310 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1936 



time of Humboldt's crossing there were no towns, not even isolated 

 huts, the whole length of the trail between Ibague and Cartago, and 

 there was no means of subsistence, so that it was necessary to take 

 supplies for a month under the fear of complete isolation because 

 of rains and the possibility of being unable either to go ahead or 

 return. Humboldt made the journey on foot, followed by 12 oxen 

 which carried his instruments and collections. He seems to have 

 spurned being carried on the back of a native porter, or carguero^ 

 which was the customary method of travel over the Quindio at that 

 time, but he describes both the cargueros and the means of convey- 

 ance at some length. Transporting persons across the trail was the 

 regular and honored profession of several hundred men of that 

 region. One traveled by carguero here as one would travel by horse- 

 back in other places. The voyager was carried seated in a sort of 

 bamboo chair attached to the back of the porter by straps passing 

 over the latter's forehead and under his arms. These cargueros were 

 hired for a lump sum for the entire journey which might take from 

 10 to 25 days, depending upon the season and condition of the trail. 

 Humboldt does not give the exact duration of his trip, but says that 

 10 or 12 days should be sufficient for the journey. He describes the 

 route as being little more than a narrow path, made up of hazardous 

 ascents and descents, and only 16 to 20 inches wide in some places — 

 "for the most part resembling a tmmel left open to the sky." He 

 states that the journey was very fatiguing and describes the difficulty 

 of keeping his footing in the thick mud, full of deep holes made by 

 the oxen, of wading through icy streams, how his shoes were worn 

 off so that he had to go barefoot and his clothes were torn by spines of 

 the thick undergrowth, and of 3 or 4 days of such torrential rain on 

 the west side of the pass that a forced stop had to be made. Shelter 

 on the journey was obtained in hastily constructed cabins. The 

 framework was cut from the surrounding vegetation and erected on 

 the spot, but the waterproof thatch roofs, made of the leaves of a 

 bananalike plant, were a part of the regular equipment of the trip. 

 These were carried rolled up like a carpet and were spread out when- 

 ever it was necessary to roof the cabins. Humboldt says that, should 

 the roof leak, it was only necessary to add another leaf, 



Humboldt published a botanical description of G. andlcola in 

 Plantes fiquinoxiales (1808) with illustrations showing the habit of 

 the palm as well as a separate drawing of the flowering stalk emerged 

 from a single spathe and detailed delineations of the flowers. In 

 this and other publications he gives definite data as to its native 

 habitat in the Quindio region (on the eastern side of the pass). He 

 also explains its altitudinal distribution, particularly with reference 

 to the upper and lower limits of certain oaks and some of the cin- 



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