It's been an awesome week with lots to report, although it was our last week in Costa Rica for a few months! Tomorrow we are leaving by bus for Nicaragua, where we'll be working with kids in a school program. We're very excited about this next stage of our journey.
This was our last week on Frank's coffee farm, and we did everything from processing coffee to pulling weeds. Nina also cleaned and carefully organized Frank's tool shed/coffee processing area. Frank has many redeeming qualities, but organization is not among them. Nina, who is meticulously organized, became determined to help him out. By the end of the day on Saturday she had his place sparkling clean and seemed to have set up a really nice organizational system that he will almost certainly squander. It's his loss, I suppose. Also, we were finally able to roast coffee with him last Tuesday, which means that we have now done every step in the process, from picking to drinking!
However, the main highlight of this week was our hike up Cerro Chirripo, the highest mountain in Costa Rica and the second highest in Central America. I (Paul) have done a lot of hiking in the eastern United States, and the climb up Chirripo is as strenuous as anything that the Appalachians have to offer. At 12,533 feet, it is way taller than anything in the USA east of the Mississippi, and it's strait up. We started in a little town called San Gerardo, which is under 5,000 feet elevation. From there to the summit is 13 miles of continuous climbing in which you gain nearly 8,000 feet. The hikers in the crowd should appreciate these numbers (the highest mountain on the Appalachian Trail is a mere 6,643 feet by comparison).
It took us two days to conquer Chirripo. Thursday we left at around 5:30 AM from San Gerardo and started climbing. We were mentally prepared for the ascent, but not for the mud, and the combination of a steep climbing and slick trail would have made for good entries on "Costa Rica's Funniest Home Videos." After the first mile or so, the mud let up, but the climb seemed almost endless. We reached the Chirripo lodge after 10 miles and 6,000 feet of elevation gain, with plans to reach the summit early the next morning.
Friday morning we woke up at 3:00 AM, something I hope that I never have to do again. The idea was that we would try to make it to the summit (3 more miles of trail and almost 2,000 feet up) before sunrise. By 3:30, we were hiking by headlamp. Things were looking good until about a mile before the summit, when we started to feel light rain. Luckily, the rain never got too hard, but our hopes for a beautiful view at sunrise were unfortunately dashed. We did make it to the top, though, and can now add Chirripo to our bag of mighty peaks!
I will begrudgingly admit that as a veteran of the Appalachian Trail, I was spouting off some cocky talk about Chirripo before we left. According to Nina, I said that since I was able to hike the AT, this would be "a piece of cake" (although I can't imagine myself capable of such arrogance). Suffice it to say, it was no walk in the park. We really had to work to make it to the top, particularly with the high elevation and reduction in oxygen. However, it was the descent that really left its mark on us. We climbed the last three miles and descended the entire 13 all on Friday, which left our knees, calves, and quads feeling like raw meat. It's three days later, and we're both still limping.
We left Frank's farm this morning for good, bidding them a fond farewell. We enjoyed our experience there overall, but we're really glad to be heading to a place where we can work with kids and practice our spanish. We'll be sure to update again when we're settled in Nicaragua. And now, pictures!
A view of the mountains from the farm:
Frank at the coffee roaster:
Nina enjoying a typical Costa Rican breakfast of eggs, plantains, and gallo pinto (rice and beans):
Paul hiking up Chirripo:
Nina bundled up in the Chirripo Lodge just hours before we woke up to hike to the summit. The temperature dropped into the 40's in the lodge:
Nina hiking by headlamp toward Chirripo's summit at around 4 AM:
Wet and cold at the summit, sadly with no view at all:
A beautiful view of the cloud tops as we descended and the weather finally broke:
Finally, a video of Paul that Nina secretly took using our still camera right after the hike. Apologies for the sideways view and shaky camera work (Nina was laughing at the way Paul was walking around sore...ha ha):As usual, thanks for reading! We love you all,
Nina and Paul
1 comment:
Very interesting reading and more adventure. I think leaving the bragging for after you finish the task rather than before maybe a good life lesson! Looks like good hiking and worth the effort. I am glad you finally got a good look at the scenery on the way out. I really like the typical breakfast that Nina has before her- besides being typical it was always very good. Hope your trip to Nicaragua goes well.
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