Cerro Chirripó
Door: Sjoukje
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Sjoukje
19 November 2016 | Costa Rica, San Gerardo
Fixing the permits for the hike was a challenge alone, but when this was fixed, I was allowed to spend Monday till Wednesday in the mountains! On Sunday my French travel mate and me arrived in San Gerardo, at the most beautiful hostel ever: casa Mariposa. An old house, build on the rocks, with rooms full of plants, rocks and open spaces with jungle view. An Eco-lodge plus. The first place where I felt "home".
About the hike itself. In a 14km walk, we covered a elevation difference of 2000m to arrive at the base camp (3400m). An altitude that makes your heartbeat rise. The jungle changed slowly into shrubs and grassland. The presence of monkeys changed into the presence of humming birds. An appreciated change, because the monkeys had fun in attaching us! In the rain season (now) it starts to rain every day around 11 or 12a.m., which means activity takes place from sunrise (5a.m.) till the rain starts. Jet lag 2.0.
The second day it was time to climb the highest peak of Latin America: cerro chirripo. An alarm at 02.30 made it possible to see the sunrise from the top. Walking during the night, seeing the sun come up at 3820m altitude... An unforgettable experience. When the sun rose, the landscape changed from dark, black, and obscure to vivid, green and blue. Sadly the view wasn't good enough to see the oceans (this seems to be possible), but the view over the lake, mountain ranges, clouds and even the smoking volcano Turialba, was more than satisfying. What a colours. What a silence. On our way back to the base camp we climbed cerro Terbi, another nearby peak (3760m) and returned just after it started raining. :(
The third day we watched the sunrise from the second highest peak of Latin America, cerro Ventisqueros (3812m). An amazing climb by the way, over narrow ridges and big boulders we made it to the top. The sunrise was amazing again, with a slightly different view then on Chirripo, and totally alone (ok, me and my travel mate). After this it was already time to return to our hostel in San Gerardo, an intense decent of 2500m in 6 hours.
In San Gerardo I decided to stay one night longer. Time to relax in the amazing hostel. Time to prepare for next steps of my trip. The hot springs, in the middle of the jungle, were a good way to do that. Meanwhile my travel mate had to go back home, and I was suddenly alone again. A weird feeling! It's time for the next step with new amazing people and amazing adventures.
Adiòs!
-
21 November 2016 - 14:03
Marian:
fantastisch Sjou! -
21 November 2016 - 20:04
Marjolein:
Hola, chica!
Wat een fantatische reis ben jij aan het maken.
Ik geniet van je foto's en de verhalen erbij. Ben ik ook een beetje op reis!
Adios amiga!
Un besito,
Marjolein -
23 November 2016 - 04:26
Sjoukje De Lange:
Jullie zijn een stel schatten! :)
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