Welcome to the Jungle: Peru Pt. 2

Abby Jones
Jul 10, 2017
7 min read

Day 4- May 19, 2017

Waking up to a hot breakfast made by chef extraordinaire, Roy, was the perfect way to get acclimated to our new environment. Fried plantains, scrambled eggs, bread with butter and jelly, banana porridge, and hot chocolate! How can anyone complain? The reason for making the team hearty breakfasts was clear later in the day when we were navigating jungle terrain.

Our first hike was on Waterfall trail, a beautiful path that led us over bridges, down steep muddy hills into ravines, and even through a stream where we waded knee deep to reach the second waterfall along the trail. Standing at the top of the waterfall I felt like a million bucks- like I had just started living at that exact moment.

Our guide, Paul, taught us about the flora and fauna along the way. One in particular looks like a giant broom balancing on its bristles. This palm, commonly called the walking palm (Socratea), is said to be able to move slowly across the forest floor by shooting out new roots and letting some roots die and break loose from the soil. There is quite a bit of debate about whether it is true (https://www.sciencealert.com/can-these-trees-in-ecuador-walk-up-to-20-meters-per-year) - either way it’s still fun to compare them to Treebeard and the other Ents from The Lord of the Rings.

We also saw Deadman’s Fingers, a fungus that grows on hardwoods and is said to have antimicrobial properties. The group was in awe of their first glimpse of a giant Kaypok Tree (Ceiba pentandra), its wide buttress roots allowing it to sit on the forest floor like a God-sized chess piece. We also marveled at Stangler Figs that grow to encompass a host tree, and sometimes happen to create a twisting natural ladder up into the jungle canopy. The complexity of it all was beginning to unfold before us. I couldn’t help but feel small.

After the hike we went down to the river and jumped off the cliff. Before the trip I was nervous about the river, thinking about all of the caiman, piranha, parasitic fish, stingray and snakes that inhabited those waters. I had told myself that I would just forgo any swimming. Once I was actually in the river, all of those doubts floated away with the swift current. I was enjoying my surroundings so greatly that no fear was big enough to ruin that. People tend to fear what is unknown to them and wildlife is one of those that some people go their whole lives afraid of. The first step to getting over that apprehension is to let it surround you, so that’s what I decided to do. We jumped off the clay cliff until our hearts were content, or until lunch was ready.

In the afternoon we talked about the question of the day with our longitudinal research groups and released the snake Paul caught days before at the animal rehab center- the Common Boa Constrictor we named Georgia. She slithered off into the forest and we were left feeling the satisfaction of potentially saving an animal that may have been killed if we had left it where it was. Now she was roaming the forest floor safely outside the reach of most human contact.

Not long after 5pm, the sun starts to go down so dinner is shared under the light of a single light bulb that hangs down over the long rectangular table. The discussion was lively as we talked about survival scenarios related to our question of the day, which said, “Your plane crashed deep in the Amazon- 2 weeks from civilization. You are the only uninjured survivor. You must pick 1 person to rescue and 4 items of gear.” My group chose to argue for the elderly priest and scissors, tarp, cargo netting, and Clif bars. We lost, but our argument was quite elaborate. After dinner activities consisted of stargazing and bonding over weird childhood stories (may we never forget Shieba). At one point we were all laying head to toe on the deck, just taking in the magnificence of the sky. As I wrote in my journal that night, the shear number of stars is astounding and you don’t have to look up for long to see a shooting star. You can even make out the hazy fog of the Milky Way.

Photo by Paul Rosolie

Day 5- May 20, 2017

The first excursion of the day was on a medicinal plant hike led by JJ. As we learned throughout the course of this trip, JJ is the go-to guy when it comes to plant identification- you can even ask him where a plant is and he will lead you right to it. He taught us about Sanipanga (Picramnia lineata), a plant that is used to dye the skin and is a natural antiseptic, a tree with a milky sap that when ingested cures a cough (not sure of the name), and the bark of the Quinine (cinchona) that is a treatment for Malaria and is widely used around the world. Here’s a quick field guide of medicinal plants from a region near the Las Piedras (Tambopata), https://stanford.edu/group/tro/publications/Tambopata%20Medicinal%20Plant%20Plate.pdf . People who live in this area continue to utilize the natural resources around them in order to alleviate or cure ailments, which is amazing to me as someone who comes from a world where prescriptions are given for just about every health issue. We ended our hike at the river for a swim and then went up for lunch.

QUININE

HERBAL PROPERTIES AND ACTIONS

Main Actions

Other Actions

Standard Dosage

· treats malaria

· relieves pain

Bark

· kills parasites

· kills bacteria

Decoction: 1/2 to 1 cup

· reduces fever

· kills fungi

3 times daily

· regulated heartbeat

· dries secretions

Capsules: 2 g twice daily

· stimulates digestion

· calms nerves

Tincture: 1-2 ml twice daily

· kills germs

· reduces spasms

· kills insects

A highly anticipated activity was planned after lunch… the climbing tree! The tree is almost 100’ tall and is covered in a twisting Strangler Fig that made for nearly perfect footholds. One by one we attempted to ascend the tree belayed by Paul at the bottom. It was Dr. Caughron’s birthday so he had the honor of going first. As I waited for my turn my stomach was in knots and it didn’t stop until I was harnessed with all four limbs gripping the tree. It ended up being one of my favorite experiences of the trip because of the challenge. I resembled a wet noodle when I made it back down the tree, but the view from the canopy and the feeling of accomplishment was well worth the physical exertion. It was almost dusk by the time everyone had given the tree a shot. The most memorable attempt was definitely David falling several feet off the tree and hoisting his belayer in the air, we could laugh without guilt because no one was hurt.

That night we spent time expanding our knowledge about the West Amazon, and specifically the area around the Las Piedras River. Mainly concerning what has been done to conserve the rainforest and what still needs to be done. We followed up with a short, but rewarding night hike- finding a Blunt headed tree snake, a tree frog, a Collared Trogon, a wandering spider, an elusive Red Brockett deer spotted by David, and glimpsed Caiman eyes poking out of the river.

Day 6- May 21, 2017

It was a normal day in the jungle (is there such a thing?) when we left on a morning hike to collect insect, soil, water, and tree core samples. While we spent 2+ hours chasing butterflies around, 3 people from our group had been lost in the jungle since around 6am, unbeknownst to us. We had noticed their absence at breakfast but did not think much of it- the guides said they wouldn’t start to worry until they had been gone for 5 hours.

When we arrived back at the station at 11am, we were worried. Search and Rescue went into full swing from this point forward. Paul and I ran trails calling out every few minutes and waiting for a response, but nothing came back except the high-pitched song of Screaming Pihas. In spite of the ensuing panic of the day, I found myself enjoying the trail runs and looking forward to another. On each run we would be looking for their traces… the cut of a machete, footprints, downed foliage, something, but came up with nothing. Teams of students and guides were sent out until dark and then reinforcements were called in, leaving us to sit around anxiously. In my attempts to stay busy, I wrote in my journal that night, “Right now it’s 7:30pm and pitch black outside- there is no sign of them yet, but they are about to borrow a motorcycle and do some trailblazing. I have a feeling it will be a long night for all of us.” As the motorbike went out on Brazil Nut trail (the longest trail), a professor and a guide made their way down Colpa trail as a last ditch effort for the night. It was 11pm when we saw beams of headlamps shining through the foliage revealing five people, three of which we had been worrying about all day. We shared a collective sigh of relief and tried our best not to bombard them with questions. Turns out they had gone for a quick morning hike to the river and made a detour because they thought they had heard Howler monkeys relatively close and wanted to catch a close up glimpse, I can’t say I blame them. It just goes to show how easily one can lose their way in the green labyrinth of the Amazon Rainforest. A few lessons were learned that day: 1) ALWAYS take a machete with you, even if you don’t think you will need it. 2) Carry life-sustaining supplies such as water, food, and a headlamp. 3) ALWAYS tell someone where you are going and how long you plan to be gone.

Follow these rules and you're golden!