BP-1 1960s to PRESENT PROLOGUE TO MY TRIP OF A LIFETIME For as long as I can remember, the natural world has been my compass. As a child growing up in the 60s, I was given a set of Golden Nature Guide books—small, colorful volumes that opened entire universes to me. Each one focused on a different realm: insects, birds, mammals, stars, weather. I devoured them cover to cover, again and again, the budding scientist in me awakening with every page. Soon it was rocks and minerals, and then the landscapes themselves—the Mojave Desert, the Florida Everglades, and eventually the far‑off places that stirred my imagination the most: the towering Andes Mountains and the vast, mysterious Amazon Rainforest. As the years passed, opportunities arose to explore pieces of these worlds, each adventure deepening my curiosity. Eventually, it became clear that it was time to turn my focus toward South America. I had already traveled with Eagle‑Eye Nature Tours and found their trips deeply rewarding...