Skip to main content

Climbing Volcan Baru

This past February, I climbed to the highest point in Panama. This peak is found at 11,398 feet above sea level atop a dormant volcano called Volcan Baru. It was the most grueling and challenging thing I have ever done in my life. It taxed every once of my body and mind. I don't know that I will ever do it again, but I am definitely glad that I did it. It is possibly a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

A group of about 20 of us set out around 5AM from Rio Sereno, a small town on the Costa Rican border. My husband and I ate a hearty breakfast of eggs, toast, oatmeal, and coffee since we knew that was the last full meal we would have for at least 38 hours.

I made the mistake of drinking a big glass of water right before we left knowing that our water would also be rationed during this time. I suppose drinking the water wasn't really the mistake; not going to the bathroom right before I left was. As you can guess, I had to go to the bathroom so badly that we had to stop the van so I could get out. Fortunately, there was not much oncoming traffic, it was still before sunrise, and I found a tree to go behind. That was not the way I wanted to start out this trip.

After a last-minute stop at Romero's (the only nice grocery store for miles around), we finally made it to the drop-off point, where we started the long descent up the volcano. The first hour was a pleasant one through a beautiful green forest of large trees and strange-growing mushrooms. Then, the terrain changed into more of a hands-on climbing up the trail. It was extremely dusty at one point and we all got very dirty.

One of the hardest terrain types to climb was the white lightning rocks. (That is just what I call them. It is hard to describe them. They act sort of like quicksand that your feet get buried in, but it is composed of baseball and softball-sized rocks.) Actually, these were worse coming down the mountain, although my husband rather enjoyed "skating" down them. I was afraid I would break something.

We finally made it to the base camp around 4:30 PM. We brought tents and sleeping bags to sleep in the crater of the volcano. It was very windy and very cold. We built a fire and sat around it singing and telling stories as we drank hot chocolate. My husband and I slept for a little while, but soon we were shivering ourselves awake, so we got up and sat around the fire.

Early the next morning, we made the final climb to the very top of Panama, where you can see the Pacific on one side and the Atlantic on the other. It felt pretty amazing to have accomplished that- to be on top of the Panamanian world.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why I Love To Travel

I just love to travel. I have been lucky in that I have been able to do a lot of it in the last few years. I have been able to go to 11 countries and 30 states. When I was growing up we didn't travel very much. We usually only went to see my Grandparents in Arizona. It wasn't that my parents didn't want to travel. I guess they just wanted to save money so we did more local trips. When I was 19 I got my first taste of traveling. I went to Washington DC for the week with a friend of mine. We had such a good time. We got to see almost everything. It was an amazing trip and I knew after I returned home that I loved to travel. The next trip I went on was a trip to Canada when I was 21. I went with my boyfriend at the time. We went during the wintertime so we got to check out some of the local winter sports. We were able to check out a dog sled race. As soon as we got back from Canada, I started saving for my next vacation. I knew if I didn't make it a priority, I w...
Post a Comment
Read more

7 Traditional Things To Do In Japan

When planning a trip to Japan it may be easy to fall into the usual trap of only planning to go to “modern “attractions, such as electronic shops and concerts. However, Japan is an ancient and diverse culture offering a wonderful trip back in time. Whether you’re staying only a week or a full month, be sure to check out the following traditional things that make this such a rich place to go. 1 . Stay in a ryokan. Shirk the five-star Western hotel and opt for the traditional ryokan, a favorite of the Japanese for centuries. Sleep on a comfortable futon while enjoying picturesque garden views and sipping homebrewed green tea. Ryokans tend to offer traditional Japanese dishes as well. Don’t ask what’s in it. Just eat it and enjoy. 2 . Go to an onsen. Japan is famous for its hot springs, and you should definitely check one out. Some are coed and will let you in with a bathing suit. Most times, however, they are divided by sex and require you to go the full monty. Even if you’re shy, ...
Post a Comment
Read more

What You Need To Know About Traveling To The Tropics For Retirement

Many older people around the world long to retire to the tropics where the temperature is comfortable and the living is easy and often less expensive than in their native lands. Most people agree that a tropical environment is unusually friendly and beautiful. The opportunity to enjoy nature and a simpler, freer way of life is very appealing; however, there are a few things you will want to keep in mind before pulling up stakes and traveling to the tropics to retire. Read on to learn more. When you live in the tropics, you will find that your life savings or your social security check go much further than in many other parts of the world. Your utility bills will be lower due to the temperate weather. Food costs are generally lower; although, your choices in foods may not be the same as you are used to. Health expenses may also be fewer thanks to a healthier way of life and lower costs of health care. When you move to another culture, you can expect to experience culture shock. Th...
Post a Comment
Read more