Today was the scheduled all-day trek to the top of Cerro Mariposa (Mt. Butterfly) on the southwest side of Santa Fe. The trek was only about 6 miles, so I was wondering how it would turn into an all day thing. But then again, I struggled to walk on the trail to Cascada Burmejo yesterday and never got there. Mostly because I chickened out (nobody knew where I was, nobody was on the trail), but it’s not easy walking.
It wasn’t. I don’t think there was a single step I took in nearly 7 hours that was stable and of a normal stride length. The terrain was constantly uncertain, with rocks, roots, lianas, branches, and mud. Mud, mud, mud. I totally appreciate the ubiquity of rubber boots here. There were times I thought the mud was going to suck even the almost knee-high boot off my foot. Often my entire foot would disappear past my ankle.
That being said, I had a wonderful time. Señor Edgar was a great guide (the same we had for the night hike) and I was the only client. One-on-one in the jungle. It was a lot like what I had for the cross Koh Chang trek I took last November in Thailand, but much better. Edgar knew his stuff, and we were able to communicate much better than I was able to in Thailand.
That being said, I had a wonderful time. Señor Edgar was a great guide (the same we had for the night hike) and I was the only client. One-on-one in the jungle. It was a lot like what I had for the cross Koh Chang trek I took last November in Thailand, but much better. Edgar knew his stuff, and we were able to communicate much better than I was able to in Thailand.
The jungle itself is nicer, too. Not everything here wants to kill me instantly, it’s more patient and insidious, and is willing to sucker me in to kill me. I can hang onto trees and plants for balance without them all having poisonous spines, for example. However the lianas are always there to trip me and let the many varieties of multi-legged creatures do the killing. All in all, I like this jungle better.
We saw various guans, toucans, warblers, hummers, and other birds in the canopy, and gobs of spiders, and insects. Where the mud was more congealed, we saw the spoor of puma and venados poquitos. I saw a mountain crab, and couple of salamanders and frogs. The hummingbird’s nest was cool, too.
Thus endeth my mountain adventures. It rained—a lot, there was mud—a lot, and there was very little sunshine, but the temperature was mild, and pleasant. I would have liked to have stayed somewhere with perhaps better proximity to restaurants (all three of them in the town), but overall, I would definitely return to both Santa Fe, and the Coffee Mountain Inn.
I’ve got it in my mind that it’s time to head back to PTY, and onward to the USA, though I have a couple of days left. I have less reluctance this time to go back - maybe because this trip has been more melancholic than Thailand, despite my better ability to communicate with the locals. I have ideas as to why, but I’ve got no desire to explore them; this is a blog, not a therapy session.
We saw various guans, toucans, warblers, hummers, and other birds in the canopy, and gobs of spiders, and insects. Where the mud was more congealed, we saw the spoor of puma and venados poquitos. I saw a mountain crab, and couple of salamanders and frogs. The hummingbird’s nest was cool, too.
Thus endeth my mountain adventures. It rained—a lot, there was mud—a lot, and there was very little sunshine, but the temperature was mild, and pleasant. I would have liked to have stayed somewhere with perhaps better proximity to restaurants (all three of them in the town), but overall, I would definitely return to both Santa Fe, and the Coffee Mountain Inn.
I’ve got it in my mind that it’s time to head back to PTY, and onward to the USA, though I have a couple of days left. I have less reluctance this time to go back - maybe because this trip has been more melancholic than Thailand, despite my better ability to communicate with the locals. I have ideas as to why, but I’ve got no desire to explore them; this is a blog, not a therapy session.
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