Bravo Four drop in on X-ray Two for a spot of volcano trekking

We're not all computers, comms updates and coffee breaks here at the expedition epicentre - occassionally we're rather adventuresome, thank you very much. And it was exactly one of those days when a choc-a-block Bravo Four rolled out of Turrialba in the first murmerings of dawn, bound for the volcanic north of Costa Rica, and onwards into Nicaragua...

First stop was our quick-stepping friends on the Guanacaste trek - after a couple of days in the jungle these intrepid folk had emerged into a land of conical peaks and crater lakes - we found them at the base of a huge bohemoth called Rincón de la Vieja (1,916m) - the highest point in Rincón de la Vieja National Park. Its name means "The Old Woman's Corner", a reference to a local legend about a girl whose lover was thrown into the crater by her father; she subsequently became a recluse living on the mountain. After a rather magical night camping under a blanket of stars, we woke at first light to a mess tin full of porridge and a challenge from X-ray Two: "Last one to the top is a sissy" they yelled, as they disappeared up a dusty track. We closed our laptops and gave chase...

Third from the left is the newest addition to the Fieldbase team - the lovely Zoë

The summit!

We had a smashing day with the trekkers - they were all on fine form and thoroughly trounced the Fieldbase team in the race to the top. While we were there, Sebastián León also gave us the second installment of his Guanacaste trek diary...

Day Five

Wind: it woke us up early in the morning, it pushed us around the hilltops and it brought mist our way during the afternoon. There was wind everywhere on day five, and most of us loved it, perhaps with the exception of our dear Day Leader Hugo, who likes to think he’s got a case of acute “Windophobia”... whatever that is.

It wasn’t particularly early when we left Tejona to hit the road. We passed fields and more fields as we walked and walked and walked, and then turned around and walked back, much to the bewilderment of local cows and horses. Taking the right turn this time led us to some amazing hill tops with wind farms neatly lined up on our right.

Soon after the wind farms we reached the highway on which we walked endlessly until we arrived at a town called Tierros Morenas, much to the satisfaction of the local pulparia (village shop) owner.

At Tierros Morenas we met Don Evelio, our guide for the next two days, who pointed us towards the closest ranger station which proved not to be close at all; one-and-a-half hours of struggling up the steepest of hills finally took to our destination and we soon joined by Annie and Blogger, who brought us lots of laughs, hugs, kisses, food and spooning.

Day Six
From the mountain top to the depths of the forest, X-ray Two trekked on for the sixth day. But it wasn’t the same forest that Alpha Two had known three weeks before; ours lived up to the name of rainforest - previously solid ground turned into sticky swamp, rocks turned into rivers, and stairways into mudslides. Up and down, left and right, through and around, we followed Evelio’s machete. We saw trees (just a few), we crossed rivers, and more often than not we greeted the lovely forest ground (read: mud) with our behinds. The forest, in turn, wasn’t shy with its wildlife: white-faced monkeys, an anteater and a turtle crossed our path – much to our amazement.

We arrived at our destination early in the afternoon. A small clearing soon hosted our three tents, and they didn’t stay vacant for long as we retreated from the moist and cold of the forest as soon as we possibly could. Don Evelio however had no intention to faff around with tents; at dinnertime, we emerged from our tents to find that he’s constructed a small rancho for us to cook in. Don Evelio – we love you and your superman-like powers!

Day Seven
Don Evelio’s smile welcomed us into the seventh day of our trek. “It’s not going to rain” he predicted – and he was right, of course. The sun was already shining upon us (through a dense barrier of protective clouds that is) when we finished packing up our tents and getting ourselves ready for our second jungle day.

The forest was much kinder to us that morning: river crossings were scarce and muddy slides were kept to a minimum. Our enthusiasm bolstered by the charming environment, we soon found ourselves at a much-anticipated place: lunch break!

Tuna and crackers were accompanied by decision-making: were we to take the direct route to the rangers’ station, and the prospect of an early shower, or to take the long way there, which would lead us to the beautiful purple-blue hot springs. Serendipitously, we were taken via the latter.

The hot springs challenged our knowledge of physics: clap your hands to make the water bubble faster? It’s true! The waterfall was absolutely amazing; maybe due to the stunning view the purple waters provide, or perhaps it was the freedom of not carrying our rucksacks up and down. Either way, we loved it!

Our arrival at Volcán Tenorio National Park was even better than foretold. Katie was expecting us there – to rejoin our team no less! Mud and grass were washed away in the showers, and X-ray Two finished the day having casados (mixed plate comprising rice, veg, egg, meat, etc) and chips in a nearby restaurant.

Day Eight
Ah! How wonderful life is when you’re on the road! With waves, handshakes and hugs, we bid Don Evelio farewell and turned to the road that would lead us to our next destination – and what a pleasant surprise to learn that we would be taking a ‘slightly steeper and slightly muddy’ shortcut. We should have known better than to trust the optimistic descriptions of the locals...

After a few hours of struggling up hills covered by boot-swallowing mud, we made a stop for lunch, sunbathing and some napping, and we couldn’t have chosen a better place: we were shocked to discover a family of howler monkeys playing on the branches of a close-by tree.

The afternoon took us to a supermarket, about which we faffed no longer than strictly necessary, and then along what seemed to be an endless rocky road which finally led to a welcoming town called Zapote. We spent the rest of our Sunday afternoon playing ‘La Anda’ (Stuck in the Mud) with the local kids, teaching each other songs and enjoying Nacho’s cooking - always a great way to end a day on trek.

Find out how the Guanacaste group got on in the second half of their 20-day volcano odyssey soon – the final instalment of Sebas’ trek diary will be online at changeover.