Barro Colorado Island & the Panama Canal
Few people heard the anchor chain rattle up the haws pipe early this morning as the National Geographic Sea Lion was readied to reposition farther up Gatun Lake in the Panama Canal. As the sky was just lightening, a pilot was dropped off and shown to the bridge to help navigate the ship to Barro Colorado Island, our destination for the morning.
Barro Colorado Island (or more familiarly known as BCI) is a fascinating place because it used to be a hilltop before the Panama Canal was built and Gatun Lake was created. When the area was flooded in the early 1900’s the lower regions were submerged in water and only the highest points remained above the surface, creating several unique and distinctive islets. Since the 1940’s, BCI has been managed by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. For the last 70 years numerous professors, graduate students and volunteers have provided essential information about the ecology of the tropics from studies and observations that have been conducted on the island.
Through special arrangement by Lindblad Expeditions, guests are able to visit BCI and gain an inside understanding of how the island is managed, what species reside there, and what sort of experiments are being conducted. This morning we had the opportunity to hike along the trails that crisscross the island or take a Zodiac cruise along the perimeter. We were rewarded with sightings of howler monkeys, spider monkeys, small rodent-like agouti’s, and long nose bats. Not to mention the beautiful greenery and diversity of the island’s lush rain forest.
We needed to be back on board by noon in anticipation of another pilot who would take us through the remainder of the Panama Canal and into Caribbean waters. After lunch the pilot arrived and we emerged out on deck to watch the transit through the remainder of Gatun Lake, past the earthen dam on the Chagres River, and through the final set of Gatun Locks. By late afternoon we were at the level of the Atlantic Ocean, 86 feet lower than we had been in the morning. We celebrated our complete transit of the Panama Canal in the lounge with a slideshow of images taken during the past week and reminisced with stories of our journey.
