| The Sunchubamba Cloud Forest Region |
A pristine region where relatively few studies have been carried out.
We start our field studies on plants, insects, bats and birds
Our base camp is at the Amazon Conservation Association field station, called Camp Esperanza and consists of a rustic, but quaint cabin nested among the trees at an elevation of 2800 meters.
 |  | | Exploring a trail in the Sunchubamba Cloud Forest | The botany study group from left to right; Patrick Donaldson, Ray Patelli, Suzanna Verreli, Renee Robinson Gretchen, Frick, Dr. Arthur Goldberg, Audrey McMahon, Jonathan Haulenbeek and Euridice Honorio |  |  | | Jonathan Haulenbeek taking a plant cutting for identification | Learning the essentials; from left to right Ray Patelli, Euridice Honorio, Patrick Donaldson and Audrey McMahon |  |  | | Botanist, Dr. John Janovec (on the left), discusses plant classification | Students working the voucher plant specimens collected |
Tres Cruces
Departing in darkness, a bus trip on a narrow winding dirt road brings us to Tres Cruces, a remote and extremely difficult to reach site that is described with some mysticism in the literature. This spot was sacred to the Incas. Our guide Abraham told us that it is believed to be named Three Crosses for the three Spanish explorers who were looking for the lost city of gold and they did not return. The Spaniards then erected three crosses in honor of the lost explorers. At an elevation of 11,500 feet, Tres Cruces is the last mountain escarpment before the eastern edge of the Amazon rain forest. At 5:00 am, the sky was on fire as the sun emerged from the horizon. We all watched in awe until 5:30 am; a spiritual event of great beauty never to be forgotten. The vast extent of the Amazon rain forest stretched as far as the eye could see.
 |  | | Tres Cruces in the shadow of dawn | Sunrise at Tres Cruces |  |  | | First light of dawn falling on Tres Cruces | The start of our hike on the Trocha Union trail at Tres Cruces |
Trocha Union Trail
The hot tea and pancakes for breakfast cooked on camping stoves at Tres Cruces helped to warm us from the cold air at this early hour and high elevation. We did not know it at the time, but our breakfast would also help to charge our energy stores for an 11 km hike that awaited us and took close to 10 hours.
"What doesn't kill you will make you stronger" Nietchie
The Trocha Union Trail sign at Tres Cruces at 11,400 feet was the start of our hike. The trail is 500 year old and was used by the Incan people to travel from the highlands to the lowlands to obtain cocoa leaves and alcohol made from the local corn. We descended across treeless alpine terrain with wet boggy soil and hidden holes underfoot. Succulent pink and white lichens and wild flowers were everywhere. Ever downward, the trail gradually turned into a deep narrow and boggy gully that was three to five feet below its surroundings. Constant travel over a long period of time eroded the path. Moss, lichens, and orchids were now in
Abundance as we entered the Cloud Forest. Sections of the trail became long dark and narrow tunnels where moss and lichen covered trees and brush overhung the deeply eroded trail forming a roof.
Rain, rock obstacles, more bogs and close to 10 hours later we emerged on to a dirt road where our bus awaited to take us back to base camp.
|
