Metric Mileage

A chicken bus carried us upwards, outside the city of San Isidro and into small communities of local ticos living at the base of the mountain. Mount Chirripo it was called. As the bus pulled into the township of San Gerardo at it’s base, I began wondering if I had underestimated the length and relative challenge of this hike.

Struggling to convert meters to feet due to the quick uptick in altitude and my poor metric system elementary education, we started off toward the trailhead. “3800 meters!”, I exclaimed out loud. “I’m used to hiking 14ers in Colorado”. I had hiked one 14er in my life, just to clarify, but the confidence exuded helped carry me all the way to the trailhead before taking an altitude adjusting break.

In all actuality, the road leading up to the hike was the most challenging part. The trail itself was lined with deep forest- often with natural steps and roots to grab onto for extra support when climbing upward. The total length of the trail is just over 12 miles and it’s highly recommended that those who wish to reach the summit stay at the campsite/hostile half way up.

We were on a tight schedule, however, and planned to hike half of the trail and back in one day- 12 miles total. As we found ourselves around 4 miles in, a large area towering the entire valley below came into view. A medium-sized old tree with lush grass in front of it overlooking a steep drop from below which we had just come was the perfect place for a break.

This stop ended up lasting for close to an hour, complete with snacks, water, photo taking, and stereotypical backpacker conversation about how making a lot of money doesn’t really matter in life. Yes, you know those guys. That's who we were on this beautiful June afternoon.

As we finished the 6 miles and started to turn around, I remember feeling like we should go just a bit further- and we did. About one half of a mile further down the trail was a wooden sign with a quote on it that resonated with me then and still does to this day. The sign, referencing the forest around us read: “ Look within yourself to find these ingredients and achieve success”. A quote by Walter Fernandez C.

Even though we didn’t complete the entire hike to the summit of Mt. Chirripo, I found much satisfaction in going as far as we did. From the physical challenge, to the natural energy of the vibrant forest that is hard to ignore and easy to absorb- this hike in particular holds a special place in my memory.