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A cool breeze refreshed me as I climbed the steep slope. Enormous trees surrounded me, many of them virgin timber with massive trunk diameters. High overhead, the canopy blocked out much of the sunlight. Everything was so fresh and filled with life.

In the distance I could hear an odd oscillating roar echoing off of the mountain -- part growl, part bark and part roar. There was no mistaking its source: a howler monkey.

I was in a tropical, protected cloud forest in Nicaragua, the Selva Negra coffee plantation. This winter I have been volunteering in Nicaragua. Naturally, I took a side trip to the central mountains. It was one of the most interesting places I've ever visited.

Before I had gone too far, a small odd-shaped rodent shot out, hopping away from me. It was as big as a large rabbit and brown, but shaped differently without a tail. I was later to find out that this was a guatusa, or agoutis as it is known in English.

Farther up the trail I was greeted by a familiar sound. Several deer snorts brought me to an abrupt stop. The Central American deer resemble very much the deer in Pennsylvania.

Howler Monkey

In fact, they are a smaller subspecies of the whitetail.

Further along my sojourn I had my heart jump up into my throat when I heard the howler monkeys. I stopped moving and began watching the trees. Soon, I was able to spot about a halfdozen howlers hidden among the tree tops. Among the group was a baby who was hitching a ride on its mother's back.

I continued on and soon was in the midst of a covey of a tropical quail. Farther into the forest I flushed a grouse-like bird, a tinamou. Everywhere I went, there were tropical birds.

Despite the darkness, the understory was full of herbaceous growth, flowers, shrubs, and small trees. Over 300 species of birds are known to live on this one property alone.

The trees seemed to support whole communities of plants. They obtain their water from moisture in the air and nutrients from decaying material located on tree bark.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was encountering a fresh set of puma tracks. They could not have been more than two hours old.

For a half hour I tracked the large set of prints, hoping to glimpse its owner. In the end turned up empty handed. But following the same path that felix concolor had tread was quite an experience.

It was all so foreign to me - the trees, the flowers, the bird calls -- but at the same time quite familiar. After all, a forest is a forest, whether it is located in the tropical or temperate zones. And I am the type of person who will always find himself at home in any forest.