Mud trek to el pico

When someone asks me how my trip was I have a hard time just saying "fine", when it really wasn't fine. The problem is that people just want you to say fine so they can walk away. My problem is that I have a difficult time lying.

In one word the trip was disorganized. Sorry, it's not a positive word, but that would be a lie. Now, don't get me wrong, I am glad it's over. That's pretty positive, right?

Ok, so what was wrong? The main problem was that the trail is virtually destroyed. It is a national park, but being a 3rd world country, park maintenance is not a top priority and the trail has been mucked by not only people, but mules. Tons of mules. Carrying tons of weight. The mud was so thick in places that you would sink up to your ankles. It was impossible to go "around" the mud, because the trails have been stretched to their limits and the mud goes up to the edge of the cliffs.

The trail we chose is the shortest, but steepest. We knew we'd be in for a difficult three days...

But what we didn't know is that the first day, because of all the mud, would take 10 hours. Ten. Ten hours of dredging through the mud, slip sliding around, uphill. Try focusing on ONE thing for 10 straight hours. You can't zone out because you'll injure yourself, so just focus, focus on one thing, for 10 hours. You're already bored, huh?

The second annoying part was the water situation. We were told that we would be drinking from the streams and I was and still am skeptical. Who still does that? Water stop #1 was a little stream crossing the trail...

Here's where we filled up. Next stop? SIX hours away. Who plans a sweaty uphill hike with 6 hours between water stops without communicating that maybe you should carry more than one water bottle? I was almost crawling to water stop #2...

This stop wasn't so "fresh" looking, but at that point, who cares.

As we continued trekking up and up we entered the clouds...

The cloud forest is amazing and magical. Immersed in condensed H2O. It was this point that I spotted four hummingbirds zipping around from flower to flower. A moment of peace.

Many of the students had to get on the mules...

Finally at 6 pm, ten hours after we started hiking, we reached the camp.

Being so close to the equator the sun sets quick. One minute it's light and the next it's dark. There was a building where we were supposed to set up, but half of the building was taken so all of us, 27 kids, 4 parents, 4 guides and 3 teachers were supposed to cram into this space...

Needless to say the three teachers found a quieter place with harder floors. Oh, don't get me started on the sleeping situation. I moved to this country with 2 suitcases, so camping gear wasn't high on my priority list, however when this trip came up I ordered stuff from REI and asked about a thermarest, or some other pad for sleeping. I was told not to worry because we would get pads from the company. Um, no. The pad was paper thin and useless. Now we are up at over 8,000 feet and the temps are quite chilly. Try putting your sleeping bag on a concrete floor and lay there for several hours. Torture. Do I sound dramatic? Ok, do it. Tonight find a sleeping bag and put it on your tile floor in your kitchen and see how long you last. I have bruises on my hips to prove you won't last that long. I did manage to "borrow" a pad from a couple that only stayed one night - the other teaches weren't so lucky.

After a hellish night, I woke early to find this...

It's amazing what a sight like this can do to your soul. Instantly a wave of peace washed over me as I inhaled the fresh mountain air. You see the clouds below? We're on top of the world. 

And then there's breakfast. I am not a picky eater when I hike/camp/travel. I can't be. I'd starve. You get used to eating whatever someone puts in front of you when you travel all over, especially in 3rd world countries. Mystery meat just becomes part of your diet. Don't ask, don't tell. Dominicans are known for rice and beans and I was looking forward to a little of both. After living in Burma I never eat rice unless I have no other option, so it's been a while since I sat down to a big bowl of rice and beans. Well, what I didn't realize is that one of the other Dominican specialities is fried cheese for breakfast. A hunk of cheese all greasy and fried with a side of potatoes or yucca, which is potato-like. Oh and a fried up piece of sausage. This is supposed to fuel me up for the next few hours? Luckily I brought granola bars and trail mix.

Now it's time to head to the summit. This is the easiest of the three days. Straight up and back down in 6ish hours. Sounds like cake compared to the 10 hour death hike. 

But first, we have to pray...

Most of my kids are Catholic, but ask them how many go to church. It isn't like when we were kids and people actually went to church. I find it interesting to claim you are some religion, but you never attend the services. The prayer thing didn't suit me. 

Now we can start the hike to the roof of the Caribbean!

Eight year ago there was a fire. I'm not sure what the cause was, but the forest was burned to a crisp. Two years ago when another group from our school went this area was totally brown. It's amazing what a few years and some rain can do. The mud and water is a bummer, but green sure is a great color.

Here we are in the Valley of the Lilies looking towards the peak. The 10,000 foot peak doesn't look that tall now...

Made it.

See that little blue opening at the top right corner? That's the Caribbean Ocean. On a clear day you can see the Atlantic and the Caribbean, but as you can see we had some clouds to deal with.

I only knew a few of the students before we left, but now I know all of them. A few days of torture sure does bring a group together. The kids liked the saying "that which does not kill us makes us stronger". For many this was the most challenging thing they'd ever done. When you've had a full time nanny and a few maids since you were born you aren't used to doing anything for yourself, so this truly was a great experience for many of these kids. I'm glad I got to share the joy of accomplishment with them.

Now we head back down to camp. The shorter day gave us a bit of free time and, of course, I took the chance to bond.

After one more night, it was time to descend back into the mud...

This last photo I stole from a parent who was on a mule...