As you read below we spent the last week at our friend’s forest and lovely casita in Ocol. Just getting to the site is a good example of the adventure involved in accessing some of our study sites. We first leave our apartment in Chachapoyas early in the morning, traveling for two hours in one of the local vans (“combis”) to the small town of Ocol. Marleny provides a hot lunch at her house before we all set off for an hour-long backpack up to her forest. We carry camping gear and field equipment while she packs food for the next day or two. The trail winds through silvopastures and along a beautiful river that we cross when the water is low enough before ascending a steep ridge to her casita. We are now in the dry season, so crossing the river was fairly straightforward. But, in the past, we’ve had a few near misses when the current was strong and deep. Once at the casita, we set up our mist nets in the nearby forest while Marleny prepares food for our dinner and the next day’s lunch.