Colombia/Panama Day 18: Boquete- El Sendero Tres Cascadas

Today I hiked Three Waterfalls (o tres cascadas en español). It cost me 12$ to get here by taxi, which I think was a bit pricey, but on the way back a retired couple from the states picked me up so it all evened out in the end.    

La primera cascada.  

La segunda.

La tercera, and the muddiest one to get to.  It wasn't difficult but the trail is so steep at certain times that there are ropes to hold on to, and when the ground is completely saturated with water it is hard to stay upright.  I didn't fall one time!  

(I am not counting the times I went down but caught myself before my clothes had contact with the mud.)

The hotel owner before I left said 'awe, your shoes are so nice and clean!'  I don't think they got that bad but I did wish I had hiking boots (although it wouldn't have been worth it for me to bring them just for this small portion on the trip).  

This is my new favorite flower.  It looks like it is made of wax.  It comes out of the round flower bud next to it; there were very few that had blossomed on the entire trail.  

I had lunch (second breakfast?) here by the river, and was so happy that I did not have to share it with any hikers as there were so few on the trail. The tour groups don't come until later in the morning, and the trail is not fun to walk on after everyone has sloshed through it because it makes it so much more muddy and difficult to hike.  

This mushroom was so red that it actually reflected its color onto the tree it is absorbing its nutrients from.   

Hiking in a rain forest is so amazing, but it is not the best exercise if you want to see anything.  Life here is inconspicuous so I often stop completely to observe everything I can, like this breathtaking, but tiny red mushroom.

These clear winged butterflies were all over the trail.  I think I like clear wings more than colored ones, maybe just because it is so different.