Great Hiking in southern Costa Rica

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Howdy All - we went to costa rica planning on spending a ton of time on the beaches only to find LOTS of sewage and waste flowing into every place we went. We were fine with all the rain but between the horrible air pollution and nasty beaches were made a last ditch effort and headed for the mountains. It was awesome!!! We headed to towards Parque Nacional Chirripó, Costa Rica's highest point (3820). We took one of the big read busses that spit out of San Jose negotiating the close dirty streets like a drunkard. We swayed back and forth for hours and finally got dropped off, I think, in San Isidro de El General. Not a good place to be at night - I was offered the services of a prostitute within 2 minutes. We walked around town to find a room and saw plenty of shady stuff on the streets - rough place.

Half asleep yet fearfully awake kept mindful hands and eyes on our stinky packs as our expectations and standards for a bed decreased as did our options. With a choice between a park bench that doubled as a urinal and a sketchy pile of rooms complete with blinking light, we dug in at a dive of a hotel. Sweat combined with the pulsing neon name that must have tanned the back of my brain was one of the more surreal nights I could recently recall that didn't involve drugs or small farm animals.

Morning - ran for the bus and got dropped after several more hours of swaying up the equivelant of single track with blacktop. With clouds competing for the excitement of the unknown world hidden high in the mountians, we set off from this small patch of rural-urban homes set quiet as their inhabitants celebrated some big chatholic parade up and down the streets. It was a very long hike up the road. Ultimately, the road ends where our wilderness adventure was to begin, in the small perch of what I think was San Gerardo.

We found the trail after asking a local shop keeper about a lodge that supposidly was near the top of the mountain. Up and up and up through rain forest, cloud forest, Sarah taught me about the surroundings. Then we had some fight about something that had nothing to do with the trip. Within a few miles and after feeling the sun and amazing mountains littered with lonely cows munching away things cleared up, kisses were shared and higher we climbed.

The lodge was more like a monestary - it was awesome. It got super cold - around 35-40 F. I stayed for 2 nights and made it to the top after a SUPER sketchy climb up a trail. Absolutely a must for those bored of typical central american coastal stuff. People were super friendly and the whole environment was the most chill place we'd been without tons of pot heads!!

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Photos

Gettin High
Sarah on the trail

Clearing Up...
Clouds part and show off the cloud forest