The foul smell of failure

Well, this feels like I reckon that all of you can imagine; I have to go home for a while…

My knees aren’t holding up. I slipped, twisted the right knee and fell a little a couple of weeks ago. It’s the same knee that was pinched between a big American truck and an almost equally big snow mobile trailer a year ago (long story, and it’s not funny so I will not tell it). To save the knee I used the other leg as much as possible and probably exhausted that knee too. I rested for a week and thought that I would be fine but last week I limped out of the canyons, it’s not getting better I’m afraid. 

Jonas always helps me out whenever I have put myself in trouble, this time he gave me the e-mail to an orthopedist and besides giving me a diagnose for the knees, Dr Hanna told me to wrap them hard, take it easy and try to stay away from rugged terrain. I will do my best on that. Nadia came to camp yesterday and I will let her do most of the hikes in hilly terrain.

 We have a pretty good feeling for the new trap area now. Most likely we will build a trap line in a half-circle around the biggest mountain in the area. The snow leopard mating season starts in February and according to Tom, the mountains echo from cat’s screams. Now, I’m thinking like this, if I was on the prowl, looking for a suitable mate and the best way to locate on is to listen alternatively scream and hope they will here me, where would I go?

 High 

What will be waiting for me on the way up the highest place or coming down from it? 

Traps 

Ha, this snow leopard trapping is a piece of a cake. That is if the leopards actually step in the traps and the snares close in and…

 At least we are scouting the area thoroughly, we are mapping all signs of snow leopards and checking for good trap sites, when we have the entire trap line figured out we will put out the trap cameras and after that it’s time to pack up and leave for UB…

 It is 800 km to UB and Nadia and I will drive it ourselves I think. I know what you are thinking; 800 km isn’t much to whine about. But it takes 24 hours if one drives non-stop. There are no roads, more dirt tracks and these can move in the same manner as the nomads. I think that we basically set out in the general direction of UB and hope to get there eventually… Well, that will be a new experience and I am excited to try it. I will leave for Sweden on the 17^thof November (if we have reached UB by then…)

 Obviously it will be great to come home and meet everyone again but it doesn’t feel just good. We got a good start and it feels bad to throw in the towel. Tom had contacted a really good cat trapper, Brian Janssen, who was scheduled to come and help me setting the traps. I sure hope that he will be able to come early next year instead. It would be great to spend some time with a guy who has done this a lot and learn new things.