[Robert]

Exploring a remote highland mountain at approx. 1,700 metre.

Flying over the mt range I could see in the distance our intended destination.



Arriving the remote settlement 6 of us met our 5 porters and set off with camping facilities, drinking water and caned food.



Along the way we came across some heath forest housing common neps of the area-stenophylla , reinwardtiana and the hybrids. At this time of year, the intermittent rain, a sign of the coming rainy and cool monsoon, It was also neps flowering season. Ants and bees were busy having their early morning round. While neps don’t follow a strict flowering pattern, they flower anytime of the year that is, they tend to flower enmass this time of year, probably due to the humid and sudden cool conditions. The same pattern repeat before the hot dry monsoon arrives.











Steno., seedlings


reinwardtiana


Hybrid, likely reinwardtiana x stenophylla










Following the trail we entered a primary forest. Our porters picked up some edible wild spinach, rattan shoots and mushrooms. The jungle, according to them, was the jungle supermarket opened 24 hrs a day !

Wild spinach


Edible mushroom belonging to family tricholomataceae






Smoked rattan shoot, then peel off the skin to extract the edible pulp


According to our guide it will take approx 6 hrs to reach our destination. Since we stop several time to admire nature and photography and we had only walk 3 hrs, and it was appro 4.00pm, with the overcast sky we dicided to make camp nearby a stream.

A temporary open kitchen was consturcted.


done !


…..and dinner preparation by our porters, some collect water, another collect fire wood and others and our group set up our camps.



Cooked spinach and mushroom soup




Our temporary camp for the next 3 days


...and leeches are abundant…along the way I had pick many and throw them back to the forest, despite having anti mozzies and anti leech spray one of them collected a bonus !


Some neps taken near the summit…Most neps here are epiphytic in nature. Chaniana was abundant and tend to dominate the mossy forest. Lowii, tentaculata and chaniana are found growing on thick moss pad on tree trunk and branches.




















It was drizzling and very cooling. The temp and humidity reading approx 1.00pm


Some interesting plants-no id begonia


Wild ginger


Non edible wild mushroom