Liken the Lichens

The break from technology and internet gave us all an opportunity to appreciate the simpler things in life. For a lot of us we found an appreciation for, literally, the simplest things. Moss and lichens cover everything in Cuericí.  Every tree, fencepost, and rock is hairy, furry and svelte. On our hikes in the paramo and through the primary oak and bamboo forests, many of us took note of the forest-carpets and tree-shirts and developed our independent projects exploring these communities.  Leith, my project partner and I found 27 different species on just 20 trees!  Jen, another lichen liker found just as many on fence posts around the trout farm.

Four days just wasn’t enough at Cuericí.  From the trucha a la plancha to the hand-built home—everything was made with love.  Like the clouds rolling over the mountain, happiness permeates the atmosphere here.  Many of us are plotting our return.