Fortunately in La Fortuna…
After breakfast, Bruce, Beth, Vanessa, Catherine, Jan and I managed to get an Uber that could carry the six of us to the hiking trails of the Arunel volcano. For the next couple of hours we trekked the blue trail up and the grey trail back. Jan declared that she had never done such a technical hike. There were a lot of steep steps and roots to maneuver, but we all made it in one piece.
The trail ends at a campground by a lake where we admired a couple of muscovy ducks. As we trekked the road beside the lake we heard a car coming and stepped to the side. Fortunately Bruce caught Jan before she stepped back onto a very large boa constrictor which quickly scuttled into his hole.
A couple of Ubers got us to town. We split into two groups with the “youngsters” heading out on their own. The rest of us ended up at JD’s favorite ice cream spot where we ran into JD himself. We had a nice light lunch in this place (Cocolate Fusion) and used the internet to check for updates from Criss. I learned that I could use my Uber app and fortunately I was able to call a cab for JD to go back to the hotel.
The rest of us soon followed in another Uber.
Those that hadn’t done the trek had gone bird watching and canyoning and fortunately had no major injuries. They had lots of good stories though.
The canyoning gang began with a shuttle to base camp where they were outfitted with helmets, harnesses and gloves. After receiving instruction on repelling and ziplining, they hiked into a crystal clear creek cradled within a stunning canyon. This is Lost Canyon. They would spend the next 2 hours working their way down this glorious strip of paradise using a combination of repelling down cliffs and waterfalls, jumping into deep pools, ziplining over wide expanses and scrambling over rocks. At one point, one of their guides vanished only to reappear in a prone position further along, his body acting like a dam across the creek. They thought he was blocking a small waterfall to allow them to better navigate the rocking steps below. Alas this was not the case. Once they were below, they were instructed to sit in a human chain configuration. Before they knew it, he released the dam and they were abruptly hit with a cascade of water. Their guides were absolutely trying to keep them entertained. They certainly enjoy their jobs!
Travelling through the canyon was like stepping back in time. The cliffs were obscurred for the most part by a dense curtain of vegetation that looked primordial in nature. Thick vines hung down like ropes and they half expected Tarzan to come hurling by. They certainly tried to play the part themselves, especially Diane who uttered the most bloodcurdling screams imaginable. All in all, it was an incredible few hours of adrenaline, fear and fun!
The crazy canyoning crowd opted to go to town for supper while the rest of us stayed at the hotel for a BBQ which fortunately turned out to be delicious – chicken, sausage, beef with rice, potatoes, plantain pancakes.