A Light in the Dark: A Tale of Survival in the Panamanian Jungle

Lisanne cut into the runny yolk of her egg and stared at the orange spill onto the plate, imagining what it would feel like to have slept in her own bed last night. Her thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps. She looks up at Kris who is still drying her hair with a gray t-shirt as she walks past the table. Kris shoves the shirt into her suitcase and continues to serve herself fried eggs and sliced plantains that their host family provided for them.

The morning was quiet as Kris sat down to join Lisanne, anticipation permeated the room, making the silence go unnoticed. Kris sat down across from Lisa, thoughtlessly staring at the early sun, leaving her plate empty before breaking the silence to ask Lisanne, “Do you think today is the best day for this? We could still find a guide and get out there before the week is over.”

 Lisanne shrugged, “I get where your head’s at but I promise once we get out there walking, we’ll feel better about it. Plus if we gotta turn around, we’ll turn around. Who cares?”

Kris only nodded, still too absorbed in what might happen to deliver a response. At this, Lisanne sighed and stood up. “I’m gonna go make sure I have everything, be ready in thirty, kay?”

Still adjusting their bag straps, the pair headed to the El Pianista Trail, following the directions their host family gave them the day prior. They began their walk and soon enough had already penetrated the thick brush on the path that was typically cut back in Boquete, signaling that civilization was now yards behind them. A few minutes pass by before Kris glances back to see the town before it disappears into the rest of the trees and brush. She whips her head back around at the sight of an old, black mutt. Blue is the dog of the host family, who mentioned that he likes to follow guests into town and into their hikes frequently. Blue was coming around from behind the two women heading for the fork in the path ahead and going on the right path. “Oh my God! Lisanne, look! It’s Blue, the dog from the house!”

Lisanne kneels down to greet Blue and pet his head, “Did you wanna join us, Buddy?” As she stands, she responds to Kris, “Yeah, the host family did mention he follows the guests on their trails a lot. They say he knows the trails better than most of the tour guides. Some of the local people here believe he is heaven sent.” Kris takes her turn petting Blue and in a baby-voice says to the dog, “You certainly act like an angel. You are such a good boy!” Blue seemed rather uninterested in the attention he was getting, it seemed he was there with purpose which he was not to be distracted from. The women continued, paying little mind to Blue who had surpassed the pair’s walking speed, disappearing into the trail ahead.

          Lisanne and Kris paused at a ledge along the way to capture what they were experiencing. Lisa held her two thumbs up and smiled while Kris took a picture of her with the expansive forest in the horizon. “Get one of me now,” Kris said while passing her the camera. Kris shot both her arms in the air and delivered an open mouth smile, with a seeming shift in her demeanor from breakfast. The picture of Kris made obvious the elevation they had already conquered so far.

A while later, the sun had moved far lower than it was when they set off and the only evidence that Boquete was still behind them was the view of the mountains in the far horizon which once looked much larger. The dog was a thought of the past, and the path now seemed to have been overtaken by foliage, indiscernible from the rest of the ground. In some places, the path looked like a deep valley dug down four feet from the ground, making high dirt walls around them.

“Okay, the sun isn’t getting higher and I’m not even sure we’re on route still. Can we please just reevaluate real quick,” Kris dumped out as if she had been holding back from this thought for a long time.

“Okay yeah, I know, I know, I know! I don’t think we have time to turn around before dark. I don’t know what to do. I’m sorry, I’m trying to think here,” Lisanne responded.

“Well, it’s not like going forward has gotten us anywhere. Do you even know where we are right now? We aren’t reaching anything. We’re only getting more turned around.”

Lisanne snaps, “Well turning around sets us back at least six hours and I’m sorry if you want to trek the way we came in the pitch black, but I’m not doing that. And I know you’re not turning around without me so please,” she sighed, “Just please work with me here.”

Kris was strangely comforted to see Lisanne at a loss, she felt reassured that they were in this together, as she had been feeling this panic on her own for the past two hours. “Okay. I’ll trust you,” Kris seemed satisfied, as if they were already walking right back through the entrance they came. Her composure was startling to Lisanne who said, “Um. Alright then, do you remember Panama’s emergency line?”

“Try 911,” said Kris.

The line did not ring, with the distance they had walked into the thick wilderness, there was no hope for signaling authorities. Kris groaned and sat down to look at a map as Lisanne held her arm into the sky to catch any signal that was possibly able to reach them through the sea of trees.

The sound of Lisanne redialing the number was eventually accompanied by the chirps of crickets around. The sky turned deep shades of orange that went unphotographed and then dimmed to heavy darkness. The tall trees formed a roof above the women, casting long shadows down onto the jungle floor, which grew into complete abyss.

“Do we stay here? I don’t thi-” Lisanne spoke up first.

 “Not without contacting somebody first! If we don’t show back up at that house, people will worry,” Kris interjected.

“We need them to worry, Kris. We are lost. If we don’t show up, maybe someone will be able to track us down by the afternoon tomorrow,” Lisanne continued. “I refuse to sit here and wait for some predator or God knows what to find me before the police do. We can’t stay here,” she reasoned. In an effort to appease Kris, who Lisanne felt responsible for, as she was the one who spearheaded this expedition, she gave in. Lisanne kneeled down in front of her and wrapped her arms around her, “We will walk out of this jungle, I promise that to you.”

With Lisanne at the lead with her map, Kris followed less than a yard behind her, using their digital camera to emit light onto the path. The noises of the jungle’s nightlife swelled, as the occasional bird call could be heard from above. The beam of the flashlight was their lifeline, casting a flickering, narrow light on the world around them, creating clarity for only a moment at a time. Lisanne, who now bore the responsibility of herself and her friend, felt the pit inside her stomach grow like a black hole. They were truly lost. With every step on their sore legs and every breath from their exhausted lungs, the pair became more hopeless of finding their way to the town of Boquete. In the distance, Lisanne believed she could see a dim light, which she followed in search of civilization.

As they walked, Kris continued to take pictures only every few feet, making them move very slowly and cautious in order to navigate the difficult terrain. Lisanne stepped carefully over the root of a tree, when Kris snapped a photo of the view ahead of them. In the brief instant where the path was illuminated, a silhouette of a quadrupedal animal was visible through a sparse bush. The bush was visible without the camera, as it emitted a cold glow from behind it. With a sharp inhale, Lisanne planted her foot behind her and reached for Kris’s hand. With no plan of action for what to do if an animal attacked, both Lisanne and Kris froze, letting only the sound of Lisanne’s gasp hang in the air. Kris screamed internally, wishing for a way to communicate with Lisanne, the two had no way of coordinating an escape or an attack. After what felt like an eternity, but what was probably ten seconds, Kris raised the camera. With tremors in her hands, Kris took a photo.

With the light cast from the camera, Lisanne was able to make out that behind the bush was a black animal on four legs. With no words exchanged, Lisanne backed up moving Kris with her. The figure emerged from behind the bush. Beyond any explanation, it seemed to emit light of its own, making itself visible without the artificial light of the flash. “It’s a dog,” Lisanne spoke forgetting how silent they were trying to be just moments before.

“It looks like that dog from earlier… Is that Blue?” asked Kris still whispering.

Before they knew it, the entire area surrounding them seemed to be lit up by a warm lantern. “How is this possible?” Lisanne asked with concern in her voice, afraid this was some sort of mirage. Despite their better judgement, both Kris and Lisanne couldn’t help but trust that this was their way out. Overwhelmed with relief, tears welled up in Kris’s eyes as she stepped to Blue to reach for him. Before she could pet him, he set off in a direction they had not previously been in. The pair followed him. Filled with wonder, they treaded behind Blue. Kris does not care if this was only a dream, this is the first sliver of hope she had had in over half a day and she will peace in any form it is given to her.

Walking for as long as they possibly can without collapsing, the women, led by Blue, make it to an easily identifiable trail and they feel the light at the end of the tunnel coming into view. Blue seems to follow no map, this direction towards home feels almost as if he is the embodiment of a compass.

Before Lisanne and Kris can even realize, they have passed the entry to their original path and are back at their view of Boquete. Kris falls to the ground; the pair were washed in relief and felt the hours of exhaustion hit them all at once. “I want to thank him, but I still am not really sure what to make of this,” Lisanne bent down to pet Blue. “I think he knows we’re grateful,” Kris said closing her eyes and leaning her head back on a wooden fencepost. “Well we should at least finish the job and head back to the house,” Lisanne said, “Wanna show us the way Blue?” Kris let out a giggle for the first time since that afternoon. Lisanne joins her and for a moment remembers to appreciate where they are standing. They are safe and they are together. When Lisanne looks back up, Blue is no longer there sitting with them.

“Where the hell did he just go?” Kris asks Lisanne. Lisanne watches as the spot where Blue stood is now filled with a light fading like a vintage television, with a faint blue light lingering. “He faded into light. Just how we found him,” said Lisanne. She continued, “I think our host family was right about Blue, he came to the trail, knowing we were here. He wanted us to find him.” Kris replies, “Well, I’m glad he did. I don’t know how he knew where to go or how he shines the way he does, but I am glad he does.”

 With each step toward the town, Kris and Lisanne feel the burden of fear and uncertainty give way to relief and gratitude. They understand that their journey had been guided by something beyond their understanding, a guardian sent to guide them. The women leave the jungle forever altered, believing that in times of great darkness, a guiding light can emerge from the shadows to make things clear once again.