Volcanic Hike

The tone in this blog may come across as inadvertently aggressive as the environment in which I am writing it is far from conducive of any other emotion. My  tired feet are considering carrying out a mutiny against me, as I have been standing on a bus for which they sold too many tickets for about an hour now. The worst part is this only makes up about one fourth of the journey back to San Jose from La Fortuna, the home of the Arenal volcano.

The worst part is not the standing, really. This far from pleasant experience has taught me that I can do myriad tasks while standing on a bus- read, write a blog on my iPhone, listen to music, observe the scenery... The true pitfall is the heat generated by commuting Costa Ricans clumped together like cranky canned sardines (how's that for alliteration?) in a bus lacking air conditioning on a tropical climate.

Parts of my body are surprising me with sweat glands that I did not previously think existed. The mounting discomfort of this trip is almost making this comical, emphasis on almost. Give it a couple of years. The thing that caused a delay wasn't construction, nor traffic but rather a parade of cowboys on horses blocking the passage of cars. Where the heck am I?

My tired feet are not the only limbs plotting a mutiny. My thighs, knees and arms all feel at least a minimal degree of pain from my adventurous day in La Foruna yesterday. I can't recall having been so active as I was after hiking a dormant volcano and swimming across the crater after going for a run and before spending three hours swimming in natural hot springs. 

It is hard to impress someone accustomed to hiking the Rocky Mountains at elevations exceeding 12,000 feet. My increased level of red blood cells served as a major advantage to me and trekking ahead of the group became the norm. The trail could not have been more of a stark juxtaposition to the trails I am used to. In Colorado dry dirt and rocks compose the trails, in Costa Rica, thick mud and jutting tree roots acting as stairs. Large, mossy rainforest flora replaces the various species of pine trees and aspens. Geckos, frogs and monkeys are the Costa Rican fauna counterparts of squirrels, deer, and chipmunks. 

If I had to describe this hike in one word, it would have to be epic. Rain pelted our sweat-drenched and mud-slathered bodies as we climbed up steep makeshift stairs and back down what looked like a sheer drop off from the top. Thankfully, the hike ended at the now water-filled crater of a dormant volcano and nothing feels more refreshing than jumping into water after a truly exhausting hike.