19.
The forest is dark, damp, and unrelenting in its humidity. The walking is slow and difficult, even with the guides cutting away the thick vegetation that stands in our way. Between the tall tree canopy that blocks out the sun and thick weeds and vines, you can’t see more than a few feet in front of you. The feeling is claustrophobic and, although no one will admit it, more than a little frightening.
We move ahead in silence, the packs on our backs as heavy as our not-so-altitude-adjusted breathing. As I walk, I’m reminded of my dad. As a child I’d beg him to take me along on a jobsite he might be working on. Something that required his special talent for digging unusually deep without causing a cave-in.
Once, he allowed me to join him on a special Saturday dig. He was manning the co
