Chirripó

I'm back in San Isidro (again- it's starting to feel like Cáceres to me), waiting to go to the next farm. Last night was spent in a sketchy hotel where Emily was convinced there were bed bugs. I'm not so sure, as I have tons of mosquito (and other) bites so they all kind of blend together. The adventure to Chirripó was that, an adventure. The hike up, 14 kms strictly uphill, was as difficult as I thought it would be with the altitude. By the end I could barely breathe and it was pouring and extremely windy. Upon arrival at the ranger station/lodge I was soaking and freezing. Emily and I had to rent blankets from the rangers because we (obviously) had come unprepared. I lived in the blanket. The storm got worse through the night, with sideways rain, howling wind. The plan had been to hike the remaining 5 kms to the top that day, but instead we spent it huddled in the common area of the lodge, begging hot water from various groups who had brought camp stoves or gas for the stoves provided (we had neither, of course). Apparently, the storm is the 3rd of its kind in 25 years. What luck. We hiked back to San Gerardo the next day, in light rain and wind in the beginning, and sun at the end. Of course. It was so beautiful and I was angry for most of the descent, thinking about what the view could have been like atop Chirripó. There is next time! Hah, hopefully more prepared, too. The whole experience is ridiculous, to the point of being absurd, and thus hilarious!