Southern Living

Following the excitement of Carnaval, we decided to go on another field trip in search of frogs and tadpoles. This time we decided to explore along the southern border of Cajas National Park. It takes awhile to get out to the sites of interest; not because it’s a long drive, but because it’s a slow drive. After you turn off the highway running through the suburb of San Joaquin, the road to the town of Soldados (and beyond) is nicely paved . . . for about one kilometer. Just as you go past the entrance of Cuenca’s golf and tennis club, the road turns into dirt. What a coincidence. But, it must be said, the drive is absolutely beautiful.



The road runs through the valley of the Yanuncay River, and the mountains on either side are green and gorgeous. About an hour from Cuenca, the road passes through Soldados and then climbs up to the north as it enters Cajas. Up in this region around 13,000 feet above sea level, there are several pristine lakes. Crossing the continental divide, the road then heads out of the park and descends the valley of the Angas River which runs west towards the Pacific Ocean. About two and a half hours from Cuenca, there is a lovely 350 ft waterfall right next to the road. We spent some time searching along the stream below the waterfall, but we didn’t find any frogs. Chelsea spent a good deal of time trying to figure out if we were hearing a frog or a bird calling, but the noise of the stream made that a very difficult and somewhat frustrating task.



We then spent the afternoon searching for the black harlequin toad in a different, top secret, “G-14 classified” (ask Parker for the movie I’m quoting) location. This location must remain secret because we are supposed to be getting paid for our work on this trip and others like it. If we don’t get paid, then everyone else can find out where we made our find by reading the journal that publishes Chelsea’s article. In any case, we found two tiny little juveniles that, interestingly, are more of a brown color than black. That is all I’m at liberty to say about that exciting afternoon. We returned to the waterfall and set up camp in a nice, flat spot just a little ways off the road. Our new JetBoil camp stove finally saw its first action, whipping up some Asian noodles with chili and wonderfully hot tea to help protect us from the dropping temperature. We then climbed inside our amazingly warm sleeping bags and enjoyed a reasonably comfortable night. I will note that Chelsea stole my pillow out from under my head, but she claims that I pushed her over to the cold side of the sleeping bag just before that happened.



Our camp stove was again our best friend in the morning, allowing us to enjoy warm oatmeal and more hot tea for breakfast. The sun popped over the mountains to warm us up, and we packed everything back into our car. We then set off towards the coast to look for more rivers and streams and to ask the local people if they have seen Atelopus onorei (one of the world’s most strikingly beautiful frogs). We kind of forgot that we’d be talking to some country folk, and we really couldn’t understand 90% of what a couple of them said. But a few people we talked to actually spoke Spanish words that we’ve heard before, so all was not lost. Most people told us that the “colored frogs” were farther down towards the coast, but one lady told us that you might be able to find them if you look along the streams. We had to get back to Cuenca by the end of the day, so we turned around to head back up the road.



We devoted the rest of our time in the field to searching for tadpoles of what is locally known as the “green toad.” With this project, Chelsea is trying to collect data from all over the park and its surrounding areas regarding the presence of the evil chytrid fungus. Once she processes the samples from the tadpoles, Chelsea will be able to help the park and the Amphibian Conservation Center in Mazan more accurately direct their efforts to save frogs. We think. So, we worked until the weather turned nasty on us (which invariably seems to happen in the afternoon when we’re at high elevations). We left our car under clear skies, but just a few hours later a fog had set in that was so thick we couldn’t see more than 20 meters in any direction. Ah, just another day in paramo paradise. We found the car without too much trouble, and we got back to Cuenca to find it basking in the late afternoon sunshine. At Chelsea’s insistence, we stopped to pick up some Chilean empanadas as a post-field work snack. She has had many great ideas, but few better than this one. Those things were delicious, and I assure you we’ll be returning soon.



In other news, I received the news that I have matched to an ENT program. So, I will not have to change plans and do colonoscopies or any thing like that. We’re both waiting expectantly for Thursday to find out where I will be for the next five years.