Day 4: Up in the Sky

The rain wasn't heavy, but it was annoying for sure. When we took off on our first real line, we couldn't see anyone go farther than halfway to the end of the line. Can you spot Pierce in the second photo below?

While we are able to see a bit more by the time the end of our group traversed the first line, things did not clear up after we all finished it. Making the climb up to line two proved quite difficult. The wind picked up, the rain came down, and seemed to get colder. We needed to hang on to the rails while we waited for our turns. It was a little too challenging for photography. Two of the lines required a tandem run. Below, Clay and Pierce are about to travel together.

By the time we reached the seventh and final line - a nearly half-mile long voyage across the forest -  the weather had improved and we'd moved to a somewhat lower elevation. The clearer sky provided some astounding views, but the wind on the bridge made it move a little more than would be desired. After the last line we have the choice of a free fall (a mini bungee jump) or stairs. All the boys boldly made the jump. Frank landed with a smile on his face.

We made it! It was not an easy run through the course, but we were proud of how well the boys did.

We then went back to school and ate lunch. The boys had a chance to play some soccer and basketball with the students, although it was mostly basketball today. Still, there was spirited action.

We also visited a strangler fig tree on campus. This is a tree that "strangles" a host and ends up growing around it. The host tree eventually dies, and in the case of this one, it leaves space to climb inside. You can see Frank popping his head out of the middle. 

Then it was time for work. We continued our painting, and the weather conditions couldn't have been more different from the morning. It was hot and sunny, but it was still windy. We were treated to some amazing views, and we managed to get a lot more work done. 

Once we were done, we cleaned up and had a snack which came from a fundraiser done by the 4th graders. They made banana bread and cookies, and we all endulged. 

And that concluded our day. We were dropped off at homestays after. A few other notable photos from the day are shown below. We start tomorrow with a waterfall hike, and we'll head back to work in the afternoon. We will have a different project, though. Stay tuned for details!