Monteverde

Most of us went over to the hummingbird café, two minutes away from the hotel. The hummingbirds would land on your fingers if you put them near the feeders. We all did this, but Allegra was the most skilled, accumulating 5 or 6 birds at a time. She also was the only one to attract a violet sabrewing, the largest and most aggressive one. She was radiating joy and it was among the happiest I’ve ever seen her. We also observed a kinkajou go through acrobatics to drink from the feeders. It would hang upside down or lunge for the feeder, occasionally missing, swinging around and running back into the tree for a few minutes to recover from its embarrassment.

Zach, Lars and I found a giant strangler fig near one of our epiphyte plots. The tree originally hosting it had long since rotted away, leaving a cylindrical cavity two metres across and over 20 metres tall inside. The roots intertwined like jungle-gym bars, and I climbed about 7 metres up. The spaces between the roots formed windows, through which I could see out over the canopy on one side, which dropped away into a gorge. We returned with Allegra and Aaron, and Allegra attracted a bat when she climbed up. I put a piece of flagging tape at the highest point I reached climbing, at about 11 metres.

At the end of the research trail we came to a viewpoint looking out through a chainsaw view down the valley. While we were there the mist lifted and we saw all the way down to the Pacific Ocean. On the way back we found a perfect vine that swung out over the trail and the slope below. We all swung on it, and it was exhilarating to swing out over the slope below.

Zach, Lars and I attempted to circumnavigate the park trail system and reach the continental divide, but we ran out of time before lunch. We did manage to find a waterfall, and considered swimming despite the sign. Later Allegra and I hiked out to the canopy bridge. We saw epiphytes in the canopy, bromeliads, orchids and others. The rangers pointed out to us a Mexican tree porcupine, sitting in the canopy of a smaller tree. On the way back across the bridge we reverted to children, running and jumping and laughing, making the bridge bounce and sway and losing our balance.

Around the hotel we saw racoons, coatis stealing garbage and a capuchin (Ryan had not seen any monkeys in his 5 years at Monteverde). We saw the same capuchin the next morning and named him Loco Koko.

Lars, Allegra and I hiked out to the canopy bridge, where we saw the porcupine again, up close on the bridge and adjacent trees. We then hiked over to the waterfall. It looked very peaceful and relaxing with its chain of pools and heavy vegetation. It reminded Allegra and me of spring in Hanover, made us homesick for campus. I’d like to swim in the pools.

On our last morning, Allegra and I hiked out to the overlook on the research trail for sunrise. The sun rose behind us, as we were looking out over the Pacific, but the sky still lit up with colours as it went from a rose horizon to the blue sky of morning. We were far removed from human activity and the lights of the town below, but the forest was already awake with birds calling and the wind in the trees of the next ridge over roaring like distant surf. The clouds were initially solely silhouettes against the sky, but as the sun rose they were lit up. The wind was strong, rushing them across the sky and spinning them off into different shapes.

Monteverde Sunrise  -  26/1/2014

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Lightening sky through the canopy

Beckons us down the trail

To open up to sweeping views

Down the valley, to ocean beyond

The birds are awake, calling

But the rest of the world yet slumbers.

A single leaf flutters down

From swaying canopy

While the wind on forested ridge

Softly roars like distant surf.

Crescent moon retreats with advance of morn

As rosy horizon grows

Illuminated in inverted rainbow.

Clouds dance, silhouetted, lit up

Swiftly carried by wind, high above, down below

Lights of village twinkle

But we observe from far above

Two souls in an engulfing forest

Contemplative, separate

Somewhere beyond the horizon is home

The path back will lead to programmed life

But now, caught in the moment, peace.