Day 6

 Day 6:

The hike today was extraordinary, with many beautiful views, yet none of them compared to the breathtaking majesty of the waterfall itself. The water was shockingly cool and clear; we were able to see the bottom of the pools from almost every point. It was a fantastic way to start the morning, but it had nothing on the afternoon's activities. 



It was the second day of testing on our chosen experiments, and the road had never felt so long as we drove back to the lab. I always knew I was interested in a field work career, it was why I decided to embark on this research trip in the first place, but studying the ants in their natural environments only solidified this idea. Despite the monotonous nature of our experiment, watching the ants' behavior was one of the most interesting and entertaining activities I have ever participated in. All I can envision now is a future where I continue to conduct field research of a similar nature, and it starts with finishing this one on the following days. - Sydney Condron

The morning kicked off with a nice tractor ride to where we were going to be hiking. The hike itself was amazing walking along the river toward the waterfall. The waterfall by itself was breathtaking, but the fact that we got to swim right next to it took it to the next level. Afterward, we ate some delicious dried plantains and headed back so that we could eat lunch and go to the lab. It was the second day of our group experiments and I had a great time working with the ants. It is fascinating, to say the least, observing the ants and placing them in different scenarios. Our experiment is quite tedious, but it is still very fun to perform and it will definitely be worth it in the end. - Yusuf Russell



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