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| Crater Lake |
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It seems like a mountain, even looks like one, but in reality Irazú (ear-rah ZOO) is classified as a strata volcano. The large irregular shaped cone has been formed by many eruptions creating numerous layers (stratas) of ash, lava and rocks. The huge cone of volcanic layers has eroded over the years, leaving rocks at the top, while the middle to bottom has been reduced by nature to fertile soil. These rich soils produce a bountiful harvest of various vegetables.
Known to the locals as El Coloso (the colossus), Irazú hasn’t erupted dangerously since 1963, but occasional grumbles and puffs of steam warn us of the sleeping giant just below the placid waters of the multiple crater lakes.
The 1963 eruption covered the cities and farms for miles around killing thousands of livestock with the gasses and dust. This also caused cancellation of the visit to Costa Rica by US President Kennedy.
The farms and communities have recovered from the last episode but I always feel an uneasy peace as I pass by the patchwork plots that line the road winding up the side of the volcano.
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| The Beginning |
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On January 27, 2011 I planned to hike the 20 kilometers (13 miles) from the town of Cot (Coat) to the edge of the main crater some 4000 vertical feet away. Fortunately, there is nice asphalt road all the way to the top and Thursday morning promised light traffic. I planned to hike to the top, leapfrogging my support truck with Fred Holt at the wheel. We started at 7 AM hoping to reach the top around 2 PM, about seven hours of steady hiking for me and a long day of waiting for Fred. “I always knew you were crazy.” “What in heaven’s name are you doing that for?” “Are you nuts?” All right, all right, I’ll tell you why. And it is even simpler than “because it’s there,” or “ I’m releasing the inner man.” I am doing it because I need the practice and to test myself. Mary and I moved to Costa Rica five years ago. Since then, my old trail running buddy Jay Norman has been trying to get me to climb Cerro Chirripó, the highest mountain in Costa Rica. Topping out at 12,400 feet, it is a little higher than Irazú, and the route to the top is a dirt trail passable only by foot or horseback. The total climb to the top is actually 25K, but we plan to hike up to El Refugio at 11,000 feet, stay overnight at a rustic shelter, and then complete the hike to the top the following morning. After making the ascent to Los Crestones we will turn around, hike to the bottom and return home. Our overnight gear will be carried up and back down by porters.
For the past five years I have managed to come up with some lame reason for not making the climb, like having a small heart attack or having to have a new pacemaker battery installed. Finally I have run out of flimsy excuses. Besides, I will turn 74 two days before the climb on March 3 and I am giving myself another grand adventure as a birthday present. I also am in the best shape I have been in for years and at my age you had better jump at the opportunity as these windows don’t come along often.
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| My Crew |
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Back to Irazú. Being in pretty good shape, I felt pretty confident that I could handle the Chirripó climb in no more than eight hours; but I was a little concerned with my ability to handle the altitude, heart and lung-wise. I felt that Irazú, while not as tough a climb as Chirripó, would give me the same approximate altitude change and any major problems should show up. For safety I had Big Fred and his truck just around the corner and could bail out if need be.
Thursday morning we got up at 5:30 AM and arrived just outside the town of Cot at seven. I was outfitted with shorts, a long sleeve poly-pro shirt, a Tyvek windbreaker, gloves, hat and sunglasses. I also wore a Camelback waist pack with a 50 oz bladder and room for snacks and first aid supplies. It weighed about 8 pounds but proved to be very comfortable.
I also have a Garmin 405 wrist GPS which gives me time, distance and altitude. I wear a heart rate monitor on the other wrist, and, oh yes, I had my camera.
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| The Start |
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The temperature was in the low 60’s when we started and there didn’t seem to be any rain in sight, which had been my biggest concern. We had attempted this climb two years ago in 40 degrees and a driving rain and I lasted 6K before packing it in. That was earlier in the year though and so far this week it had been fair and dry.
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| 3K Mark |
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| Me at 6K Mark |
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I started off at about a 15 minute per kilometer pace and surprisingly was able to maintain this pace the rest of the way with only about a minute stop at the truck each 3K. My average, including stops, was 17 minutes per kilometer and after jumping up to 125 beats per minute at the start, my heart rate steadied at 105-110 and stayed there the rest of the day.
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| Clouds Moving In |
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The weather stayed decent with only a couple of clouds to go through. Most of the way it was sunny enough that I had to put on my sunglasses. In fact, near the top it was downright hot with very little shade, and I worked up a pretty good sweat.
The trip was pretty uneventful with no physical problems, plenty of water and little automotive traffic. I encountered a female hiker who went by me like I was standing still, a couple of bicyclists, a herd of cows, and a team of oxen with a cart and a young driver. Other than farm workers I saw few people and was left pretty much to my thoughts.
My thoughts pretty much turned to gratitude. I felt grateful to be blessed with good health, blessed to live in such a gorgeous fun filled country, and blessed to have an understanding wife, who just knows I am chiflado (nuts) and that she will have to pick my body out of a ravine one of these days. I remind her that given the choice of the ravine to rotting away in a wheelchair we would both be better off with the former.
I used to be a runner and was pretty good at it, but age has turned me into a walker/hiker. At first I was a little disappointed at not being able to run without considerable effort and took up rapid walking grudgingly. Soon I found that I didn?t have to pay as much attention to my footing and was able to interact with my environment more fully and experience the activities as I passed by instead of checking my watch to make sure I was on pace.
First I met several cows and their protector, a large bull. I kept quiet and slipped by them as they were distracted by some greener grass.
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| Oxen with Young Boyero |
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Next I passed a team of oxen (los bueyes) and their young driver. (el boyero) He was quick to point out that the team wasn’t his, but his father’s.
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| Notice the Improvised Jack |
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Repairing vehicles in Cost Rica takes on a shade tree mechanic context. The two fellows repairing the tractor seemed to take advantage of what was nearby to prop up the axle. They waved and gave me a rousing “buenos dias” as I tooled on by. I said a prayer that their improvised jack would hold up. Sure enough, on our way back in the truck, the tractor was back in operation. We didn’t hear any sirens, so we assumed they didn’t get pinned under the tractor.
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| Not So Lucky Pedestrians |
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My next prayer was for those not so fortunate. Unfortunately, Costa Rica is one of the world leaders in the number of pedestrian deaths per capita. Narrow winding roads, coupled with the lack of sidewalks and highway aprons make walking, especially at night, a hazardous experience. To draw attention to this and to promote highway safety Costa Rica paints large hearts on the road where there have been pedestrian fatalities. I passed by two such hearts and I felt empathy for those struck down and their families. Five to six hundred pedestrian highway deaths is a serious problem in a country with a population the size of Houston, and the government tries its best to make everyone a little more careful.
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| Onions |
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| Soil Ready for Planting |
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| Califlor |
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By now I was nearing the top and the huertes (vegetable farms) were thinning out as the soil became rockier and less arable. Most of the vegetables grown in these cool temperatures are root crops and cruciferous vegetables. I had passed acres and acres of brócoli, coliflor, remolaches (beets,) zanahorias (carrots,) apio (celery,) cebollas (onions,) and papas (potatoes.)
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| Poor Man's Umbrella |
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As I neared the top the vegetation grew sparser and the only things that caught my attention were the “poor man’s umbrella,” which speaks for itself.
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| Nearing the Top |
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Big Fred was parked next to the park entrance and much to my dismay I then realized that I had not even thought of a park fee. There it was, posted in plain site, 5000 colones for tourists and 1000 colones for residents. I qualified for the latter but NOT without my Cedula (residency card) to prove it. I explained my situation and after my pleading and explanation of the importance of this journey to me, he issued me a residency ticket. I borrowed 1000 colones from Fred and continued the two kilometers to the summit. The views from the top are pretty stunning, but having been there before, I took a few photos and headed back to the truck to complete the 22 kilometer (14 mile) hike.
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| Lava Fields |
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My elapsed time to the top was five hours and forty-two minutes and I experienced no altitude, gear, or physical problems at all.
As I was a little tired, a dip in the Jacuzzi followed by a nap sounded good. Other than being tired, I felt exceptionally good and was pleased with my performance. I will continue my training with two or three medium intensity hikes a week for the next few weeks, but I feel ready for my next grand adventure.
Bring on Chirripó.
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| The Finish Line |
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