Hiking Las Quetzalis trail

Hiking the verdant forests of National Park Volcan Baru

Our adventure today was to hike the ten kilometer trail from Boquete to Cero Punta that crosses the shoulder of the Volcano Baru. The sun was shining when we left town but quickly disappeared and replaced with the light chilly rain Panamainian's call Baha Reque.

A stair master workout

Hiking in a rain forest is a wet experience but it is not usually cold, today however the wind was howling and temperature must have been hovering in the upper 50's, which was quiet cold when you are wet and dressed for more tropical temperatures.

A wall of green

Shortly after I took this picture of an amazing wall of verdant rainforest, Anne spotted what would be the highlight of the trip, seeing a rare Quetzal. This was an incredible and special sighting as these birds are rare and seeing one anywhere is just awesome. I thought for sure there was no way we would see any wildlife because of the rain but sure enough, Anne heard it singing and found it up in the tree.

A rare Quetzal

My only disappointment was the poor lighting, if the sun had been out I could have gotten a $400 calendar shot, now I will just have to keep hunting.

As always we had a good time with old friends, reliving old stories and making new ones, which is what life is all about after all. Thanks to John, Robin and Kara for sharing laughter, adventure and making life memorable.