Being in the middle of nowhere, with no way to contact those I left behind, created a space for growth. I found it both exhilarating and challenging—being disconnected from the world I was used to felt like flipping a coin. On one side was the thrill of living entirely in the moment, unattached to the steady ping of messages or the urgency of news. On the other side was the gnawing awareness that those I loved were still living their lives without me, and I couldn’t instantly be part of their moments or share my own. This experience, however, taught me something profound: there is beauty in this disconnection, a freedom that opens space for the unexpected and the new.
By: Noah Besemann, CSBSJU
Just two kilometers from the center of town, Camping Aquasol is the primary host of the Round River Conservation Studies Patagonia program. Located on the bank of the Rio (River) Cochrane, Aquasol also operates as a family ranch and homestead, with the sheep and chickens grazing through our campsite on rotation.
By: Sierra Rothman-Haji, Colby College
One of the most memorable moments was stumbling upon a male elephant carcass. The experience of getting to see elephant tusks up close, as well as touching the foot pads and skin, was once in a lifetime!
By: Margaret Lowell, Carleton College
In the Santiago airport, I was able to meet up with the group. As we all traded our names and long travel stories, I could tell everyone was exhausted but excited to be finally starting the trip we had all long awaited.
By: Sam Hoving, Carleton College
Less than a minute later, I heard a loud crinkle and vigorous scampering, as a vervet monkey climbed his way out of reach into a tree, my chips in tow.
By: Wyatt Skopov-Normane, University of Vermont
Despite the harsh nature of the environments we traversed – high winds, low moisture, frozen soils, among others – I was captivated by the diverse spread of plants and flowers. There were many plants that I learned to identify, but a few stand out as my favorite encounters.
By: Michael Minnick, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
How do animals like grizzlies and moose disappear so easily into the landscape? It felt as though most of the animals were moving through the landscape like ghosts, leaving only hints of their existence for us to see. I think it was this thought that made me realize something: this land and its ecosystems have been here for so much longer than I could truly comprehend.
By: Clare Freid, CSBSJU & Gia Silverman-Randolph, Harper College
Our last week in Mongolia was spent preparing to present our research to the local community […] The day of the presentations, we were running on minimal hours of sleep, but everyone gave very well-articulated, informative presentations. A highlight was getting to see the snow leopard that our camera traps had spotted – a first for any Round River trip!
By: Cade Conahey, Westminster University & Sam Herzig, University of California, Davis
We headed back into the talus to count and measure juvenile and adult Vansemberuu plants across ten plots on the mountain. We accomplished something that no other Round River group has done: We finished all ten plots on the mountain in one day!
By: Mariam Adegoke, Colby College
Welcome to Mariam’s Top 5 list of Beetles found in Taku, British Columbia, Canada on the 2025 Round River trip. In this list, I will be ranking 5 of the beetles I’ve found on this trip based on shape, color, and location they were found in. Stay tuned to see which beetle gets placed at #1!
By: Lauren Schagel, Lake Superior State University.
I loosely held the base of their tail, supported them with my other hand under their belly, and got to tell them they will be alright. I got to see each salmon swim out to Kuthai Lake, continuing their long journey back home.
By: Katie Anthony, University of Vermont
When first arriving in Atlin for the summer, I was skeptical about how much wildlife I would actually get to see. Maybe a moose or two? A grizzly if lucky? Never could I have imagined the number of animals I would get to see during the first three weeks here, let alone in the span of a single day.
By: Karyssa Hiller, University of Vermont
Avoiding bears is truly an art. We constantly talked, whistled, or sang to avoid surprising a bear and startling it.
By: Ruby Borden, Carleton College
At the end of the day, we each took a piece of the glacier home with us, some of us as dust in our boots and others as pounds of rocks we carried in our packs…
By: Sophie Scothern, Montana State University & Tristan Jeo, University of Oregon
In Mongolia, you learn quickly that not every Furgon ride goes according to plan…
By: Fabian Espinoza & Greyson Fesko, SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry
Fabian and Greyson walk you through what their days on the Mongolia Summer 2025 program have been like!
By: Aida Stevens, University of Montana & Campbell Stewart, Colby College
Follow along with Aida and Campbell as they arrive in Mongolia and travel out into the field for the first time!
By: Kate Hanson, Colby College
I’ve come to know and love this place and I can’t wait to look back on my time here and think about how a remote little campground in Chilean Patagonia came to be my home for three months.
By: Tim Hayden, University of Vermont
Join Tim for a look into surveying for viscacha (a type of small rodent).