a view from the fringe of Cockpit Country out over the plains by Seth

After a week and a half of trekking and camping out of our crappy little rental car with about four inches of clearance, John, Justin and I have completed our preliminary clockwise perimeter of Cockpit Country.

the locals in Accompong show us the start of a trail

a strangler fig lifts a karst boulder off the ground

Parking at the head of every trail into the interior that we found on our 1959 map of the area–some of which are incredibly listed as secondary highways on our 2012 road map of the country–we’ve set up a routine of hiking down trails and back all day, camping for the night, and driving out the next morning.

Justin looking over the hills

a rare patch of conifers that Golden Swallows, were they in the area, would pounce on immediately

We’ve encountered some strange people heading to their farms up in the hills, but everyone has been really polite and friendly; many have worked in the States or Canada, or have family doing so. Mostly people are farming yellow yams, bananas, taro, and goats.

The plan now is to return to the eastern side of Cockpit Country to more closely examine certain areas, especially near human settlements where swallows might nest in the eaves of houses or nearby caves.