This morning was our first at the Peñas Blancas field camp, a 50 meter2 tarp-covered clearing within “Dracula Youth Reserve,” the site we have been fundraising to protect through Reserva all year. Raised above a nearby stream (our water source while at camp) and 20 meters below a recovering pasture, our field camp provided the perfect combination of running water, elevated clear space for drone flying, and breathtaking views of the surrounding pristine cloud forest.
Read MoreAfter staying indoors for over six months because of the Covid-19 Pandemic, I could hardly believe my eyes when I opened them on our first morning in Carchi. Callie, Pearson, Javier, and I had each been given our own rooms in the beautiful wooden construction of Casa Dracula, a luxury that we would only have for this first night of our expedition.
Read MoreWhile 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.
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