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Published: November 20th 2006
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Ranger Station
Located in San Gerardo de Rivas. Hikers MUST check in here before climbing. Thursday the 16th we headed south on a scouting expedition for Bill's January hike up Costa Rica's hightest mountain, Mount Chirripo at 12,526 ft. According to the guide books we were to expect a three hour drive from San Jose to San Isidro de General. I don’t trust what the guide books say as they don’t take into account what you may encounter on the roads. Use them as a general idea.
Our drive from San Ramon to our final destination of San Gerardo de Rivas was about a six hour drive. We encountered road work from San Ramon to San Jose that brought traffic to a dead stop, took an unexpected detour thru Cartago, stopped three more times on the hill of death for roadwork and after finally asking for directions made it up the one lane winding dirt road to the National Park office for Mt. Chirripo in San Gerardo de Rivas.
The road outside San Jose to San Isidro de General is named Cerro de la Muerte which translates to hill of death. They mean it! Anything can happen on the hill of death. The road itself is scary but beautiful. You drive thru tropical vegetation
Studying the map
A lot to think about! then pines and finally scrub brush. In some areas it is definitely fairytale-ish. I kept watching for a centaur to run across the road. The only thing we had to avoid in the road was highway workers. From the looks of things this road had been full of potholes. I say that in the past tense as we encountered several road crews repairing the international highway. Three times on the scary mountain pass the highway completely closed down for repairs while traffic in both directions had to sit and wait. People wonder why we travel with a food bag and a cooler full of water. On occasions such as these it comes in handy, you never know how long you’ll be stuck on a highway with hours to go until you can find food or water.
We survived the hill of death although I’m sure Bill was ready to kill me as we coasted into San Isidro de General. Perhaps if I conquer my fear of roller coasters I’ll be able to handle the roads of Costa Rica better. You don’t want to drive with me here, the tension is great. Bill has to deal with it, he loves
One of many
The area has little waterfalls EVERYWHERE! me but it doesn’t mean he enjoys it. It isn’t that I constantly nag it’s that I remind him to keep HIS eyes on the road. My eyes are glued to the road; I think his should be as well. Seeing a little pick up truck that missed a turn and hit the mountain head on doesn’t faze him. As he tells me to look at the great view off the side of the shear drop off I wonder if we’ll be the next head on collision. I’m sure that pick up driver didn’t plan on crashing that day.
On with the story, Bill has been talking about hiking Mt. Chirripo since we arrived last January. Since I’m not confident enough in my telephone Spanish we decided to take a preliminary trip to gather all the necessary info for his hike in January 2007. It’s a good thing we went as the info on all the websites is not up to date.
In my opinion Bill had been taking the future hike rather lightly joking that he could go up and down in one day. He kept comparing it to his hike on South Mountain with buddies before
Hotels available in any price range
We chose this place. Not in our normal price range but we're glad we splurged. we left Arizona. Luckily we met Todd, a twenty something from Colorado outside the park administration building. Todd, who had just returned from his hike, put everything into perspective for Bill. This in shape, twenty something explained just how tough a hike it was. While Todd admitted he rushed as he didn’t want to get stuck hiking in a downpour. He emphasized the respect you must have for the mountain and the need for a good sleeping bag.
Thanks Todd! If you read this remember, you’ve got a place to stay if you make it up this way. We wouldn’t offer if we didn’t mean it. We’re intrigued by the youth who backpack thru Costa Rica. Offering a home cooked meal and cozy bed is something we’d appreciate someone doing for our adult sons so we’re happy to help those we encounter.
Once we gathered all the necessary info for the upcoming hike we went in search of a hotel for the night. I don’t advise driving cerro de la muerte in the dark. There are options in all price ranges. Next to the park building you can get a room for $8 per person or you can
Lookout Callista's driving
NOT! The hotel manager gave us a ride to look at the cabinas before we decided to stay at the Talamanca Reserve. choose the resort option of over $100 per night. We splurged and paid $78 for the night at the Talamanca Reserve. www.talamancareserve.com We got a 20% discount because of the green season. While it was pricey for us, we justified it as our anniversary gift to each other. If money is no object I highly recommend this place! For the budget conscience you can find a decent place to fit your wallet without any trouble.
We had issues with hot water in the shower but other than that our stay was great. The cabinas are part of a 4000 acre tropical forest at the foot of Mt. Chirripo. There are numerous hiking trails. The reserve offers ATV tours for those who want to explore the area but are perhaps hesitant to hike. I highly recommend a visit to the reserve if for nothing else but a bite to eat.
We headed home Friday morning after a hike around the reserve and a delicious breakfast which was included in the price of the nights stay. We did a quick driving tour of San Isidro de General and were surprised to see a tiny Home Depot. Who would’ve thought? We
Unusual room decor!
Don't quite know what to say about these other than they caused nightmares for me. figure people who live in the southern region, such as Dominical think of San Isidro as we Ramonenses think of San Jose. It’s the place to get supplies not available in the country or less expensive than in the country.
We made a last potty stop at McDonalds before hitting the hill of death. I paid $8 for three sodas, a McFlurry and a medium fry. I won’t be buying anything again at McDonald’s in Costa Rica! I do appreciate their clean bathrooms though.
It’s a good thing we stopped at Micky D’s as traffic again came to a dead stop as we started up the hill. A semi truck and its trailer decided to part ways on the first hairpin turn on the ascent. We were 10 cars behind the mishap so Bill turned off the car and went to have a look see. It was unreal! Bill with his sign language managed to get someone’s attention and point out that the gas line on the semi had detached and gas was pouring down the road. He chuckled at they used a semi-tow truck to maneuver the rig back onto its trailer. Bill knows semi trailers as
Interesting
Animals sculpted in concrete adorn the walls both inside and outside the cabinas. he worked around them for 30 years in his previous life. We sat on the road for an hour watching this comedy before the truck was moved far enough off the road for us to pass. Bill said he could’ve had us on our way in 10 minutes had there been a forklift near by.
The trip home was uneventful except for the battle between Bear and Callista in the back seat. Bear was as tense as I was and bit Callista when she tried to comfort him. Cal and I traded places and I spent the ride home focused on comforting Bear. Well, maybe he comforted me. Either way we made it home safe and sound thanks to Bill.
I’m not looking forward to the next trip on the hill of death in January but I’ve since learned I can buy tranquilizers over the counter. Anyone know how many I should take and if Bear can have one too? Perhaps a dose of laughing gas prior to traveling would be in order?
Pura Vida!
Jen, Bill, Callista and Bear
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Terry Fickett
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It's time to get in shape!
Read your article and the climb up the mountain sounds challenging. We can make it though, right Bill? Now the road over, that sounds more challenging than the climb! About 6 weeks to get into shape. Guess I'll start tomorrow.........