Checklist for our camping trip:
-Friends
-Cooler full of food...ice optional
-Rental car
-Music
-Tent
-Flexible, adventurous attitude
-Pillow
[Friends: Andres, Jose Mario, Margie, Meagan, and me!
Cooler full of food: salsa, milk, chocolate, sandwhich makings, hot dogs, chips, marshmallows
Rental car: Hyundai Tucson
Music: Akon CD; my mixes including Relient K , OneRepublic, and Tarzan; Meagan's CD including Grease, Journey, and The Police; Margie's CD including Michael Jackson and The Black Keys
Tent: Meant for four, made to work for 5... except that Meagan slept in the car the second night.
Flexible, adventurous attitude: See story about climbing the volcano.
Pillow: shared with another person, and no longer white due to contact with the ground]
Commence weekend.
First of all, before this weekend, this camping trip had almost happened two other times. It came so very close to happening once, and even more so very close to happening the second time. Until we were all piled in the car on our way, I didn't believe we were actually going. Something was going to happen and it wouldn't work out - but, we actually went! It was so nice having a car for the weekend... we wouldn't have been able to do everything we did without it.
Go road trips.
So, Friday...
Being in the car, driving through such a beautiful country with really good friends, I realized that the road trip would be one of my favorite parts of the weekend. It was. Although there were some debates about which CD to put in next and whether or not we really should ask someone else for directions, the trip went smoothly and we got to the national park, El Rincon de la Vieja, in the late afternoon.
First adventure: When I picture a campsite in my head, I think of the woods. But the place we camped at in El Rincon de la Vieja was a horse pasture next to a little hotel on this huge piece of property in the park. It was beautiful, besides the rather potent smell of horse crap. We set up our tent, and then saw a little hill a couple hundred feet away with some pine trees on it - figuring there would be less bugs and more of a "hey we're camping" kind of feel, we moved the tent over there. Here it is...
hahaha.
That night was one of my favorite parts of the trip. For dinner, we used a grill that was outside the workers' house next to the hotel, and cooked hot dogs. Starting a fire with Jose Mario and Andres is always an experience. We shared our hot dogs with two men working at the ranch who had helped us out earlier that day. (I guess you could call it a ranch... horse farm, property, hotel...) Making new friends: check. And then, of course, we had s'mores.
Sleeping in a tent during the summer in Costa Rica isn't the best plan... it was very warm. And then, at about 1am, it was very cold. haha. I wouldn't know what advice to give someone when camping during this time of the year...wear shorts but bring a blanket? Anyways, didn't sleep too much.
~*~
Then, Saturday...
Mount Doom: Let's go climb a volcano. Sounds like an adventure, yes? We got up with the sunrise at about 5am, ate some cereal and milk, (from our cooler that did finally get ice), and then we headed out. The people working at the park entrance were sleepy and pretty grumpy, but we got a map of the park and looked at the different trails we could take. Option 1: 2 hours round trip to see the park and the forest. Option 2: 4 hours round trip to see some waterfalls and some lava. Option 3: 8 hours round trip to see the principal crater.
What did we choose? Yes. We chose the 8 hour trip - 16 kilometers, which is about 10 miles of difficult trail, and when I say difficult I mean really tough. I have never felt so accomplished in my life than when we were on the top of that volcano!
A river on the way up to the crater ~
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We had a few difficulties on the way, the going was tough, but I think I can say that we were all glad we went.
^^When we had hiked uphill for about 5 miles, we came out of the forest and this is the view - the crater was on a peak behind this mountain that you can see in this picture. ^^
Keeeep going!
None of us had climbed this volcano before, so we would climb one hill, thinking it was the end, and then once we got to the top, we realized that there was another peak to climb... that happened four times. All of us were about to die - at one point, between the height, the rocks, the strong cold wind, and the unending trail, I literally felt like I was experiencing what it must have been like to climb Mount Doom. Unfortunately, my Lord of the Rings references came second to the fact that we weren't there yet. Plus, my walking buddy Margie hasn't seen the movies. Fail. Oh well. ... So - did we make it?
Why yes. We did.
In the volcano there was a sulfuric lake...that's the greenish water you can see in the crater.
^^ View of the lake from the other side of the crater
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Can't even believe how amazing it was. It seems surreal!
We ate lunch up at the crater and then we headed back...four more hours of tough walking! Down such a steep trail isn't as hard as up, but it is scarier! Oh, what an adventure. We all made it back in one piece though!
~*~
That night we packed up our tired selves and drove to the beach (Playa Panama) to jump in the surf and then camp there that night. Being in the ocean was so happy. That's the best way I can describe it. Then we made sandwhiches, played cards, and while Meagan got comfy in the car, the rest of us braved sleeping in the tent again. Margie and I were laughing so hard - it was so hot... more so than it had been the night before. And, it never got cold. I don't know how the guys slept, but Margie and I had a rough time. It was memorable though, and we slept well enough to recuperate a little bit.
Waking up with the sun again, we headed to Rio Celeste, a river in the national park with the Tenorio Volcano, where the water in the main river is blue...actually blue...from the chemical reactions of the volcanic area, the sulfur, and the water. The amazing thing about hiking in these mountains is that when you cross a stream or a river, you can just fill your water bottles and drink from them. What a rich experience that is! I loved it. We hiked to the hot springs in the Rio Celeste, where there are boiling hot springs right next to the cold river. The mix was incredible, and jumping into the cold water after being in the springs felt incredible!
The waterfall at Rio Celeste... (I didn't edit any of these pictures)
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Soooo much walking. And way too many stories for me to tell in one blog. But, it was an incredible weekend with great friends and lots of challenges! I think we came out stronger, and ready to conquer the next volcano we come across. ;)
~*~
Thank you Margie and Jose Mario for taking pictures! ^^ This is another view from El Rincon de la Vieja ^^
The road trip back was priceless time with these wonderful people - music, crazy dancing, windows down, yes. Once we were back in San Jose, we got caught in some terrible traffic - and Andres was interviewed through the car window by some TV reporters...haha we all enjoyed that... turns out that there was an international marathon that night, and one of the highways was closed. So, although the trip home was a little longer, it was cool to see the marathon runners! And I must say, taking a shower when we got back and sleeping in my bed - so wonderful.
What an amazing, adventurous weekend! Definitely one to remember for the rest of my life.
And this week it's back to real life - 3 tests in my online classes, and work to do to get ahead for Guatemala! I can't believe we only have 4 more weeks before going back to the U.S. I can't even begin to describe how much this experience and these people have meant to me.
Today we were hanging out - me, History, Margie, and Andres, and we ended up at the topic of life philosophies and how in life sometimes we have to let things go. That has always been a hard one for me. Appreciate what you have when you have it - make the most of it - invest fully - but be willing to let it go.
~*~
love,
Courtney
(World Traveler in Training)
