Expect Simple Meals Meal time in the rain forest can be a challenge. First, most of the food you need has to be carried. So you can’t bring too much. Second, fresh foods don’t stay fresh for long. So what you bring can’t spoil. T ird, to cook, you must build a fire. Don’t even look for a microwave oven. “I eat a lot of plain rice,” Cooke
says. Rice is boring, but it gives you energy. Explorers need energy.
Keep Your Cool Explorers need to be ready for anything. Whatever happens, an explorer must keep calm. Cooke learned this the hard way.
One day, she got lost. Suddenly, a tapir came charging out of the rain forest. Tapirs are large animals that look like pigs. T ey’re very strong and can run very fast. Cooke didn’t move. T e tapir ran
past her into the forest. Cooke says she was scared, but also excited to see this animal. Once the tapir was gone, Cooke
tried to go back the way she came. She finally found her way back.
14 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER
Remember, You’re the Guest In the rain forest, humans are the visitors. Cooke learned this on one trip. Cockroaches had moved into her hut. T e bugs were in her sleeping
bag, in her gear, and in her clothes. T ey crawled over her toothbrush, too! Cooke washed the toothbrush and put it away. Aſt er all, she was the visitor. T e toothbrush was in the cockroaches’ way.
Listen to Your Teammates Recently, Cooke was looking for a toxic frog. It has enough poison on its skin to kill 15 people. “For 25 years, I had wanted
to see this creature,” Cooke says. “When I finally did, I burst into tears.” She moved to wipe away the tears. “STOP!” her team yelled. She stopped. Her glove was coated in the frog’s poison. One touch and she could have died. An explorer’s job is not easy. T e
food is bad. T ere are bugs and poisons. Cooke doesn’t mind. She is learning about frogs so she can teach others. For her, it’s worth it.
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