Parque Natural Metropolitano, Panama City



White throated Gecko

Parque Natural Metropolitano 

I did three trips to the Parque Natural Metropolitano.  The first trip was with family and just to learn how to get to and from the place and how much a taxi would cost.  We paid $4.00 for the cab there and only $2.50 for the cab back.  The driver who took us back was tired and forgot the charge us the “gringo rate” so that is how we learned what the normal rate is. 

 On the second trip I went alone and made the mistake of asking the driver how much, he wanted over $4.00 but I talked him down to $4 and still knew I had been ripped off so I did not tip him.  On the way back I hailed a cab and did not ask for the price.  When I got out of the cab at my hotel I gave the driver $3.00 and he was quite pleased.  Now I will blog my third trip to the park as it was the most recent and is still in my memory.

The park has many interpretive signs and most of them are about bryophytes.  The signs are in English and Spanish and include microscopic pictures of moss and liverwort leaf cells!

I woke up at about 6:30 am and told my travelling companion that I was going to the park.  I was too early to get the free breakfast in our hotel (Dose Mares) so I went to the 24 hour place two doors down.  I had café con leche and ensalada frutas for breakfast.  Since I ate at the bar the service was fast and good.  I noted that the coffee and the fruit salad were larger than what our hotel served.  The cost for breakfast was $2.50.  I left $3.00 on the counter for the waitress.

Next I went up to Peru Avenue and hailed a cab.  The cab took me right to the park and I gave the driver $2.50 and he was pleased with that as the normal rate for a single passenger is $2.00 for this trip.  I went into the park office and paid the $2.00 park entrance fee and $1.00 for a bottle of water and then started my walk.  I first took the loop trail that goes right back to the office.  I did not see much on this trail this time.  Last time I saw a white throated gecko on this trail. 

Next I headed up the main trail to the turtle pond and was surprised to see an alligator in the pond.   I think a park staff had been feeding it.  After taking several photos of the alligator I headed up to the lookout.  At the look out my purse fell apart so I put all my stuff in my camera bag and carried my camera loose.  The temperature was cooler than my last hike in the park and I did not feel too hot so I hung out at the lookout for about ½ hour.  Suddenly my lasagna that I ate at Isla flamenco decided it had to come out and it had to come out real fast.  So I did what I had to do.   After a bit a gato solo came out and I got a few pictures of it.  At some point I saw a toucan as well but could not get a picture. 

I headed back down the garbage truck road and stopped near the guard station to take pictures of ant hills.  The three guards were all quite friendly and we exchange a friendly Buenos as I passed by.  I then went back to the office.  My GPS said I went 4.5 miles, just like the last time I hiked there, but I’m not sure I believe it because last time I went on every trail included the trail across the street.  I skipped the trail across the street this time because there is no much there and it does not feel as secure with traffic on both sides and no guards to watch the entrance.

I milled around in the gift shop for a few minutes because it was nice and cool in there and then I headed out to the street to hail a taxi.  The first taxi to stop for me was a white tourist cab.  I knew better than to ride the tourist cabs, they are expensive.  I turned the cab down and immediately hailed a broken down old yellow cab right in front of the white cab.  The yellow cab already had a passenger in the back and the driver surprised me by speaking good English.  The driver told me he would stop at the Albrook terminal first and then take me to my hotel and I agreed.  I don’t mind the side trips. 

I talked with the driver a bit and set it up for him to give us a ride back to the airport the next day.  When I got out I paid him $2.50 and he thanked me several times.  He was a good driver and we waited 15 minutes for him to take us to the airport the next day before we decided to go with the semi official hotel taxi instead for $8.00 more.

4.5 miles with 200 feet elevation gain times two for two trips out there.

 

 

Near Gatun locks on a different trip

On the pacific beach near Panama city

Not at the park

at Omar Park in the city

 

 

Fir Lake Tetraplodon

A quick trip up to Fir Lake and back.  Found Tetraplodon mnioides in two places.  All the quad traffic here might hurt it.  Saw Pellia and Conecephalum growing in the middle of the trail.

6 miles 700 feet elevation gain.

Misadventures on Upper Lebar Creek (snow lake)

View looking up from the meadow

I‘ve been wanting to reach a lake that I can see on Google earth.  I thought the route would be up past Staircase, but then I realized the lake is just north of Mount Tebo.  So today I had a go at getting to the lake by heading up the Lebar creek drainage.  I had a good GPS route in hand but instead of following my GPS I confidently headed up the wrong branch of Lebar creek, or something like that.  But I did not realize my mistake until I got home and could see my track on my computer.

After leaving the road I headed up the hill following Lebar creek.  The undergrowth was not too bad and the going was fairly easy for an off trail route.  Before long I reached a beautiful meadow.  The meadow had lush growth and I could hear water everywhere.  There was a very strong smelling plant in the meadow that I think was in the mint family.  I crossed the meadow on a meandering route and eventually started walking up a dry creek bed.   Eventually I decided it was time to cut up the hill to the right and head into the timber.  I turned way too soon. 

Where I hoped to top the ridge

The woods were pretty but very steep.  There were many signs of a fire going through there in the past.  At one point I realized I was too far to the right so I went to the left and had to go down into and back up a small ravine and then back into the woods.  Eventually I began to hit large rocks and the terrain was getting steep.  I was still in the timber and it was hard to see where to go next.  I was only ¼ of a mile from the saddle and only had 300 feet left to gain but the route began to get too precarious for me.   I also had begun to get eerie feelings near the start of my hike.  I decided to go back home. 

  It's been a long time since I've had such an eerie feeling in the woods.  Before I left for my hike I told a friend that I was a bit scared but he was able to encourage me to keep going by telling me to frame it as a scouting mission.  I don't have a lot of experience going off trail and this entire route was off trail so I think that is what was bothering me.

Now at home I can see that I went way off course.  I might go back up there again with a better track log.  I would love to have someone to do it with me.

3 miles of bush wacking with 1,000 feet elevation gain.  I got a good all body workout.  This was probably worth hiking  6-8  miles on a good trail.

My intended route is in pink
my actual route is in purple

Ganoderma

Devils club that I had to walk through

Watering the dog not far from where I turned back

The view heading back down the dry creeek bed

Strange growth on a blueberry

Lebar Creek

Beautiful Patches