25 May 2008

Karen Mogensen Reserve

what do you get when you combine a light, steady sprinkle with a steep 3 km hike and lush green everywhere? the way to Cerro Escondito in the Karen Mogensen Reserve. we spent three days in the middle of the rain forest with some of the most spectacular views i've taken in. from the hidden lodge our guide, Rigo and his wife, Angela - both in their late fifties - lead us on an impressive hike up and down muddy mountain trails (and she was in a skirt to boot) up to a two story tower on the top of a near by mountain. we could see out to the Gulf of Nicoya and the 360 panorama left me speechless. absolutely beautiful!


white faced monkeys, red-lored parrots, and armies of leaf-cutter ants were great for watching. on one of our hikes i found a Tarzan-worthy vine and thought i'd take a little swing. English advised me to test it first. i was so confident that it would hold me that i jumped up and stuck my feet out in front of me and well, i guess i did take a little swing... right on to my back! the funny this is, in that split second of free fall i thought i really was swinging. until i hit the ground and the wind was knocked out of me. smooth one Fonz. but i made it through the rest of the hike up to another picturesque mirador - that's 'lookout' in español.

after several meals of beans, rice and strawberry kool aid we waved good-bye and hiked down to take the ferry across the gulf and continue on to the central highlands.

2 comments:

jo said...

just now I wrote, "jealous, jealous, and more jealous"...

i deleted it.

but then i wrote it again so that i could tell you that i spared you from a really lame comment.

i bet you don't feel so bad about falling from the vine, now.

ash said...

Sounds like the jungle got into you for the Tarzan moment, which sounded totally neat until the wind was knocked out of you; but, way to go for it! What a beautiful description of the rain forest. I must be "jealous, jealous, and more jealous"...