Traveling through the Costa Rican Cloud Forest on trail was one thing but flying sky high through clouds, fog, pellets of rain, and gusts of wind may take the cake when it comes to experiencing the flora and fauna of this great place. Zip lining may have been the most amazing experience we shared as a crew since we stepped foot in Central America. Again, the day started at the 0630 with breakfast but the early morning was worth waking to a clear day on the mountain overlooking the Pacific from a distance. When we awoke at 0530 to get ready and pack our bags, the sun had already broken the horizon. Bright and welcoming, the early morning light was a sign of a great day to come!
Eager to get on the wire and head down a mountain on a harness, we stuffed our faces with a great breakfast including eggs, hash browns, sausages, fresh pineapple, oranges, guava, and watermelon, and of course a few cups of coffee. We would need this energy very soon after. A short trip on the bus took us up the mountain to the location of a zip line course traversing valleys, through the canopy, and over endless lush vegetation. Helmets, harnesses, and a brief safety lecture on hand signals, proper procedures, and general guidelines were provided before anyone hung on the wire. “Be sure to keep this position going down the line but once you’re given the signal, open up your legs to slow down and prevent any injury,” was the most critical piece of information. Luckily they had helmets to allow me to attach the GoPro!
The course started with a “feeler” line to help prevent people from making it to the top of the mountain and then changing their minds about the experience. Standing up on the platform as the attendant strapped a safety line to the wire and then the primary line to the inside of the roller provided each of us with a bit of reflection on what exactly might happen if something went wrong. SNAP! No, just kidding, of course nothing went wrong but we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t think about the consequences of putting our lives in the hands of a few sown together pieces of fabric connected to a carabineer, roller, and wire. Such a simple contraption if you think about it but excitement can always arise from the simple things. Pura vida.
The attendant placed his hand on the wire to prevent the roller from slipping and tells you to sit lifting your legs into the air and crossing them to make the way down the line. After a quick radio message from the guys at the end of the line, he says bye and releases his hand and you’re off! After passing the “feeler” line, we made it to the gondola station where we waited to be escorted up the mountain on a 15 minute ride through the dense clouds, over giant trees, and through parts of the canopy to the top. At the top we were greeted with a final drink of hot chocolate before hiking 100 meters to the first of 8 stages on the course. A few flights of stairs brought us up to the top of the scaffolding where we waited our turns to get strapped in. The first stage was quite intimidating. Not only could we not see the other side of the line, but also the rain stated to pick up and the wind was gusty. I was thinking, if they were going to let us do this in these conditions we should be okay. “Don’t worry Mr. Hetrick, you’ll go really slow ‘cause you’re a big guy,” I remember hearing during the “feeler” stage. Ha.
I was the last to go in each stage to see the students take off and disappear in the clouds. The radio signals told me everything was safe on the other side so I was both relieved and nervous as hell when it was my turn. Everyone else was safe but it was up to me to make it 100%. The first stage hid just how high off the ground we were as we couldn’t see through the dense clouds and our focus was on the landing zone which didn’t appear until there was only 30 or so meters left. I flew through the clouds at speeds I could only imagine were fast because if the others were going any faster, I don’t know how they would be able to handle the rain pellets hitting them in the face. The physics was off and I ended up being the fasted zip liner there. It’s a good thing I’m a biology teacher.
Everyone did a great job and there were no issues at all. We made it down the mountain safely and without injury to either our bodies or spirits. The only major issue was the fact Cameron and Stephanie did not come prepared with proper clothing for the day and ended up shivering for the last couple stages because of the torrential downpour and massive gusts of wind. Poor Cameron was in a tshirt and shorts, which would never be suitable to zip line in Costa Rica. He will be listening to our guide and I tomorrow on what to wear so this doesn’t happen again. Minus the goose bumps and crossed arms for warmth, both had a blast and even talked about doing this again somewhere else.
The scariest moment for me was the third to last stage where I spun around in the middle of the flight because of a strong crosswind. I had to readjust my hands on the roller handles a few different times to reorient myself in the proper direction. I felt a bit out of control but managed to correct the issue before arriving at the landing zone with my legs open and out. The attendant laughed as he unclipped me from the line. I realized he could see me struggling “gracefully” the entire time.
Every single one of us were drenched from the weather; water in waterproof shoes, and saturated socks, pants, shirts, and underwear. We were so wet the bus driver made us stand on the short ride back to prevent the seats from getting wet for our next trip. Back at the hotel we took the 45 minutes allotted to us to shower, change, and pack up our things to go to lunch and then head to the Hot Springs for a relaxing swim.
Tony surprised us with a pizza lunch around the corner from our hotel. Treated to guava juice, garlic bread, supreme pizza, a house pizza, pig and fungus pizza, and of course the classic cheese. After gorging ourselves with nourishment we headed to the bus which took us off the mountain back to sea level and then through the jungle and small towns to reach the man made lake, Arenal.
The lake was developed to help provide the country with hydroelectric power and serves as the home to tourists, fisherman, and boaters. Of course Costa Rican waterways wouldn’t be complete without the crocodile, which according to Tony has become a pest over the past few years. I asked if they could be hunted for sustenance but Tony replied, “not only isn’t there a standing army in Costa Rica but hunting practices have been banned for conservational purposes; guns are not part of Costa Rican culture like they are in the United States.” I found all of this interesting, particularly the part about no standing army. Free education and medical treatment are byproducts of diverged funding from the military.
We arrived to the lake on the other side of the hot springs and our hotel for the night. Through dense precipitation, fog, and humidity, we circumnavigated the lake to reach the hot springs on the other side. By hot springs, a resort with warm volcanic warmed water is what they meant. I had been thinking of mud pits but this was a pleasant surprise. The resort would be a great place to come and relax if spending vacation in Costa Rica but the two hours we spent there was enough to relax our muscles and enjoy being warm (Stephanie had been looking forward to this all day especially after it took my beanie, a hoodie, and Tony’s jacket to warm up). The resort was made up of 5 or 6 different pools with varying degrees of temperature ranging from hot to super hot. Waterfalls and slides littered the pools with excitement. Many of us were content with going pool to pool to find the most ideal temperature and set up.
Dinner was served at the hotel and consisted of traditional Central American dishes and pleasant conversations with those at our tables. Tayvon was so worn out he acturally fell asleep at the dinner table. It wasn’t long after that we received our keys, headed to bed, and fell asleep. Tomorrow consists of a trek through the Volcano National Park, learning how to make tortillas, and learning various skills of Costa Rican Ecologists.
Be on the lookout for a video on the zip line experience soon!
Also, as you already know, I've been writing quickly and editing little. I will eventually go back and edit for grammar and spelling but with limited time on wifi, I need to make the most of it!
Eager to get on the wire and head down a mountain on a harness, we stuffed our faces with a great breakfast including eggs, hash browns, sausages, fresh pineapple, oranges, guava, and watermelon, and of course a few cups of coffee. We would need this energy very soon after. A short trip on the bus took us up the mountain to the location of a zip line course traversing valleys, through the canopy, and over endless lush vegetation. Helmets, harnesses, and a brief safety lecture on hand signals, proper procedures, and general guidelines were provided before anyone hung on the wire. “Be sure to keep this position going down the line but once you’re given the signal, open up your legs to slow down and prevent any injury,” was the most critical piece of information. Luckily they had helmets to allow me to attach the GoPro!
The course started with a “feeler” line to help prevent people from making it to the top of the mountain and then changing their minds about the experience. Standing up on the platform as the attendant strapped a safety line to the wire and then the primary line to the inside of the roller provided each of us with a bit of reflection on what exactly might happen if something went wrong. SNAP! No, just kidding, of course nothing went wrong but we wouldn’t be human if we didn’t think about the consequences of putting our lives in the hands of a few sown together pieces of fabric connected to a carabineer, roller, and wire. Such a simple contraption if you think about it but excitement can always arise from the simple things. Pura vida.
The attendant placed his hand on the wire to prevent the roller from slipping and tells you to sit lifting your legs into the air and crossing them to make the way down the line. After a quick radio message from the guys at the end of the line, he says bye and releases his hand and you’re off! After passing the “feeler” line, we made it to the gondola station where we waited to be escorted up the mountain on a 15 minute ride through the dense clouds, over giant trees, and through parts of the canopy to the top. At the top we were greeted with a final drink of hot chocolate before hiking 100 meters to the first of 8 stages on the course. A few flights of stairs brought us up to the top of the scaffolding where we waited our turns to get strapped in. The first stage was quite intimidating. Not only could we not see the other side of the line, but also the rain stated to pick up and the wind was gusty. I was thinking, if they were going to let us do this in these conditions we should be okay. “Don’t worry Mr. Hetrick, you’ll go really slow ‘cause you’re a big guy,” I remember hearing during the “feeler” stage. Ha.
I was the last to go in each stage to see the students take off and disappear in the clouds. The radio signals told me everything was safe on the other side so I was both relieved and nervous as hell when it was my turn. Everyone else was safe but it was up to me to make it 100%. The first stage hid just how high off the ground we were as we couldn’t see through the dense clouds and our focus was on the landing zone which didn’t appear until there was only 30 or so meters left. I flew through the clouds at speeds I could only imagine were fast because if the others were going any faster, I don’t know how they would be able to handle the rain pellets hitting them in the face. The physics was off and I ended up being the fasted zip liner there. It’s a good thing I’m a biology teacher.
Everyone did a great job and there were no issues at all. We made it down the mountain safely and without injury to either our bodies or spirits. The only major issue was the fact Cameron and Stephanie did not come prepared with proper clothing for the day and ended up shivering for the last couple stages because of the torrential downpour and massive gusts of wind. Poor Cameron was in a tshirt and shorts, which would never be suitable to zip line in Costa Rica. He will be listening to our guide and I tomorrow on what to wear so this doesn’t happen again. Minus the goose bumps and crossed arms for warmth, both had a blast and even talked about doing this again somewhere else.
The scariest moment for me was the third to last stage where I spun around in the middle of the flight because of a strong crosswind. I had to readjust my hands on the roller handles a few different times to reorient myself in the proper direction. I felt a bit out of control but managed to correct the issue before arriving at the landing zone with my legs open and out. The attendant laughed as he unclipped me from the line. I realized he could see me struggling “gracefully” the entire time.
Every single one of us were drenched from the weather; water in waterproof shoes, and saturated socks, pants, shirts, and underwear. We were so wet the bus driver made us stand on the short ride back to prevent the seats from getting wet for our next trip. Back at the hotel we took the 45 minutes allotted to us to shower, change, and pack up our things to go to lunch and then head to the Hot Springs for a relaxing swim.
Tony surprised us with a pizza lunch around the corner from our hotel. Treated to guava juice, garlic bread, supreme pizza, a house pizza, pig and fungus pizza, and of course the classic cheese. After gorging ourselves with nourishment we headed to the bus which took us off the mountain back to sea level and then through the jungle and small towns to reach the man made lake, Arenal.
The lake was developed to help provide the country with hydroelectric power and serves as the home to tourists, fisherman, and boaters. Of course Costa Rican waterways wouldn’t be complete without the crocodile, which according to Tony has become a pest over the past few years. I asked if they could be hunted for sustenance but Tony replied, “not only isn’t there a standing army in Costa Rica but hunting practices have been banned for conservational purposes; guns are not part of Costa Rican culture like they are in the United States.” I found all of this interesting, particularly the part about no standing army. Free education and medical treatment are byproducts of diverged funding from the military.
We arrived to the lake on the other side of the hot springs and our hotel for the night. Through dense precipitation, fog, and humidity, we circumnavigated the lake to reach the hot springs on the other side. By hot springs, a resort with warm volcanic warmed water is what they meant. I had been thinking of mud pits but this was a pleasant surprise. The resort would be a great place to come and relax if spending vacation in Costa Rica but the two hours we spent there was enough to relax our muscles and enjoy being warm (Stephanie had been looking forward to this all day especially after it took my beanie, a hoodie, and Tony’s jacket to warm up). The resort was made up of 5 or 6 different pools with varying degrees of temperature ranging from hot to super hot. Waterfalls and slides littered the pools with excitement. Many of us were content with going pool to pool to find the most ideal temperature and set up.
Dinner was served at the hotel and consisted of traditional Central American dishes and pleasant conversations with those at our tables. Tayvon was so worn out he acturally fell asleep at the dinner table. It wasn’t long after that we received our keys, headed to bed, and fell asleep. Tomorrow consists of a trek through the Volcano National Park, learning how to make tortillas, and learning various skills of Costa Rican Ecologists.
Be on the lookout for a video on the zip line experience soon!
Also, as you already know, I've been writing quickly and editing little. I will eventually go back and edit for grammar and spelling but with limited time on wifi, I need to make the most of it!
