The FAT Website est. 1999
PHEW….. Apologies for the delayed update. I was busy dying painfully 3820m above sea level.
It’s been an interesting week this one. Last Wednesday I had to go to San Jose to pick up a package that my mummy had sent me from Australia. She sent me yummy soaps made out of emu oil and a pretty calander and a jumper to take with me to the mountain. Unfortunately it all got soaking wet as it started to pour with rain and my flurescent pink umbrella was useless against the down pour. Then, because of the huricane style rain, the was a landslide on the road on the way home and the bus was unable to pass… we were waiting about 3 hours on the bus (and this is after the 3 hours we’d already been going) but I couldn’t take it anymore so a friend and I got out with all our stuff and walked OVER the mud and rocks and managed to walk/get a ride back to San Isidro from a jeep that went past. We finally got home at about 10pm, had an icecream from Mc Donalds (we deserved it) and went home to bed.
The next day, Thursday we had to get up before 4 to go to an island off La peninsula de Osa. We went on a boat down a river and out to sea, went snorkaling with sharks and played beach volleyball. All in all it was a lovely day.
I Arrived back from Chirripo the day before yesterday bus was only able to get to the internet cafe today as it is on the second floor and there is no way my calf muscles/knees/feet were going to let me get up here in any dignified manner. Its was hard.
The first day we had to climb 14km… I left at 4am in the first group and every single other person passed me on the way up. I arrived nine hours later. My excuse is that I didn’t want to miss anything but just between us, the scenery only changed every three hours or so and I am quite sure my asthmatic puffing and pounding heart scared away every living creature that we may otherwise have been lucky enough to glimpse. After a sleepless, freezing cold night I was up at 6am to make hot chocolate and tomato soup.. the others thought it would be a fantastic idea to go to on another 7km walk to one of the nearby rock formations (which I didn’t understand as you could see them from the bloody camp and as far as I knew, they didn’t look much different close up) so, not wanting to be the lazy one, I set off with them a couple of hourse later. THANK GOD it started pouring with rain after about 2km and we couldn’t continue and instead spent the day trying to stay warm with endless cups of hot chocolate.
By the third day I had worked up enough will power to climb to the very top of Chirripo so at 3am I walked through the pitch black, freezing cold hallways, went down the stairs and outside to see if there was a clear sky. Could see every single little star which was great but meant that i was therefore obliged to wake everyone else up to see the sunrise from the top. I left straight away with Ana, my New Zealand friend and we sent off slowely and surely on what we thought was the trail to Chirripo. Unfortunately, as the sun came up 2 hours later and not a sole had passed us (this did not inspire confidance as there were many leaving and we were definately not the fastest) we came to the conclusion that we were not in Chirripo. Only when we got back down to the bottom and were able to see the sign ‘Cerro de los ventisqueros’ in the harsh light of day did we realise the we had infact climbed another mountain. At this point, with six hours climbing ahead of us (and four useless already behind us) I sat down and cried.
But we made it in end. I signed the damn book and took the photos and I have to admit, it was a pretty cool feeling being on top of the highest point in Cantral America. I just got the photos developed today actually and I look like a snow person because I had so many layers on. Maybe I’ll post a picture if I can find a scanner in my town.
When we got back on Wednesday we went out to fiesta (as much as you can on a wednesday night in a town with 3 bars) and had a nice sleep in the next morning.
Posted by Erin @ 04:39 AM AST [Link] [3 comments]
Replies: 3 comments
Wow…such a pioneer…good for you!!!
Ditto with the Hardcore
Posted by Pat @ 11/23/2003 10:59 PM AST
That easily sounds like the most unpleasant experience in the world. Why would anyone want to do that??
Either way, Erin, you are far more H-core than me.
Posted by Sam @ 11/23/2003 03:03 AM AST
hardcore.
Posted by jassa @ 11/22/2003 09:34 AM AST
