Don't Look Down

Today we went to Kakum National Park about 33 miles north of Cape Coast.  They have the only canopy walk in Africa according to our guide book.  I think the guidebook is old.  We considered our options when we got to the Park headquarters - Nature walk for 4 hours or canopy walk for 1 hour.  It was about 11 AM, the average humidity there is 90%, and the temperature was in the high 80's or low 90's.  Hmmm.  Let me think.  We took the canopy walk.  We also had to consider the kindness of the dean who had lent us his (air conditioned) truck and driver for the trip.  So the shorter session  seemed better all around.  

Except for height thing.

Walking on a rope bridge slung between the tops of the rainforest trees was a little intimidating.  After walking on seven of them, you get to feel like an old hand.  There's always that first wobble when you step off the platform, and the wobble just before you get back up to the next platform ....I learned to step down slowly and not to panic in the middle when the whole thing swayed.  The trick, the guide told us, was to put one foot in front of the other.  He said, "if you don't like heights, don't look down. "  Jared, a young man from Louisiana visiting Ghana for the first time was with us.  He is an outdoorsman and mountaineer.  He made everything look easy, but he was gracious enough not to make us feel like old fogies.  

Being in the tree tops was amazing.  On one huge tree there was an I-95 of ants.  They were very orderly, staying to the right on the way up and on the way down.  It was a long trip for the ants as the trees can get to be 60 or 70 meters tall.  They live in the branches and go to the forest floor to get food and water.  

All in all I'm glad I went.  The views were breathtaking. I felt brave for having done it and I learned something about this lovely country we are visiting.  Watching Craig as he moved along the walkways just looking around was good to see.  We got lots of pictures.  It's time for Compline now.  We've been away for a week, but it seems like a long time...