Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Written by Pearson McGovern

While our first day got off to an early start (5 am departure from Quito), it took until the early afternoon before it fully settled in that I was actually in a foreign country again. After all, trips to the grocery store had become rare in 2020, let alone expeditions to far off lands. Our day started off with Eduardo (Casa Foch’s incredible caretaker) spoiling us with a delicious breakfast of locally-sourced eggs and guava juice, something we especially appreciated given Eduardo had greeted us into the currently dormant hotel a mere four hours earlier. After slightly disappointing Callie with my lack of familiarity with “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” at breakfast, Natalia, Javier, a very forgiving Callie, and I packed up Javier’s 1984 Mitsubishi Montero and started our drive. Javier’s immediate toast “A la diversión (On to the fun)” solidified what we all already knew was to come...an unforgettable experience in one of the world’s most threatened and biodiverse ecosystems. 

Our first stop, after some sensational views of the Antisana and Cayambe volcanoes on the outskirts of Quito, coupled with some impromptu lessons from our always (yes, even at 5 am) enthusiastic guide Javier, was the Super Surtido grocery store—our final opportunity to ensure all remaining space in our packs was filled with chocolate. We also took this pause in the drive to unpack Javier’s new drone which was quickly and officially named “Bebecito.” What was not as quick was that drone set-up process, though quite coincidentally we were aptly serenaded by Britney Spears singing “give me a sign” blaring through the grocery store speakers as the process eventually ended in success. However, it wasn’t until we passed some extreme views of the inter-Andean dry forest and a gorgeous crossing of the Mira river that we sent Bebecito to the air for the first time. Javier’s inaugural flight with this important new piece of equipment could best be described as full of nerves and excitement, and, more importantly, a success! 

The location of this inaugural flight was no coincidence. Rather, it was a replication of the final drone flight from last year's expedition. In replicating that flight, we were unfortunately continuing the documentation of the slash and burn practices that are devastating the Chocó. In fact, we all agreed that the features of the photographed mountain suggested a place saddened by humanity's practices and lack of care. Its scenes like this one which clearly show how true it is that everything in nature is interconnected, where one, in this case negative, action (deforestation) ignites a cascade of synergistic reactions (erosion, changing climate, biodiversity loss, etc.).

The next phase of our drive was unfortunately marked by a continuous cycle of smoking patches of burned forest until we finally arrived at the Southern border of Dracula Reserve. While the patches of pastures were still evident along the outskirts of the Reserve and small naranjilla plantations became more prevalent, one couldn’t help but focus on the amazing treasure that the extant forest represented. A further jolt of hope came from the plots in which clear re-growth of the once razed forest was evident. 

Arriving at Casa Dracula, a special home and adventurer destination owned by Don Hector Yela (casadracula.org) and our sleeping quarters for the night, the whole team was incredibly excited for what was to come over the coming days but also honored to be a part of an effort to protect and restore such a unique environmental treasure. 

Immediately upon our arrival at Casa Dracula, our team doubled as we got to meet EcoMinga’s four Dracula Reserve park guards: Daniel Valencia (a fellow Youth Council member), Geovany, Milton (the newest member of the EcoMingo team), and Don Hector. Though we wouldn’t be accompanying the park guards to our campsite that night, it was great to finally put faces to the names we had been hearing for so long. After their departure for the Peñas Blancas campsite where we would be staying for the next week, Natalia and I decided to go explore our surroundings while Callie organized her herd of cameras. A quick hike to the banks of the nearest creek resulted in our first herp (amphibian or reptile) of the trip, the Marbled Poison Frog (Epipedobates boulengeri). 

Our long and eye-opening first day ended with a little more drone flying (which confused and then enthralled some locals), a well-earned meal in the closest town of El Chical, and a quick night hike to test out Callie’s new mirrorless camera, the Canon R5, resulting in two more herp species for the trip (Basiliscus galeritus and Leptodactylus melanonotus). Javier’s quote of “on to the fun” was already coming true, and we couldn’t wait for our first full day in the clouds!