Rainforest Trip

I've just returned from our rainforest trip in the Atherton Tablelands. We spent a week and a half walking on trails through various types of rainforest and taking notes on its vegetation types, hydrology, geology, geomorphology, and human impact. On one of our walks we saw a 7-foot python! Ahhh! We also went night spotting one night, which is basically hiking on the forest edge and shining your flashlight into the forest to spot nocturnal mammals. We saw a few possums (spelled without the 'o'), a white-tailed rat, and a pademelon (very small kangaroo). Another day we did mist-netting at Jack's house. This involves setting up nets, which birds fly into and get caught in so you tag the bird and record its weigh, gender, etc… and then let it free. By the way, Jack (our Academic Director) lives in a tree house in the middle of the rainforest. Above is a picture of the "house" that he built for himself. He gets his electricity from solar energy and catches rainwater for bathing and drinking. This guy literally has a no ecological footprint on the planet.
The weather during our trip was pleasant for the most part. It was fairly sunny for the first few days, but rained on and off for the last four days, which was actually kind of refreshing. We were beginning to get nervous that there was no rain in the rainforest during the rainy season.
We stayed in a cabin on someone's property and although it was nice to have a house to ourselves, the snake infestation was less than ideal. We found 4 snakes inside the lodge during our stay there, one of which was a Small-eyed snake, listed as "Dangerously Venomous" in the reptiles field guide. On Saturday, we were scheduled to climb Mt. Bartle Frere, the highest mountain in Queensland, but unfortunately a looming cyclone canceled our hike. Instead we hiked up what is called "The Bluff," which had no real trail, so we trekked through the bush using a map, compass, and GPS to get to the top.
Overall, it was a fun trip, and now I can name almost every plant in the rainforest!