I.

In early March, Elisa and I had the privilege of guiding ecologist Greg Hocutt in the Espinhaço for 13 days.

He’d come to scout future field expeditions for his students in Arizona, and to deepen his own understanding of the Cerrado.

March is the tail end of the rainy season in the Espinhaço, and this year was wetter than most. That said, in my mind (although not necessarily in Elisa’s), any time is a good time for a two-week crossing of the range, and this trip was no exception.

Over the course of the expedition, we covered nearly 560 km of fluorescent green, saturated high savannah ground—mostly by vehicle, over very rough roads. We visited 6 conservation units, overnighting in two, and 10 communities, overnighting in five. Waterfalls weren’t a priority of the expedition, but we came across 12 (and enjoyed all of them).

In 13 days on the road and trail, we came across just three other travelers: a young couple from nearby Montes Claros, and a Spanish woman who was traveling the country after visiting friends in Maceió.

This was my third time guiding Greg in the range, but it was our first long-form expedition together. It was, as always, an absolute pleasure to hit the road with him, to explore the many different landscapes and (new word alert) “phytophysiognomies” of the Cerrado, and to spend time with him in the small communities of the Espinhaço.

I have so much more to say about this crossing, and I’ll return to it soon. For now, here are some photographs from yet another wet & wild March in the range.

– Eddie