcano summit of Kilimanjaro. (Laramie Boomerang July 15, 2017)