The last word - part one! Alpha One to Alpha Five...

Top up your coffee cups... this is a big one. This weekend, our Alpha groups returned to Fieldbase from all over Costa Rica and Nicaragua, armed with stories and photos of their experiences over the last three weeks. Below, the Communication Officers from each group sum up with a few final thoughts on Phase One...

Top trekker Olly Longworth (Alpha One) reflects on completing his Corcovado crusade...

Olly in action

Alpha One had a hard start to the trek after missing a sign post on our first day. But steadily morale in the team rose as we continued to surprise each other and ourselves with our accomplishments. Rewards such as a visit to some natural hot springs and a beautiful banoffee pie for Olly’s birthday helped the teams ‘craics’ stay high even through the toughest climbs. For me, the highlights would be crawling in from a gruelling trek to a prearranged camp site, sometimes even with a shower (one was even warm) and sitting around after dinner feeling the sense of satisfaction that comes through pushing yourself through your limits every day. High points often came in the form of unexpected Costa Rican generosity, for example after paying just £3 to eat and stay at a cafe all afternoon the owner brought out three huge portions of food that made a welcome change from our rations. Acts of kindness like this obviously spurred us on. When we were in more isolated areas the natural beauty and the treat of looking back on what we had walked was amazing. Short of more than our fair share of injuries, mosquito bites and tears Alpha One have reached their destination ahead of time (walking just over 15km before 10.30am on our last walking day) and the euphoria outweighs everything - including our rucksacks.

Alpha One

Telisha Johnson and friends from Alpha Two brief us on the last few days of the Guanacaste Trek...

Day 15 by Ed Abel Smith
We awoke early after our one and only day off; to find all three of our tents were crushed by the wind. We were quick and ‘keen’ to get walking again. We navigated our way along paths not seen on the map, on our hardest navigational day of the trek. We walked hard with very few stops, despite the recent blistering heat. The weather caused a bit of dehydration among the group, but everyone soldiered on to an abandoned ranger’s station where we set up camped and enjoyed a well deserved dinner. It was a tough day, but being the best Alpha group, we did it!

Day 14 by Annabel Johns
I was faced with the tough task of being group leader on the day of our excursion to the volcano, crucially minus our mammoth bags. Joined by Bravo 4, we all battled through raging winds to the bottom of the volcano, only to be informed that the elements made the trip to the summit too risky for even the intrepid Alpha 2 to handle. Therefore we ended up walking the less arduous 5k to some boiling volcanic mud, passing lagoons and hot springs en route. A fun time was had by all, and the morning was followed by a leisurely afternoon sunbathing by the pool. Life can indeed be hard on trek.

Day 13 by Laura Wagner Veary
A long lie in (til 6am!) followed by energy bombs AND porridge…not a bad start to the day! We then took a short stroll to a waterfall where some of us braved the cool water and had a nice morning swim. Another brief walk and we arrived back at the hot springs we’d visited the day before where we took a leisurely lunch. Not a bad day to be group leader! The only downfall was the pot noodle lunch which I ditched in favour of snacks and donated to the eating machine that is Ed! A few km of walking that afternoon led us to the lodge where we were greeted by the bravo 4 and set up camp for the following two, very windy, evenings.

Day 17 by Telisha Johnson
Almost leaping at the opportunity, I raised my hand for a second time for the chance to be day leader. Everyone readily accepted this, and alas my day was once again upon me. I began the day by calling Ed chef, who by this point was the sole cook, no one else could quite like him. He brought back memories of rice pudding (rice and milk) that could sometimes take up to 2 hours to cook!

So on this day, we had our route for the last three days changed. We were given instructions for the route we had to take as we had no map. A challenge was ahead of us, and I was eager to lead. Id had a taste for leadership, so now I had to step up. Waking up at a reasonable 4.30am, I roused the group so that the morning routine could begin. We packed, we cooked, we cleaned and we then left the half built house that we had stayed in the night before heading in the north west direction.

We travelled along a dreary road, until we made it to a junction that amazingly lead to another road, the inter Americana! A tough decision was approaching us at this junction. A left turn would, according to the locals lead to nowhere whilst a right clearly stated our destination, Junquillal. After some deliberation, and checking with field base that we had the right directions, we apprehensively turned left. Walking an impressive 10 km in 3 hours, we made it to our destination which wasn’t all that bad as we chilled out at a local river spot.

The final day!
After waking up to some musical entertainment from the boys cooking breakfast, we set off on a high. A non existent path meant having to walk on the monotonous road until we found our route. The heat settled in and the pressure was on as we made our way down a steep hillside into a dried up river. After stopping for a short lunch, we mercifully found water from a curious shack where we experienced our first long drop toilet! After a torturous hours walk to the town, we found relief from a local pulperia, which spurred us on for the final 4km.

As the beach came into view, emotions were high and feet were strangely fast paced as the final destination was just around the corner, or the next. . . The relief that came as we dropped our bags down and ran for the sea was immense! A blissful day on the beach was the perfect end to our challenging first phase, making all our hard work worth it.

Alpha Two

Reflections from Nathan Denne (Alpha Three) on walking across Costa Rica from Coast to Coast...

It’s finally come to an end; we’ve reached the pacific and literally thrown ourselves into its warm congratulating waters. 19 days of intense trekking across mountains, rivers, jungle, roads, railways and dusty tracks in moral denting rain and unforgiving sunshine have all given way to the beautiful pacific coast. Alpha 3 have successfully traversed almost 300km across an entire continent and lived to tell the tale! This is a brief summary of our trek experiences.

Days 1 – 4: After just 3 hours sleep we were instantly thrown in the deep end as the sweltering heat and humidity of the Caribbean coast quickly began to take its toll. After leaving the palm tree studded beach we trekked down a banana plantation railway for what seemed like forever with no shade in sight. Befriending coconut giving locals helped ease the pain, and a good night’s sleep in Astrada was interrupted only by the occasional giant toad which using ninja like skills managed to somehow end up inside my mosquito net. Sleep deprivation soon set in over the next couple days, only to slip slightly away as our bodies got used to the regular 4am starts. We soldiered on through aching limbs and the occasional blister appearance to reach the foothills of the central Costa Rican mountain plateau signalling the start of a shattering but incredible few days.

Day 1 Caribbean Coast

Day 5 – 9: On Day 5 after spending the night in the awesome Barbilla ranger station Alpha 3 faced the jungle and none of us had any idea what to expect. Relentless uphill, mud up to our knees and a guide with almost unlimited stamina all combined to ensure that the vast majority of us found Day 5 our most challenging so far. In classic Alpha 3 style however we took it in our stride and Day 6 provided a welcome break staying in a small village farm house situated on a small hill within a brief gap in the seemingly endless jungle. Stunning sunrise the following morning signalled a day of beautiful vistas as by 10am after 5 hours of uphill trekking we finally exited the jungle to spectacular views over the mountains and valley with an apt backdrop of the currently active Volcan Turrialba. After a good nights sleep in a local community centre complete with basic kitchen and shower facilities (which were strongly appreciated) we embarked on our longest day yet, aiming to trek 26km to the small farming town of Oriente. Previous groups had tried this in a single day but fallen short, in Alpha 3 however we took no half measures and by 4pm we all limped into the outskirts of Oriente, absolutely shattered, lacking any feeling within our feet but overjoyed at reaching our target. PM Mike says we make our own luck and Oriente was if anything a perfect illustration of this – we ended up managing to stay in an empty house complete with balcony and electricity! We ended the evening eating spaghetti on the terrace and playing football with the town kids.

Day 6 heading back into jungle

Day 10 – 14: By the half way point in our trek days no longer seemed to drag and the whole experience became reality, touching upon normality. The daily routine of getting up around 4am , making breakfast, packing up camp and backpacks and leaving just as the sun started to cast a soft orange glow across whatever landscape we would be conquering that day soon became almost autonomous and self regulating. Day 11 however decided we were getting perhaps a little too comfortable with our ability as a team to easily counter most challenges; this was the start of the pylons. We followed a line of electricity pylons higher and higher into the mountains until we were more than 2000metres in altitude, at this point we entered the cloud line where the weather became anything but normal. A couple of minutes of heavy rainfall would almost instantly evaporate into burning sunshine, only to cover over with freezing wind minutes later again. We had to camp under one of these gigantic pylons in conditions that for any of us Brits quickly brought back “fond” recollections of camping in England. After an almost non-existent nights sleep many of us awoke to find the rain had kindly formed small swimming pools within our tents, and to top it all off after traversing a rickety bridge that would certainly have made Indiana Jones proud, we headed briefly back into our most loathed of terrains; steep muddy jungle ascent. Safe to say these last couple of days had put a small dent in team moral, but being Alpha 3 we powered through, climbing through the bizarre but stunning cloud forests up to 2800metres, the highest point on our entire trek. The next couple of days were spent dipping up and down various points in the mountain range with a definite highlight being spending the night in the spiritual but also striking grounds of San Pablo church.

Pylons into the cloud forest

Day 15 – 19: Without even realising it the end of the trek was in sight, it was no longer the almost unobtainable goal on the horizon and now seemed almost just round the corner. After coming face to face with a couple of snakes escaping the gathering heat of the day we climbed and conquered the Dragon, a 2500m high mountain with no beaten trail whatsoever and thick jungle covering the vast majority of it´s summit. We had ditched our 25kg backpacks for the first time since leaving Field Base and the sense freedom was uplifting, albeit needed! Relaxing to have a brief lunch and carve our name into the rock at the top we took a minute to take in the view, on the horizon was the coast line of the Pacific almost within touching distance. Scorpions, mice and what seemed like unnaturally large crickets or locust like insects tried their best to prevent us sleeping but failed miserably. With just a couple of days left we took an alternative route to the Pacific Coast, deviating from previous Raleigh expeditions, ensuring no prior experience or guidance and therefore adding an additional layer of difficulty but one that would hopefully pave the way for future expeditions by providing an improved route. Granted we stumbled at a few crossroads and spent a lot of time pouring over the grossly outdated maps with the compass, but we didn´t once get lost – aided in part by friendly and helpful locals more than happy to point us in the right direction. We could all agree, a definite highlight was finding a beautiful and refreshing river in which to have lunch and a swim after 8 hours of intense up and downhill trekking in sweltering and humid conditions. We awoke on the morning of day 18 in the large partly uncovered community centre of Bijagual buzzing with the thought of reaching the beach that afternoon. We were just 20km from the Pacific Coast and we all knew it, taking bets on exactly what time we´d reach our final target. Rivers, highway, 50ft colossal palm trees, the final day had it all, and before we even knew it the signs to Playa Palo Seco (our destination on the pacific coast line) were reading single figures. As we rounded the final corner and caught a glimpse of the sand and sea through the tree line several hundred metres up ahead the weight of our backpacks almost disappeared as we surged forward to complete our epic trek. The feeling of jubilation and achievement was almost unrivalled as we hugged and threw ourselves into the sea fully clothed knowing we were finished.

Alpha 3 at top of the Dragon

The next 36 hours presented a much needed break as we lay in the sun, swam in the sea, played football on the beach, and in general attempted to absorb what we had accomplished. 300km from one coast of not only a country but an entire continent to the other, we had witnessed so much of what Costa Rica had to offer not only in terms of terrain but also the culture and people themselves. We had succeeded as a team and matured as people and the stunning sunset over the Pacific Ocean was a fitting end to what for many of us was one of our greatest achievements.

Joe Talboys from Alpha Four reflects on his time at La Cangreja jungle camp...

It’s safe to say that all of us are very sad to be leaving Alpha Four. We’ve become a very close group with a great team spirit and an ability to get things done. Our time at La Cangreja was very hard work, but we had many laughs along the way, lots of them revolving around the unreliability of our basher beds! There were also notable encounters with some of Costa Rica’s wildlife, in particular the Chicharras (flying green buzzing things that we christened the Meep Meeps), Snakes in our toilet and even giant Butterflies. We played some great games in the evenings, including the now infamous ‘werewolves’ (or mafia as many other groups seem to know it) introduced by PM Jenny, and were lucky enough to be able to swim in our local river whenever we had a free moment. We did a great job there, and were so pleased to be told by the rangers that we were the best Raleigh group they’d ever had.

After La Cangreja we moved on to Playa Hermosa on the pacific coast. We found ourselves painting the local ranger station and sleeping on the beach. We had great fun taking a break from digging and all had a good laugh when some harmless paint flicking got out of hand! We got to swim everyday during our time there, and were even treated to the odd surfing lesson by the rangers. We managed to get all our painting done, and even had time for some beach Olympics on the last day.
Alpha Four has been a fantastic group to be part of. We’ve worked hard and had a lot of fun along the way. Everyone chipped in and did their bit for the team, and we all managed to come away from our three week phase relatively unscathed, minus a few thousand mosquito bites! We’re all sad to be separating but intend to write to each other when we move onto our next phase!

Alpha Four say goodbye to the jungle

Alpha Five's Ollie Carmichael and Laura Forrest tell us about their last week at Camaronal...

Valentine’s Day had emerged as a real turning point for Alpha Five. Everybody had been surprised by the care and effort that went into the day and, combined with a moving evening with the other, native volunteers, had resulted in a much closer, understanding and responsible Alpha Five team.

So with spirits soaring, people were virtually leaping from their bashers to start work. The following morning therefore, a rather stunning set of stairs was completed on the path, with an accompanying drainage pipe! This had been a hugely satisfying, mini-project that had seriously tested Alpha Five’s engineering skills. As a reward for our endeavours, that afternoon in the searing sun, we competed in the Camaronal Beach Olympics 2010. Competitors were tested in running, throwing and jumping disciplines. Whilst the heat and humidity may have defeated other teams, Alpha Five’s character shone as three teams competed ferociously for the crown. Some flourished and some floundered but great fun was had by all and everyone had earnt their afternoon swim. Incidentally, this was the time when a new fabulously simple game was improvised. The premise: stand with your back to large breaking waves, fingers in ears and eyes shut. The result: hilarious, but safe, chaos.

Over the next couple of days, there was turtlemania at Camaronal. One group especially had a particularly eventful patrol. After only 15 minutes, they stumbled across a turtle trying to find an appropriate spot for its nest. When a turtle goes into birth it goes into a sort of trance that means it is oblivious to almost everything around it except flash photography, which can distort its senses. So to save time, volunteers have to clear a pathway to the turtle's nest and catch the eggs as they arrive, bag them and count them. Having your hand under a wild turtle, catching its eggs as it gives birth is a phenomenal experience most venturers were able to witness and when you are a part of the whole process, and see it crawl back to the sea and swim away, it is a hugely rewarding thing. This birth was even more eventful than normal though because a group of tourists were also being guided around the beach to witness the turtles. They approached the birth and swarmed around the volunteers and the turtle. This added a whole new dimension to the process and provided the perfect microcosm of the dichotomy of eco-tourism. They were pretty disrespectful of the whole event. They got too close to the turtle, were too slow to move out of its way when it tried to return to the sea and many were wearing white clothing which is not allowed because, as it materialised, the turtle is attracted to you because it thinks it is the moon's reflection off the sea. The venturers patrolling that night were left pretty confused by the whole thing. However it is important to understand that the tourism is vital to the beach; the ranger's had so little. But it was not properly regulated at the time.

Incredibly, a mere 30 minutes after this complex event, the same lucky Venturers then approached what initially appeared to be a silhouette of a rock, or perhaps driftwood, but in fact transpired to be a fully grown leatherback turtle, the largest and rarest turtle of the ocean. Spanning approximately 1.80m and weighing around half a tonne, the leatherback turtle is truly a vast and impressive creature. It is easy to see their prehistoric and Jurassic origins. It really does look like a dinosaur. It was so surreal five venturers, without a ranger to help, managed to see this endangered species. Despite such grandeur, the turtle was surprisingly dim and attempted to lay its eggs in the ocean as opposed to the stable, warm sand. So after a frustrating two hours, the leatherback decided now was not the time and returned to the Pacific. What an incredible evening!

As if we weren’t lucky enough to see one of the most endangered species in the world that night, the following day also proved to be a turtle invasion. One turtle was seen slowly crawling up the beach in the burning afternoon heat. Unfortunately the sand was far too hot, and she was forced to return to the cooling Ocean without laying her eggs. However, an hour after the highly anticipated arrival of Field base (with the tuck shop) to our homely jungle camp, we spotted an Olive Ridley turtle laying its eggs with the background of Camaronal sunset. It was incredible to see the laying of eggs in daylight, which isn’t common in Camaronal, and the fact that the whole of Alpha five was there together made the experience one of the most memorable. That evening we were all in high spirits and celebrated by an indulgent feast provided by the tuck shop. Field base also brought another scrumptious treat with them– Tom, a new member from Alpha Two, unfortunately injured on the Guanacaste trek. Most went to bed that night, more than satisfied by the multiple turtle sightings and far too much chocolate.

One evening Alpha five had a “heart to heart.” It was so insightful and helped us all realize how well we had all got to know each other. It is amazing how 16 people on a deserted beach can all become so close in such a short space of time. The meeting ended in a giant group hug – we had all come out of our shells. Consequently the next day we made lots of progress on our bridge, you could say it was a bridge linking our hearts man.

With a couple of days to go, Dave and Jude (or Dude) were treating us to a surprise day out. It began with a sweaty trek to a secret destination, which turned out to be a bus stop. Then a bus ride to a nearby surf town of Samara. This provided us with a chance to pig out on ‘real’ food for the first time and we went to town; pancakes, burgers, chips, the whole shebang, was consumed. It was an insight into what could lay in store for those of us travelling on. Further, it instigated the realization that Alpha Five was coming to an end, we would soon move on and start the whole process again. This was both an exciting prospect for the weeks ahead, but obviously a sad moment. Everyone of Alpha Five had an incredible experience and feel genuinely fortunate for the opportunity to live in such a beautiful environment like Camaronal and help their environmental objectives, whilst getting to know some amazing people and laughing the whole way.

Next blog: final thoughts from Alpha's Six to Ten...