El Camino Real Trek

I have been given an amazing opportunity not only as a biologist but also as a Providence Pioneer

I have been invited to hike the Camino Real in Panama. Like the original Providence Pioneers, I will travel the isthmus of Panama

I will fly to Panama City and from there hike the Camino Real 50 miles through the jungle to reach the city of Portobelo on the Caribbean.

I will be hiking with two geographers and botanists from Cal State Northridge who will be doing research on the affect 100 years of the Panama Canal has had on the ecosystem. As a zoology teacher I will be accompanying them making observations on the Animal diversity and abundance.

After we reach the Caribbean side of Panama we will be taking the Panama Transcontinental Railroad back to Panama City.

I will be traveling on the same train and same path as Mother Joseph and the Sisters of Providence in 1856.

As a Providence Pioneer I will get to experience the same journey the original Providence Pioneers undertook.

I will get to experience the journey on foot that Mother Joseph would have had to take if it were not for the completion of the railroad. On the way back I will get to take the same train ride as Mother Joseph on her way to the Pacific Ocean.

After my trip I will be able to share with the students a first hand account of what it must have been like for the sisters of Providence to travel through Panama

I will also be using the trip to form numerous lesson plans for my biology and zoology classes

El Camino Real Trek Itinerary

Here is my packing list for jungle backpacking Jungle Gear