All of the days are now days, more or less. I am still loving what I am doing, but the long hours of hiking are physically exhausting.
On day five, we returned to Friday the 13th (as the tree the Big Shot broke at was dubbed). That climb was something else. The climbing line went through some pretty spindly branches, but all seemed fine when we loaded weight on it. Not the case.
As I climbed higher into the canopy, several branches snapped, the slack created pulled through the tree, and I dropped many feet. I am totally fine. The gear is meant to safeguard when drops happen (which they do), but I was shaken, and installing the camera in this tree was a slower than usual process.
On the bright side, I learned to trust my gear and when I reached the branch for installation, I noticed the telltale smell of monkey (some howlers urinated on the trail in front of us the day before, so I learned the smell quickly). I have high hopes that we'll get some awesome pictures in that tree.
Miles hiked: 4.24
Day 6 was Becca's first solo climb and she did great despite the fact that her line was through several small branches - meaning she had to lanyard several times to get to her final destination. Alongside that, Shawn and I took turns 'taking out our aggression' on some bamboo that was interfering with our camera location. After that, we grabbed our 60 lb bags and made our way up to the Three Forests Trail (we also decided to start keeping track of our peanut butter and jelly sandwich intake). The Three Forests Trail runs along the conservation corridor connecting Jama-Coaque Reserve and Bosque Seco Lalo Loor. As we approached the 'trail', we were greeted with a thick layer of Selaginella covering what we suspected to be the trail. It was clear that no one had been down this way in quite some time, so remaking the trail as we go is going to be a task.
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| Trail covered by Selaginella ferns |
On the hike home, we disturbed a bullet ant nest. If you don't know anything about bullet ants, all you need to know is they are noted to have the most painful sting of any insect in the world. It supposedly feels like getting shot. After navigating around the horrifying sight of inch-long ants swarming aggressively, Becca and I were very on edge about our every move. All was fine, but that instant did fuel a few nightmares.
Miles hiked: 6.47
PB&J count: 28
Day seven started with a nice, straightforward climb. I feel more confident in my abilities as a climber now. A great bonus - the climbing tree of the day was located on a ridgeline so our view was stunning.
The hike after was anything but straightforward.
A lack of trail continues to be the trend moving forward (or rather, sideways trying to move forward). Every turn seemed to be the wrong turn and we got more lost with every step. Thankfully we had a track on GaiaGPS made years ago that showed where the trail should be and where we could potentially find the trail again.
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| Finding flagging was so exciting |
This wasn't always the best option considering the fact that we created a small landslide to get back on the trail.
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| If you look closely, you can see the landslide |
We tried to hike our packs all the way to the next tree, but it was getting dark fast. Instead, we made it to a point we now call Satan's Peak (there are plans pending to leave a small sign so everyone knows) and had to call it a day. After all, if we were easily getting lost in daylight, it would only become more difficult with nightfall.
Miles hiked: 6.83
PB&J count: 33
Random Quote: "Shade-grown, hand-picked, organic, sun-kissed, yada yada yada yada bullshit coffee."
Day eight took us further into the Three Forests Trail (which we have renamed that freaking trail). For the first time, the tree we climbed was right in the middle of the trail, it was like destiny. Subsequently, we named this tree 'Destiny'. As Becca was beginning to climb 'Destiny', a farmer rode by on his horse and appeared quite amused at the sight of Becca struggling vertically through lower branches, and Shawn and I standing among our gear strewn across the trail. We were thoroughly confused and entertained by Becca's exclamations at the birds around her. We didn't know if she was in awe or pain.
The night ended with a haircut. Despite the exhaustion, Becca decided that she was done with long hair. It was time for a utility cut. I took the scissors out of our repair kit and chopped off ~6 inches of her hair. Surprisingly, it wasn't a bad cut.
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| Jungle haircut! |
Miles hiked: 6.8
Total mileage: 40
PB&J count: 39
Random Quote: "There's always stuff, just like there's always things."
CAIPs Installed: 7
Jackie I didn't realize you had so many hidden talents! We are in awe of your determination, and the tremendous effort required to secure the camera traps. Kudos to you and Becca!
ReplyDeleteMiss you!