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Miles
walked in the caves
2
Temperature in Monteverde
(7:30 PM)
62 F
Hours
spent in the caves
3
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Lesson
Plans
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Daily
Dilemma
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We will spend the next few days in the largest
cloud forest in Costa Rica. Come up with two
plants, two animals, and two geologic factors
that make a cloud forest different from a
tropical rainforest. A lot of the plants and
animals that we have seen so far in the cloud
forests are different, but we are not sure
why. Please help us learn more about the cloud
forest!
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Exploring
the Venado Caves
November
13th, 10 PM Monteverde, Costa Rica
| Narrowly
beating out a trip to Fortuna Falls, last week's poll
decided that we should visit the Venado Caves. We went
to the caves, and it was awesome! I had been caving before,
but I think that the Venado Caves are the best ones I've
ever been in. What makes these caves so interesting is
the size of them. |
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Click to enlarge
"Look Mom, I am even wearing my protective
mask, which will help keep bat guano from entering
my lungs!" We saw lots of bats
as well as lots of bat guano . Luckily there was a
lot of running water, so we could wash our hands if
we put them down in the wrong place and hit a pile
of bat guano!
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Caves are usually separated
into large open spaces, called rooms, that are connected
by tight, narrow corridors. The Venado Caves are not for
the claustrophobic, or those who don't like to get really
dirty and soaking wet. Just about every corridor has an
underground river flowing through it. Sometimes the rivers
are only ankle-deep, but others came up to our chests.
The current in the rivers also differs. Some of the tighter
corridors had strong, rushing water trying to hold us
back. Since we knew that all of the rivers flow out of
the caves, if we ever got lost, we would just have to
follow the current out of the cave. |
| We had to wear helmets and protective masks
to keep us safe from the slippery rocks, and the dust
and guano that was in the air. Many of the corridors are
really small. We could barely fit through most of them,
and had to position our bodies in very strange ways. Since
caves are so dark, we also had to carry flashlights. Whenever
we would enter a room, the light reflected onto the ceiling,
disturbing dozens of roosting bats.
It created a small frenzy of the flying mammals. |
Click to enlarge
Dave enjoys a beautiful sunset, one thing you
can't do from inside a cave!
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Caves are really interesting places. Not only are they
exciting to explore, but they are reminders of all of
the geological secrets the Earth has to offer. They
are home to understudied animals, like bats
and snakes, who have adapted to the dark, damp environment.
And stalagmites and stalactites grow so slowly, that
you can't help but be blown away by the geologic timetable
you've entered into. But the greatest part of exploring
caves is never knowing what's around each bend, or where
each tunnel and corridor is going to lead. That's why
we never get tired of exploring.
Happy Trails,
Frosty
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We would like to thank Los
Lagos for their great hospitality while we were exploring
the Arenal Volcano. J.R. the crocodile farm, view of the volcano,
and Los Lagos's friendly and knowledgeable staff are wonderful.
Thank you for your help.
Notes
from the Trail Index
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