Gathering information at 9000 feet above sea level

Julia Entwistle - School for Environment and Sustainability

The rainy season is in full force here in North Showa, Ethiopia. The area, which had not seen a drop of rain in several weeks, now experiences daily storms. The dry arid landscape has been transformed into lush green meadows in a matter of days. With the rain comes colder temperatures, overcast skies, and mud, lots and lots of mud. In a place where the closest paved road is 25 km away and walking is the primary form of transportation, this makes getting around more challenging. 

Our household surveys of local farmers are well underway, but with the sudden onset of rainy season, I decided it would be wise to try to complete data collection in the most distant area that we needed to access by road, a region called Metkoriya. Metkoriya is a very remote area only accessible by a single lane dirt road that winds alongside cliffs, up and down steep mountain passes, and sharp switchbacks. Here in the highlands of Ethiopia, most plateaus are over 9000 feet above sea level and getting to Metkoriya involved descending from the plateau I live on and then climbing back up to the neighboring plateau. 

A survey in progress at 9000 feet above sea level

So as soon as I could secure a vehicle to rent, three translators and I set out on the road to Metkoriya one morning. After a few minutes of travel I realized we may already be too late to access this area. After only a week or so of rain, the road had been transformed into sloppy mud with deep puddles. The van we were in was not equipped to handle the steep inclines and declines and the spinning tires so close to the edge of a cliff were making me nervous. Several times we all got out to push the van out of a deep puddle. The driver was not too happy with the situation and after 2-3 slow miles of travel down the mountain side and into the valley, he said he wouldn't be able to take us any further. With about 2-3 uphill miles left until we reached Metkoriya, I asked my translator what we should do now. "We walk" he said, "into the cloud." He pointed up the steep muddy slope that after 20 feet was obscured by thick fog. 

So we set off on foot on the uphill hike into the clouds. The mud clumped around our shoes and added a few pounds of weight to each step. The inside of a cloud is unsurprisingly very wet and we were all soaked by the time we reached Metkoriya. As we summited the top of the plateau where Metkoriya sits we were rewarded by the spectacular view of looking down at the cloud covered valley below. 

View from Metkoriya

We have since found a large truck to rent that is better equipped to handle the terrain and are making progress towards our goal of 80 household surveys in Metkoriya. This remote region may be the most beautiful I have seen in Ethiopia and its people are extremely welcoming, but I have to confess that I will be relieved once we are finished skidding along the sharp turns on the edge of the mountain. 

A Metkoriya farmer showing off one of his barley plants