As I sit here with my daily cup of coffee, in a warm and safe environment, an article comes to my attention about the brave people who monitor one of the mountain ranges that are the habitat of Giant Pandas, a world so unlike any I can imagine.
The brave rangers of the Qingmuchuan Nature Reserve have continued their monitoring of the only
corridor for giant pandas between the Qinling and Ninshan mountains, but the Qinling Mountain was also hit hard by the May 12, 2008 earthquake.
World Wildlife Fund, along with other partners are involved in this project and a wonderfully written piece that you must read describes what the team found on a recent patrol on the Qinling Mountain.
I will insert a few portions of the article, to give you an idea, but I would recommend reading the entire piece as it reads like something out of adventurous novel, the only difference being this is real and it is very dangerous. Thank You, Chen Xu, for recording this amazing journey for us to experience with you. Mountain-in-recovery---Qingmuchuans-first-monitoring-patrol-since-the-May-12th-earthquake . January 19, 2009, Text/Photo by Chen Xu
"The recommencement of monitoring is a monumental event for the reserve. It means, in part, that the reserve has overcome some of the difficulties that go along with post-earthquake conservation work. It also shows that they’ve gained an opportunity to start the field surveys necessary to monitor the changes affecting habitats and the surrounding communities.
There are 5 routes for monitoring and patrolling on the Qingmuchuan Reserve."
"Monitoring notes and position recorded, we stepped into the forest and covered a leaf-covered and weedy path. Here we saw more signs of the quake: a deep groove was stamped in the earth where a massive boulder had fallen. Piles of smashed stones sharply contrasted to the luxuriant green that infused the area. I tried to find more evidence of the earthquake, but Mo Chenqing said mud and weeds had covered a lot of damage after the rainy season and that the vegetation hid most of the danger."
"The first major threat to Qingmuchuan Nature Reserve was damaged bamboo, the giant pandas’ main source of food.
"The reserve’ management bureau says 4 strong aftershocks hit Qingmuchuan after May 12th, happening on May 25, May 27, August 1 and September 12 Mud-rock flows and rock falls soon began to seriously damage the reserve’s bamboo groves, with large areas of the woody perennial evergreen dying. Giant pandas were then left with little to eat."
"The ridge stands at 1,733 meters above sea level. Though the altitude didn’t climb much higher, the dense vegetation made it difficult to move forward. Since about 1,500 meters we had to make our way directly over, on and through the foliage: we fought against vines underfoot and branches and thorns overhead. When reaching 1,600 meters we walked though bamboo and arbor, making our way up to the ridge along the animal path. Large trees prevented us from getting a view of the ridge, with the sky appearing in cracks between massive branches. We planned to spend 5 hours reaching our destination, but we only able to cover half that distance.
The path to the foot of the mountain was even more difficult to walk on. Broken rocks caused chaos around the ridge and we could not even find a trail made by animals. On top of that, it was getting dark. We took out torches, but our lights could only cover one or two meters ahead in such dense. We were staggering, trying to hold on to branches or vines. Still, we tried to ignore the difficultly of our journey and move faster."
"Waking up in the tent on the morning of the 12th, I was cold. I could not imagine how the reserve staff could survive through the winter in this weather. Outside I saw some lace-like clouds covering the mountains along the opposite riverbank. Wei Shuqiang told me I had been walking down from the very mountains I was looking at last night. I looked for a while but could not see any trace of a path--maybe we just flew down on the clouds."

You have got to read this in its entirety and then think about getting involved in some way to help them to continue on this vital project that will help the Giant Pandas of the Qingling Mountains.
TAKE ACTION!