Cerro Chirripo excursion

Immidiately after class on wednesday (before Thanksgiving) I set out with 3 friends (All USAC students Drake, Emily and her boyfriend Michael) to the highest point in Costa Rica, the second highest mountain in Central America. We bussed along the pacific cost through Jacó, Quepos, Manuel Antonio, Domical and inland to San Isidrio del General. From there a metropolitan agricultual center we slept and arose at 4ish to bus to San Gerardo de Rivas. I grabbed a baguette for less than 50 cents and carboloaded.


Cerro Chirripó 12050 ft- the eternal waters. (should be a synonym for the never ending trail, eternal fatigue). It totaled out to be 46km in two days, 14.5km from trailhead to base camp, 3am rise 5.5km summit bid to sunrise, nearly 20 hours of 16,000 feet accent and descent, fairly decent. A test of wits to say the least.



If your wondering where I learned how to do math, when we arrived we had to hike 3km from the closest town to the base of the trailhead. We had heavy packs (25-40 lbs) and the few steps from the ranger station seemed too tedious and started a burn that would be sustained for many, many hours. I used my spanish communication skills and stepped into a hotel and conversed to a local (Francisco - a local heroe mountain runner, and extremely kind with his words) and stored some of our unnecessary gear in his hotel establishment for a dollar or so.



We started our trek around 7:30 am, the rise was slow and steady and horses and cows scattered the farmland that was touching the parkland. It was a bright day in San Gerardo and we could see the small town, its coffee farms and bannana farms. The first kilometer was long but I was antsy to get high on the mountain and very excited to be not at near sea level. So I wasn't as shocked like my team by the sluggish arrival of the 1km sign.



The hike later turned into a never ending accent, and we later realized that the lonely planet had miscalculated and underestimate the hiking distances the to the peak and basecamp crestones. This didn't explicitly affect out moral as we stopped and talked to some people desending. The natural beauty and spirit kept me focused, and I knew that somewhere the peak was awaiting another visit from a sentient bieng. A lot of water consumption helped with the altitude gain from the where 4,900 ft the trailhead started at. The hike soon turned into a biology and ecosystems field study. Eccentric sounds of birds and change of plant life gave the trail character and helped us feel as though we were making progress to the unseen "cumbre" or peak that had been hidden by cloud cover. The clear skies in the lower parts of the mountain were eventually were enveloped in the cloud that was produced from the transpiration. Coincidentally at 8km - 9km the longest and most trecherous km the rains began, and didn't really cease. Our spirits were affected, conversation came to a null mostly due to fatigue, breath conservation and the clamorous sound of rain hitting out rain jackets, bodies and lush vegetation.



We passed through the montaña sin fe (the mountian without faith) and other never ending sections like the accent of the repented, and were soaked dispite our attempts to stay dry. Lunch was taken at an establishment and consisted of beans and tortillas, PBJ's, crackers, water, and some home made gorp. There was water that I believe was directly siphoned from a local stream because there was some "floaters." This was our Thanksgiving lunch.



After a near full work day (7.5 hours) accent to base camp we arrived at the páramo at around 3000 meters. [pah’-rah-mo]
noun
1. Paramo, an Alpine plain open to the winds. (m)
2. Any place extremely cold. (m)
3. Waste land (descampado). (m)
4. Drizzle (llovizna). (Andes) (m)



And have you all know, of those applied to this zone.



We arrived cold, wet, famished and jellylegged to the unheated base camp complex that resembled something from the movie the Shining. We hurried to our ice cold room and changed into all the gear we had that was relatively dry. After a resting period which incorporated body heat, we started to cook with Drake's alchohol stove which consisted of a can cut in half, and the bottom of the top part creased to allow oxygen to flow out like a stove top gas stove. It took a long time and drew the attention of a German guided group that was drinking beer and waiting for their course meal (mostly elders). Finally we boiled a meager amount of water and had tea to rid our deep soaked cold from the inside out. Ohh yeah, this was the beginning of our thanksgiving dinner. We cooked ramen and spegetti noodles with plenty of red pepper spice packets to start the internal heat and had more tea. While you all were eating pumpkin pie and rhubarb pie we savored a snickers bar. We were wrapped up in anything we had, Drake resembled a worm in his sleeping bag, I used a towel as a scarf, emily looked as though she could have been in full indigenous apparel, and Micheal was wearing blankies like a dress. We went to sleep early and I was awoken a handfull of times by cold symptoms and nose drainage. Our team woke up around 3 am and shared one pack of essentials to make it to the summit for sunrise. We hiked in the dark, dew, and wind. In the distance higher on the mountain we saw the headlamps of the german group whom had left camp around 2 am. When we turned off the headlamps the sky gave birth to the brilliance of the contrast of stars and the pitch black wilderness reserve. We were walking blindly and at one point had to go with our gut instincts at a fork in the path, but after about 3km found a sign that reassured our direction. A little before 5 the alititute steepend and we found ourselves onthe heels of the German group. Here the path routed to a single track and the groups bottlenecked. I felt like I was at Hillary Step on Everest, the wind had increased exponentially as we rose our from the cover or the ridge line. Slowly but surely we passed the group. I could feel the presence of the peak, and like morder to the ring was pulled to the spirit. Naturally adrenaline secreated into my system from the increase of acuteness of the terrain.

I bypassed many and eureka, took my last few strides to the peak. There was hugs bieng given, smiles and an increase air turbulance as we were now scraping the skyline. Photos, video and alchohol were bieng dispensed to top off the climatic event. We waited for the sunrise, surrounded by clouds and our hands went numb and out thoughts of breakfast and taking seemed less appealing. My team accepted some Casique guaro alchohol (gringo killer) to ease the mental perception of cold. I later got a pounding headache, probably from the alchohol, but maybe a combination from the lack of breakfast, altitude, and exertion.



Suddenly an deep orange and a clearing of sky permitted the some 20 people at the top to see the sun rising in the Carribean. It was brief but sufficed out escipade. After about 30-45 min at the top the cold became unbearable especially for Drake and Michael whom's legs were exposed to the wind Slowly the climbers trickled down the mountain. My team followed with the light at the end oatmeal breakfast at a hopefully warmer basecamp. The trail that was previously dark revealed rock formations, alpine lakes and bird activity. After decending the 5.5 km to base camp, we stopped quicky and started out still looming quest to get off the mountain. It was rainy and when we set out our hopes were fragil, but the sun burst through the clouds and it felt like a baptism to shed all the layers we had been wearing for what seemed forever. The feeling of the sun, a mist and warmer wind stimulating our skin, mind and nervous systems. Our spirits rebounded and we made good time and felt more enthusiastic about taking pictures on the easier descent. The terrain was something that we had been blind to on the way up because of the torrential rains.

The descent down the mountain made me recollect the longness and neverendingness of the treck, it felt even longer. It felt good to tell the others climbing upward of our accomplishment and to feel the gravity working in our favor. We stopped for lunch at one of the water sources out of the blue I was stunk on my back by an ant bee hybrid insect. I had Michael suck out the poison and drake unirinated on it to sanitize it. I must reiterate that if wernt for the changes in vegetation, it would have that we were not making progress. At about the same time it started raining on our day up to base camp, it started raining on our way down. The mud transformed the trail into a muddy slippin' slide. All of us in the group went down at least once. Emily later had a blister on her heel the size of a half dollar. My legs have been recooperating for 3 days, though I have done yoga to help they ache deep in the tissues and time seems to be the only cure.

All in all, it was worth it. I feel more compelled to do other technical hikes, I feel accomplished phisically, and more spiritually conected with the earth and its mysteries. Mountains, I believe are a representation of life and goals in life, you have to put in a lot to get to the top, and once you get there it will be magnificient no matter the view and its not necessarily about arriving at the top but the journey and how you get there. You will end up a more rounded, spiritually and environmentally connected individual. And if you do catch an amazing view, you are in the presence of bliss. And every time I have hiked I have encountered miracles, or in better terminology, grand occurances. Running into wild animals, the views, the terrain, mother nature, your inner psychology all usually reveal some form beauty that might otherwise go unnoticed or unexplored. So get out their and find your mountains.

Pura Vida,

Thom