Brent Riley
From EcuadorWiki
Contents |
About Me
- Will be a junior here at Alma College
- Philosophy Major
- Plans to pursue either a J.D. or get a Doctorate in Philosophy and become a professor
- Will probably work my way through grad school as a police officer
- Will be going to Ecuador with all of these cool people in May of 2007
Outrageously Fun Facts!
- A member of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia's Iota Alpha Chapter since April of 2006
- Former treasurer and current historian of that "August Body" - to borrow the words of Dr. Messing
- I play Midfielder for the Alma College lacrosse team
- I have been training in Mixed Martial Arts for a little over a year and hope to do it competitively within the next few years
- I am a professional snowboarder...kind of. I teach snowboarding at Snow Snake "Mountain" in Harrison, MI
- During the summer I work as a Lifeguard at West Midland Family Center
- I have been dating Kathryn Krauss for over three years
- My family owns three horses, a dog, and two cats
Ecuador Trip
During my stay in Quito, I will be living with the totally awesome Will Allen. Our host family apparently speaks no English in their home, which is bad news for both of us.
I am hoping that my trip into the cloud forest will give me some biological research background that I can use in later work inside my field (i.e. environmental ethics). My secondary goal is to utilize my stay at the Academia Latinoamericana to its full potential and learn some Spanish while I'm down there. With Spanish speakers making up a larger and larger demographic inside the United States, it's probably a good idea.
Other cool reasons to go to Ecuador:
- We go on a cruise!
- I have never been out of the continental US before (not even to Canada)
- Tons of native Boobies! Feel free to look, but please don't touch.
- See Dr. McNally in a wetsuit!
Personal Project
My personal project will be constructing a photo rich guide to hiking in the rain forests of South America. Before I leave on the trip, I will use resources which are already available to gain a basic knowledge of rain forest day hiking as it compares to hiking in the States. Then, during our stay at the Bellavista Cloud Forest Lodge, I am planning on exploring as much of the area as I can during our short stay -- documenting the trails at the very least. I intend to study many things during and after the trip, including, but not limited to:
- Gear selection: footwear, clothing, packs, tools, etc.
- Shelter: native plants suitable for constructing makeshift shelter and environmental conditions which make shelter selection different from hiking in the United States (steep areas, dense growth, heavy rains)
- Region specific hazards and corresponding first aid treatments
- Availability of drinking water and edible plants and animals (and also the non-edible ones)
- Effects of high altitude on endurance and strength
- Ways to condition for high altitudes before a trip
I am going to attempt to go alone or with the smallest group possible on my excursions to allow myself to proceed at an appropriate pace for taking hundreds of pictures and also for the simple reason of wanting to enjoy my few short days in this unique environment.
To tie this into my philosophy major, I will undoubtedly include some shameless plugs for preserving the rain forests and some brief tie-ins to environmental ethics and the debates contained therein. If I get really ambitious, I may include some notes regarding different cultures, their predominant philosophies, and how that effects their use of the environment.
I also hope to assist Dr. McNally with his documentation of hummingbird species of the cloud forest.
For my own personal amusement, during our short stay at the Hacienda el Porvenir, which has a "working" cattle ranch (looks a little bit touristy as far as riding goes), I plan on documenting some of the differences between ranching in Ecuador and the United States -- from the style of dress to the breeds of horses and cattle to pasture management. I am sure it will be quite different from the week I spent on a working ranch in North Dakota a few years ago. During the summer I'll try to get my dad out on one of our horses to provide some representative North American cowboy photographs.
Find a link to my personal project here
Journals
Be sure to check back soon and read my contribution to the group travelogue, Tuesday, May 8
Also, sometime after the trip, I'm planning on posting my written journal for the entire trip.
