18-Feb-2004 -- As a graduate student, I did some research in the Panama Canal watershed. This past winter Sarah and I decided to go on vacation in Panama and visit with some of my colleagues and see some of my old study sites.
It turns out that there is a confluence less than 20 miles from my old study sites, so I decided to attempt visiting it. One of my former Panamanian collaborators, Juan Morales, was able to obtain a vehicle for the visit.
The first challenge was crossing Rio Trinidad. This turned out to be pretty easy (picture 9). After that, we crossed a series of smaller streams, one of which slowed us down for a while (picture 8). By the time we got out we had enlisted the help of two men on horseback and a flatbed truck!
We finally got out and my determined collegue insisted that we continue DRIVING to the confluence. We got quite close, actually.
The confluence is within a huge assemblage of cattle pastures, all owned by the same man. Most of the pastures were empty and we could not find his house.
The confluence itself was right near a fenceline (picture 3). It was almost close enough to be within view of Lake Gatun, the lake that provides most of the route for the Panama Canal.
On the way back we joined another party and gave our vehicle a bath in the Trinidad River.