| February 27th 2001 (daily pics index) |
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020701:
Dawn comes early, some up &
ready to skiff to remote islet for pre b'fast session... I resort to the hammock
following eggs, bacon and coffee... to read/write & relax to the sound of pounding
surf on the cobble beach below...
This day will see shorter surf sessions at the wedge/ el torro and later sandbars...
wwe all elect togo (except the Davis bros) to town this afternoon - evening for Carnival...
hammock view of Emily's breaking below the palapa...
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dry waterfall canyon mouth...
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022701: (continued)
I take a walk to the nearby
waterfall... 8am: took a walk ESE toward the point & toward waterfall canyon
...
boulder beach is smoothed angular basalt blocks w/ numerous 3-6' columnar sections
all smooth to the touch, steel grey & glossy in receeding tide...
pebble berms cap the boulder flanks
& small rounded coral frags are scattered among the pebbles & rip rap at
storm tide height... few sprouting coconuts at highest tide level and among the mangroves
and palms, vines & underbrush that mark the edge of the canopy...
~400 m out along the beach the shoreline begins to wrap more southerly... a small
dry stream gully marks the effluent of the waterfall stream...
Closed canopy, climbing vines, palm @ coast... broadleaf bushes & what looks
like rubber trees... stream floor is boulder -cobble filled, rough and tumbling...
filled w/ fallen leaves...
Canyon winds a few turns then ends in a very nice ~5m high basalt column cliff...
water now only trickling into the small pool at base...
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Counts of flora & fauna seen on the
trip:
starfish, coral,
sand dollar,
hermit crabs,
beach crabs,
snails,
parrot fish,
shark
tuna,
corbina,
grouper,
manta ray,
perch,
flying fish |
monkeys,
raptors,
frigates,
pelicans,
herons,
parrots,
egrets
pigs,
dogs,
horses,
cattle,
iguanas, |
bouganvilla,
mangroves,
bananas,
coconut palms
rubber trees,
vines, |
mosquitos,
chiggers,
wasps,
scorpions,
bees,
skipper/moths,
morpho (butterfly |
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trickling waterfall enters a small pool...
cliff is smoothed columnar basalts... very nice and cool here...
surf at the point looks great potential....
shallow and gnarly though...
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view N at clearing above the falls.. the cove/beach in view and coasta l mountains...
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.....smooth columnar blocks stand out in
face of waterfall cliff... small pool at base... water only rickling now as this
is the dry season... canyon flanks are closed canopy vines & short trees.. leaf-strewn
slopes... lots of small reptiles and even hermit crabs scurring under leaves and
boulders... sound of surf all but silent... birds chirp, a dove coos softly, insects
buzz (few)... silent otherwise except for the soft sound of leafdrop...
waterfall face is columnar basalt locks, very smooth...
...I climbed SE flank above the falls
to find a small clearing (slash/burn) looks to have been cleared for firewood? no
planting... native trees/grass regrowth 1-2yrs old... at upper reaches of the clearing
almost at the crest of the knoll w/ a view of the island cove/beach, mountains, forests
inland....
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...Afternoon... relaxing under palapa...
hammocks serve well... all resting up for a night on the town...
 
under the palapas....
Carnival in Tole & nearby villae... Crew surfed @ Silva Islnad (Nestles and P-Land
are gnarly we hear), others surf El Torro and the Sandbar... windy in midday, swell
still not bigger than 3-4'...
  
el torro: Ian, John & Loren sampling....
 
the point & nestles: hollow and gnarly indeed!
Sandbars: very nice!
lunch and then dinner come in order...
one of our gracious cooks...
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evening falls....
17 of us (all US + some Brazilians, Argentines and Spaniards) leave in 2 skiffs excited,
sunsets as we weave into the mangroves, al waterglassy smooth... at the haul-out
everyone piles into a very small van, 17 in at most an 8 passenger vehicle (cramed
all)...
 
map of Chiriqui regions..... all packed into a very small bus...
1 hr ride in 1stt gear all the way up gravel & pot-holed road...
the SA crew parties....
(Panamanians more comfortable w/ a wheel in the dirt always it seems)... arriving
at small town, the local basketball court/dancefloor is the seting for very formalbut
loose (?) panamanian dance night...
danicing withlocal girls...
open bars & street venders selling (mystery) meat on a stick...
mystery meat on a stick... tasty!
local beer & claro (rum)... evening winds up w/ all dancing & drinking &
talking... @ 10pm we all pack off to Tole town where the scene is at once more formal
(danc contests, live music, callers, venders, a small dice table) and community wide...
all good fun, we continue drinking & dancing... till 2:4am
Daniel leads in dancing w/ local girls...
Brazilians, Argentines and Spaniards leave @ midnight to rest in the van... then
leave to the haul-out... but calling ahead Jeffie (local driver) finds no one there...
so he waits @ guard station ~2 miles from tha haul-out...
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Ricardo (Brazilian) returned to camp @ noon with a deep cut.. to be cleaned &
stitched here... likely no more surf for Ricardo (this would prove untrue.. he sured
after a day's rest)...
 
Ricardo gets his injury worked up... deep cut cleaned and bound. The camp pharmaceuticals
and emergency supplies in full order.
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...We catrch up w/ the van full of
Brazilians (and others) @ 3:45am and proceed to the haul-out... @ 5am we are still
in the mangroves, paddling... very low tide... Emilio nervous about losing propeller
on rocks... all an adventure for sure... moonless night... zillions of stars light
enough to navigate by!
navigating the meandering mangrove channels in the dark...
So we plow the glassy sea, phosphorescent wakes... all quiet & very tired...
The skiff sluggish making way around the island... no lights anywhere... we are slow
going to the camp haulout beach... finally to bed by 6am.. those that did not go
to carnival just waking to catch the dawn session @ Selva.. Davis bros & Max
& Daniel & ronnie go to Nestles and P-Land... we hear it is a "sketchy"
break... big rx, steep... by 11am all up again in camp... few paddle out to Emily's
right in front of camp... nice lefts... peeling... JCD gets a nice left (video'd
him)... by noon, most are back under palapa, relaxing...
JCDavis on a nice peeling left right in front of camp @ Emily's.
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Day ZERO: 022301
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