Chirripo - Day 1

Wednesday, March 13

Our Team: Deanna, Eddie, Josué, Daniel, Jefferson, Hector, Johan, David (and Ryan the photographer), and Adrian is missing because he was on his way home from work... yes the man went to work before we met at Hector's house this morning at 5:30AM.

Chirripo: Once our bags were packed (as light as possible) with every article of clothing and a sleeping bag inside a plastic bag inside our backpacks, we were ready to go.

The trip began at 5:30 a.m. with nine men and one woman (me).  I had several people tell me that being the only female on a trip like this would not be fun, but Eddie was so excited for me to come, that I just couldn’t say “no”.  If I had to pick one person to go with me, it would be my husband anyway, so I went.

We loaded up the truck at Hector’s house and then piled in and started our 2-hour drive from Tuis to Quizal.  Eddie and I rode in the cab of this truck.

The other 8 men rode in the back of the truck. 

As the trip began, I was “freezing” by Costa Rican standards.  By the time 8:00 rolled around, I began to warm up.  The drive was slow and bumpy, but the scenery was gorgeous.  We crossed a few bridges and even crossed a part of the river that had no bridge.   

The truck driver was very friendly, and he was our tour guide the whole way there.  He was telling us little tid-bits about our surroundings as we drove… mostly information about the various trees and plants we could see along the way.  He also greeted every person we passed and whenever Eddie would ask him if he knew the person, the answer was always “si.”

Once we arrived at the end of the road, we piled out, unloaded the truck and ate our breakfast (we were instructed to pack our own breakfast and lunch for the day in our bags).

 Around 8:30, we began our hike.  Ten steps in, I had to stop to pee on the side of the trail.  What a great way to start!  As we began, Eddie was exclaiming how very muddy this path had been the last time he did this in November.  Praise the Lord, today it was nearly dry.  I know I would have slid down the mountain on my butt if it had been muddy.  There were muddy spots, but even if it wasn’t muddy, the downhill climb was tough.  After only minutes of this, my legs were shaking and felt like they would give out from under me.  Walking down hill for 6 hours!?!?!  I didn’t know if I could do it.  Thankfully, it wasn’t all like that.  We walked downhill for about 2 ½ hours, taking many breaks along the way.  Check out this view!

Our second rest stop.

The trail we were on weaved back and forth, so we crossed the small stream at least 8 times.  About an hour and a half into the hike, I wasn’t looking where I stepped and tweeked my ankle.  I fell to the ground in pain as I grasped my ankle.  Unfortunately, it was on a section of the trail that was very narrow, and there were other people coming from down the mountain who were trying to pass. Eddie helped me up so I could get out of their way.  As I tested my weight on my ankle, I realized that it was painful, but that it was not unbearable.  I knew I hadn’t broken it and I didn’t even think I sprained it.  I could walk, so we continued.  It was pretty sensitive the rest of the hike, but I made it.  The part that was most difficult was walking over uneven surfaces, like rocks.  I learned to pray, with every step, that God would give me a flat surface to step on with my left foot.  I know God was guiding my every step, literally! 

Once we arrived at the base of the mountain, there was a plaza where we stopped to rest again.  

It was hear that I had a decision to make: Did I want to pay $12 for a horse to take me up the steep part of the hike home on Friday?  I decided “yes.”  Adrian was going to ride a horse, too, so I knew I would not be alone.  He likes to do it because it gives the people there some income.

We continued through the jungle some more until we came to the bank of the river. 

We walked along this rocky riverbank for about another 1 ½ before we had to actually cross it.  Walking near water has always been a joy for me.  I love water.  I love lakes, rivers, oceans… any source of water.  I find it beautiful, but I was so frustrated with myself today because the one part of the hike I should be enjoying most was this, but I was in so much pain walking on the rocks that I found it difficult to enjoy.  I know now that God was just teaching me to ask him to guide my steps.  It got better along the way, and I know a lot of it was mental; but what I really wanted to do was sit down and cry.  God taught me perseverance today, and he used Eddie to encourage me and show me patience.  All along he offered to carry my bag for me, but I was too stubborn to accept.  At one point, he finally took it from me, just to give me a break. 

As we crossed the river, I relied heavily on Eddie and Josué.  Every step was painful, especially because I could not see where to step with the rushing water.  The water came up to our mid-thighs, so wading through was fairly difficult.  Especially while carrying a bag that I would rather not get wet.

At this point, we were walking with some of the people from the tribe we were going to visit.  They had met us at the top of the mountain to help us carry our food, sleeping mats, and other supplies.  For them, this 4 or 5-hour trek is an everyday (or at least every week) task.  Hiring them to help us is one of the ways they receive income.  They had already made the 3-4 hour hike up the mountain to meet us this morning.  They probably left their house before 5:30 this morning to meet us at 8:30, and now they caught up with us after resting a bit.  They were very tired, so for the last hour of the hike, we all tried to carry a little something extra to lighten their load.

As we walked through the jungle some more, David pointed out a cocoa tree.  He told us that the yellow ones were ripe, and proceeded to climb the tree to get it.

The cocoa beans have a white flesh around them that is very sweet.  Eddie loved it.  I tried one, but wasn't too enthused.  The actual bean inside is a dark purple color and is very bitter. 

Once we arrived at the plaza, there were dozens of children playing “futbol” in bare feet or rubber boots.  

After 6 hours of walking... we had arrived!

Josué, Daniel, Eddie and Ryan didn’t hesitate to join them in their game.  I, on the other hand, could barely take another step.  We walked about 10 more minutes to our sleeping quarters.

This building was built by CISA to house groups when they go to visit the Chirripo people.  They carried every board and every nail and every piece of corrugated tin down that mountain and into the village.  When people from CISA are not using it, the people of the village use it for sleeping and living in.

There is also a church that about 50 people attend each week.  We planned to attend a service each evening we are here.

This is a picture of the house next door.  About 10-15 people live, sleep and eat in there.  The pastor lives here with his family.

The building that people from CISA built consists of a 15 x 15 ft. room with a bench in the middle and a sink and counter space in the corner.  There are nails in the wall and boards across the ceiling to hang wet clothing and towels.  That is it.  There are foam mats to put down on the floor for sleeping on, but nothing else.  One goal of the trip is to build a shower outside the building because there is not one there. 

Coffee had to be made immediately... those Ticos love their "cafe."  This is a picture of the coffee maker hanging over a pot on a gas stove.

Before we even rested, Adrian started working on the shower.  

Once we ate our lunch and rest a bit, we all gathered up again and headed to the river to bathe.  Thankfully, I made sure to slip on my bathing suit first.   We made another 10 minute hike down to the riverbank and tiptoed into the cold, rushing water.  Have you ever tried to bathe in a river?  It was more difficult than I expected.  I found a spot in front of a large boulder where the water slowed down a bit.  I could stand more easily there and also it was about mid-thigh-deep, so I could dunk down and submerge my body without washing away down the river.

After the refreshing bath, we headed back.  This time we all had clean, dry cloths and we rearranged all our stuff so we could properly relax.  David brought an extra hammock and I took the chance to rest in it.  

Eventually, it was time to make dinner.  Hector proceeded to dump a sack full of “dishes” onto the floor.  We unpacked the food and Josué and Hector started making soup.  I couldn’t stand the disorganized pile of plastic ware and cutlery on the floor, so I started organizing and arranging them in the space below the counter.  It was a “wash-what-you-need-to-use” kind of system, but it worked.

We waited for the pastor to invite us into the church service.  We were all cold, tired and hungry, but we went in and listened to them sing and the pastor speak.  They used a mix of Spanish and Cabecar, their native tongue.  The majority of the service was in Cabecar, and was impossible for us to understand.  I did understand the songs they sang in Spanish and Hector’s sermon about Jesus, Mary and Martha.  The pastor translated the whole sermon into Cabecar, so I was curious to find out why.  Hector explained to me later that they don’t all understand much Spanish and that I probably speak and understand more Spanish than many of them after being in Costa Rica for 6 months.  I was shocked.

After a few more songs and introducing ourselves, we were dismissed to go back to our sleeping quarters.  We all inhaled our dinner by candlelight, brushed our teeth and crashed.

 Hector making some delicious soup!

The first night was interrupted by a sleep-talking David and a towel-chewing rat, but I pretty much slept through it all.  Eddie tried sleeping on the extra hammock that David brought.  That lasted about an hour before he joined me on the mat.  It was a cold night, but the sleeping bags were toasty warm.  I can't imagine what it is like for the people of the village... they don't have sleeping bags.  Although exhaustion had set in, I couldn't help but think about those people.  And I am also reminded that I have A LOT to be thankful for.