Stepping out after an early breakfast, we boarded the bus that would bring us to the Monteverde Cloud Forest, a trip to demonstrate to us the importance of preservation. Before my trip to Costa Rica, I had no idea how the Cloud Forest would appear. The idea of a forest thriving in the clouds, an area where the land meets the heavens, was foreign to me. I had not even considered the biodiversity that would exist in this environment. The bus ride was bumpy, but uneventful and as we ascended to the elevation of 1,800 meters, the clouds and plant life began to enshroud us.
Monteverde is a human story as it is both threatened and saved by us. The conservation of Monteverde began in the early 1950s when Quakers, avoiding the Korean War, moved from Alabama to the Tilarán mountain range to begin a life of peace as dairy farmers. Unfortunately, that meant cutting down trees and introducing the first chainsaw to the area. Twenty years later in the 1970’s, the land, now threatened by local farmers and even the Quakers, was turned into a nature preserve with the help of numerous people including Wildford Guidon, a Quaker, and scientist George Powell.
This “Eternal Forest”, as described by the Quakers, has grown to the current day size of 10,500 hectares.
When the bus finally reached the gravel parking lot of Monteverde, we disembarked and had a chance to wander around the gift shop. After a few minutes, we were handed our tickets and met our guide, Manuel. His story is both unique and critical to the story of Monteverde as the Cloud Forest is defined by the people who live here and how they treat the land. Manuel was a carpenter who lived in San Luis. In 1999, he moved to Canada for three years, then back to Costa Rica in 2002 only to once again return to Canada three years later. He met his wife in Costa Rica. She had been a teacher for 20 years and they both loved to dance. During his time in Canada, he mastered English. In 2009, moving back to Costa Rica, he began work as a guide for the Monteverde forest preserve. His favorite part of the job is the people.
After showing our tickets and passing through the gate, we were immediately treated to a nest of green and violet hummingbirds. This is where the human story was first displayed as our guide, even in his sixth year of working here, was fervently adjusting his camera and excitedly showing us the birds.
Leaving after a few minutes, he went on tell us about the hundreds of species in Monteverde and the science of how this place exists. Mountain ranges, he explained to us, block the wind and hot air and push it over them. The hot air condenses into clouds which appear in the Cloud Forest.
Walking slowly, we continued through the trail, carefully watching the trees for birds and other animals. The trail was muddy from the rain, a small example of how plants are important in keeping water in the forest. Our guide showed us plants that were on the trail such as the tomato or fern. Birds liked to eat the tomatoes to clean out their digestive tract while the fern used the Cloud Forest breezes to carry their spores as a means to reproduce. We soon passed the first FRC group and continued on through the trail. Moving a bit faster now, we were still able to find millipedes and spider webs scattered through the trail.
Soon, we got to the red bridge which took us over the canopy of the forest below. The sight here was so gorgeous that I felt as though it would be impossible to take a bad picture here.
We stayed on the bridge for several minutes, disregarding the 10 person capacity. After the bridge, we had a choice, go see the continental divide or see more wildlife. As it would later turn out, the choice was irrelevant as we would get to see both. We quickened our pace and set out on the hike up to the continental divide.
The journey to the continental divide gave us a chance to listen to the sounds of the forest. The voice of the Cloud Forest is, like the biodiversity in it, distinct and unique. While the Forest has many noises, the lack of certain sounds — jets, cars, and cellphones — had the beneficial effect of adding to the surreal atmosphere of the forest.
Soon, we arrived at the continental divide, where we again had opportunities to take stunning pictures of clouds obscuring the mountainside and occasionally allowing us a peek deeper into the landscape. The forces that shape the Monteverde cloud forest were immediately apparent as the side where water runs to the Caribbean was extremely windy while the side where water runs to the Pacific was calm.
Soon we headed back to the parking lot, a bit late on time. Hiking through the mud and millipedes, we carefully scanned the treetops for birds and mammals.
Finally arriving back in the main area, we had a chance to see the hummingbird gallery. We ate our lunch in the coffee shop and had one last chance to talk to Manuel.
The forest is constantly evolving to meet its ecological demands. For example, hummingbirds with long beaks are able to get nectar easily out of a flower, but hummingbirds with short beaks have to pierce the base of the flower, destroying it. In response, the flower has grown to have a tough base. The forest has changed forever, but yet it remains unique. Manuel is also changing as he will be leaving Costa Rica in a few years, to move to Canada so his children can go to high school there. He has had a positive impact on the forest, but just like the forest, he too must evolve. Even though he is leaving, Manuel and everyone else in the world still has an effect on the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Global warming is changing the weather and driving species, such as the Golden Toad, to extinction. The human story of Monteverde began with the Quakers, but it will continue with us.
6. Prevent harm as the best method of environmental protection and, when knowledge is limited, apply a precautionary approach.
