The coast to coasters reach the Pacific!

By Charlotte Parker

Before we embarked upon our trekking adventure, one question that we were all desperate to ask those who had already trekked was do the highs of the phase outweigh the lows and I am pleased to tell you that the answer amongst the X Ray 2 members is ‘What lows?!’. Walking round the last bend to discover that we were only 200 metres away from the sea, so close that we could practically taste the salt in the air, it was hard to control our emotions as we had one last group huddle and walked the last few steps linked together, as we had started the trek 17 days ago. There was no mistaking the grins (and a few happy tears) on people’s faces as we realised that we had actually trekked across a continent – and had a great time doing it!

Taking off our boots and dipping our tired, blistered feet into the Pacific made every last hill worth all the effort – and this trek has taken a lot of effort! Day 16 saw one of our toughest days yet, a 22k day up two steep hills in the midday heat (making a change from rain at least!) followed by a massive descent from over 2000 metres to practically sea level. Not only was it physically challenging (by this stage even our super tough PMs were struggling, their older knees less capable of dealing with the hills) but it was mentally tough being able to see the sea and yet know we still had a fair distance to go.

Waking up on day 17 was like waking up too early on Christmas morning, exciting but impatient that there are still a few hours before the fun starts! It was another mentally tough day, we knew that the previous group had arrived by midday making it a relatively short trekking day, but walking along one straight line with nothing but the beach to think about made time drag. One of the greatest moments of the trek was coming up however when we saw a sign to the beach we were heading to, showing it was only 4k away. That was when the realisation sunk in that we had trekked for 228k and we were on the very last stretch. Following a quick stop for some tasty snacks, a nice change from cold baked beans, we were on our way and the last four kilometres ended up flying by. As we rounded the bend to get our first proper glimpse of the sea, Sarah was standing to meet us and we were all together again as we had started at the Caribbean.

Upon arrival at our campsite, boots were flung aside and bags removed for the last time and we began our well earned relaxation time – making the most of the fact the sun had finally decided to join us by soaking up some rays and cooling off with a healing dip in the Pacific. Sunday saw another whole day of relaxation and making secret Santa presents, followed by a bonfire and a reminiscence of the highlights of the trip. These ranged from the epic falling over in the mud of the jungle, reaching our highest point of the trek, experiencing the generosity of the Costa Rican people, bathing in the river, and of course our first glimpse of the Pacific ocean.

It was no surprise that when ranking our trek in our review back at field base, everyone scored the experience 10 out of 10; and we were all in agreement about the reason why – we had a fantastic group. Of course there were a few lows but these never lasted more than a couple of hours, as the rest of the group pulled together to help those struggling. We started the trek together and finished it together, accumulating many in jokes along the way, and sharing many laughs and stories as a group that spends twenty four seven together will do. When asked whether there was anything we would change about the trek, our answer was a unanimous resounding NO!

Paradise: The destiation that made all of that walking worthwhile

A well-deserved rest

The final stretch

April and Mo take their final steps across the continent

Ailsa, Thea, Sam and Kyle showing mixed emotions about the end of their trek

The girls soaking up the sun on the beach