Up in the Air up the River

sunrise on the Amazon

I worked for somewhere around five hours on a post about our time in the Amazonian rainforest. I had fifteen or so photos in there, words and more words all to describe the highlights of our several days there. All I had left to add was the high point of our time there, the canopy walkway. The post would not preview. Despite my having used the Save button several times, exiting and re-loading the post to try to get it to preview erased all my work. I just don't have it in me to re-do all that, but here are some photos and a few words about the canopy walkway adventure I was going to write about after the preview. This was the absolute highlight of our time in the rainforest.

The first thing you should know about that adventure is that I have some fear of heights. I have frozen several times when on a bridge or a ledge even if it's not terribly far off the ground. I was thus somewhat worried about whether I would be able to handle the walkway. I'll get it out of the way now and say that I was able to. The first few sections had me pretty shaky, but I kept telling myself that there was no going back. I also had trouble at first looking down while on the walkway itself; I could only look down from one of the platforms between sections. By the end, though, I felt quite comfortable and was sort of wishing we could go back and do it all a second time.

The walkway is constructed of ladders on which the wooden walkway segments sit. 

I asked Paul how many ladders were used, and he said that might be worth learning in case someone else ever asked that question. Before we started, he demonstrated how stumbling or falling against the side of the walkway would not take it all down. Still, some segments looked a bit more intimidating that others.

I think the husband took the photo below because I don't recall being comfortable enough to stop and use the camera while on the walkway itself. As I recall, I only shot from the platforms.

It did occur to me that I should prove that I was up there; hence, this shot.

And just what does it look like from above? Pretty darn neat!

 

You'll have to take my word for it, but there are monkeys in the above photo.

 

And here's the intrepid canopy walkway crew. Our fourth was feeling under the weather after taking her anti-malarial pill that morning. It wasn't the same without her.

Apologies for not sharing a bit about the gateway to our Amazon, Iquitos; our visit to Indiana; how proficient I am with a blowgun despite never having had a lesson; birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians; termite nests; and the coolest tree ever. Wait, I'll use that as an endpoint.