Kutztown
Geology 2007-2008 trip to
Hike to see wildlife in the refuge
The hike starts at a beach with a
hip-deep river that you must cross. We took off our boots and
carried the kids across.
Anthony
of the jungle!
Shelby
of the jungle!
There were some storms out at sea
that kicked up some scenic waves.
The weather during our hike had
spots of rain, but Caribbean rain is warm and pleasant.
Lauren and her fancy camel back pack. I think she
was glad for all the work she put into planning this trip!
This sea stack with a
lone tree was a nice accent to the scenery at one of the beaches.
The beach sediment was rich in fragments of coral (calcite).
The rocky surface is an
exhumed reef limestone full of potholes eroded by burrowing/boring
animals and wave action. The tide pools hosted a variety of
interesting snails.
Hiking through the jungle involves watching carefully
where you step over roots and through mud, all the while you need to be
also looking up to see wildlife in the trees. It's wise to hike a
little, then periodically stop to look around.
Hiking the slick, muddy trail through the jungle.
Hiking boots give good ankle support, but soon saturated with water and
mud. Sandals worked well, as well as plastic "crock" shoes
because they cleaned off well when fording streams.
Abe needed to go to the bathroom,
so I took him about 15 feet off the trail so he could go. It gave
me a chance to look around at the underbrush to find little creatures
like this centipede (approximately 15 cm long (6 inches)).
The creeks were dark brown with
tannins from decaying vegetation in the jungle. The trail crossed
several creeks. Some had log bridges - others required a bit of
wading.
Mangrove swamps like this
surrounded us on the hike. Many parts of this trail were slick
with deep mud. It reminded me of the opening scenes in an Indian
Jones movie.
Hermit crabs were all over the
place - on the beach, in the cliffs, and on the trees.
Lauren - our leader - in the
mangrove swamp. Hiking off the path would be a very tricky job!
Our first encounter with monkeys
was in Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge. This is one of the
Capuchin monkeys in the trees on the hike. We also saw sloths,
howler monkeys, and lots of little crabs.
Anthony (260 pound muscle man)
arm wrestling Abe (30 pounds) before dinner at Cahuita National Park
Restaurant.
Kutztown
Geology 2007-2008 trip to
