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Published: March 29th 2008
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Hiking by moonlight
Although I used my headlamp for the darkest parts of the the hike, I walked by moonlight where ever I could to conserve my batteries. It is amazing how bright the moon can be! Up to the Highest Height! On the 25th of Feb, the Katies, some friends and I went to the Chiriqui Province of Panama to climb Volcan Baru. The summit is at about 11,400 feet and about a 7 mile upward hike from the base of the volcano. We spent the first two days in Boquete, a tiny town nestled in the foothills of the volcano and surrounding mountains.
On our journey from Panama City to Boquete, we stopped by a bus-station foodstand to get some lunch and apparently all ate something there that didn't agree with us. As soon as we reached Boquete the 5 of us had terrible cramps and spent the following day rushing to the bathroom every few hours. Of course there were lots of bathroom jokes made and it was quite a hilarious situation but only in hindsight! Thankfully, our tummies were all settled by Wednesday, the day we were to climb Volcan Baru.
We woke up at 3:30am, layered on our warmest clothing and walked out into the windy night to catch a cab that would drive us to the base of the volcano. By 4:10am we had begun our hike.
And then the sun rose...
The orange light from the first morning rays were absolutely magical! Everything around me was glowing, ready to wake up to a new day. I was very nervous because I had never been to such a height, nor was I sure I had the physical capability of finishing a 20-mile hike in one piece!
The wind was cold and because of the elevation, it was a little painful to breathe deeply. For the first few hours we hiked by headlamp and in some areas where the forest canopy was thin, we hiked by moonlight. The path was blanketed with loose pebbles and cobble making it hard to get a good grip on the road. But as the sun rose we could see the road better and choose a smoother path.
Sunrise along the ridge of the volcano was like looking right into heaven! The clouds were so thick down below that I couldn't even see land at sea-level. The flowers and trees along the path looked spectacular as the caught the first orange rays of sunlight. Almost as soon as the sky began to lighten, a symphony of birdsongs erupted from the forest.
The hike to the summit was all a steep uphill climb and I managed to sprain my knee as I climbed. Towards the middle of the ascent, I
At the summit - finally!
I was standing on the rim of the caldera or crater looking down into its depth. The volcano has been dormant for hundreds of years, but every now and again smoke rises from the crater and earthquakes shake the the towns that flank the volcano. found that my breath was extremely shallow and my head throbbed with pain. I had to stop to take a break about every 10 steps or I thought I would collapse. When finally I had my last mile to hike to the top, I burst into tears because I had no idea how I was going to go all the way back down feeling so sick.
My friends had reached the summit 2 hours before I did! When I finally made it to the top, my knees buckled and had to sit for about 20 minutes before being able to stand again. It was then that I realized my knee was swollen and I still had 10 miles to get back to the base! From the summit we could see the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The clouds had claimed their place over the oceans, so we couldn't see the water, but rather a vast expanse of white on either side of the summit. Even as we sat there at 11 in the morning, thick gray clouds inched their way up to us, threatening to fog up our view. We decided to get to a safer place in
Bright blooms
I was astounded by the fuschia pink of these blooms. The path to the summit was an avenue of gorgeous, fragrant flowers and enormous trees. case it started to rain, so within half an hour of my arrival, we started back down again.
The descent seemed somehow faster but I couldn't put any pressure on my right leg. So I hopped down all the way, constantly hoping that somehow a car would drive by so I could get a ride!
In total the hike from bottom to top and back took me about 12 hours. I am proud that I didn't give up but I am paying for it now with my swollen knee! I only took a few photos because I was just not in the mood for it on the hike.
That night, my dreams were all about never-ending steep slopes and trying to run down or up them on one leg. Often I was being chased by something and had to run faster and faster. But despite the crazy dreams, I was so incredibly thankful that I was in a comfortable bed and able to rest peacefully.
The next morning we were all stiff and sore and ready to jump on a bus that would take back to warm and humid Gamboa. I slept for another 6 hours
Female green thorntail
She was such a teenie weenie little bird, perhaps as long as my little finger! And she sat so still that I was able to get a great shot. on the bus and this time, none of us dared to eat at the bus-station foodstand!
Mum and Ro Visit Panama I was so excited that my mother and brother could finally visit me here in Panama! They came two weeks ago and left last week. Although their trip was short (10 days) we saw so much and managed to even travel a little. We hiked Pipeline Road and saw huge troops of howler monkeys (one even attempted to pee on us), we watched a cayuco (Panamanian kayak) race which takes place once every year, snorkeled in the Caribbean by the beautiful San Blas islands, spent a day on Barro Colorado Island where we saw some interesting animals, watched a ship go through the Panama Canal locks and toured parts of Panama City. I think I completely tired them both out by making them awake early in the mornings and spend several hours in the sun. I think they really enjoyed it though.
San Blas was especially wonderful because they both got to snorkel, something neither had ever done. Mum was a little scared at first -- it is an odd feeling to breathe underwater -- but
Clouds descend
About half-way down the volcano, thick clouds blanketed the forest. A light layer of water droplets covered everything, so I quickly took this photo and put away my camera. she soon got the hang of it. We saw some beautiful fish and corals and of course soaked in the balmy island sun.
Barro Colorado island was another treat because they got to see the largest tree on the island. While walking back to the labs, Rohan spotted a huge herd of white-collared peccaries. We stood for about 15 minutes watching them slowly cross our path. Just above the peccary herd we saw howler monkeys which began to bellow their famous "whoo whoo whoo" and Mum and Rohan got to hear them howl in full force!
I wanted them to see a sloth but unfortunately we've not seen many at all this year. I was happy that they saw the plethora of fantastic birds that are native to Panama, including the toucans and mot mots which are so bright and colorful.
Of course, the 10 days went in the blur of sights and activities and came to an end all too quickly. I bawled my head off when they left and missed them terribly the next few days. I would have loved for my father to come too, but because of work, he couldn't get leave. Perhaps
View of the valley
A little break in the tree line afforded me this lovely view of the valley. At this point I was still several miles away from the base of the volcano. one day we'll all visit Panama again.
Bat Work Our wonderful work is almost coming to an end. We just have 2 more bats to catch before we meet our goal and pack up to return to the U.S. It is strange how quickly this field season went. I will send my last entry in another two weeks.
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Rhonda
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Terrific photos
Alisha = ) I'm sorry your adventure is almost over. I can't wait to hear the rest of your tales! Be safe and stay away from the food stands, Rhonda