Costa Rica Activities Archives - Costa Rica Expat Tours

I can remember it just like it was yesterday. I was living in a little cottage on the island of Holden Beach, North Carolina.

One day dad pulls up in the jeep with a monstrosity of a surfboard. It must have been 12 feet long and weighed about three times what I did. I was seven at the time, so this would have been 1967 and short surfboards had not been invented yet (yes, I know I’m getting old!).

That sparked one of the great passions of my life, surfing. I don’t do it as much these days, but from the time I was seven until fifty-two, I loved surfing as much as anything. Still do, it’s just that other pressures of life, coupled with the fact that I am getting older, seem to get in the way these days (excuses, excuses). That is sad considering that I’ve been living for the past decade in one of the greatest surfing locations on the planet.

Costa Rica surfing probably is some of the best the planet offers, with countless spots dotted along its Pacific and Caribbean coasts. What makes it even better is that the Costa Rica surfing offers water conditions that are simply excellent. The water is warm all year long. There are not that many sharks to eat you like in Australia or even California (well, salt-water crocs are another story). While certain popular spots get crowded, you can always find that perfect little “secret” place where it’s just you and the waves.

I can remember one of my first trips to Costa Rica back in 2001. I was traveling on business with an employee of mine. I told him that since we had a couple days before we had to start working, I was going to hop into a rental car and head to the beach to catch some waves (not being a surfer, he opted for San Jose nightlife).

I can remember the sense of adventure of crossing the mountains on the way to Jacó beach. Of being out in the ocean on my board just before sunset. The waves were small and fun.

Sitting on the board watching the sky light up with a thousand colors as the sun was setting on the horizon, I thought to myself, certainly I’d found my paradise on earth.

Maybe that (and a thousand other such epiphanies) solidified my great love for Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is a surfer’s paradise and once a surfer, always a surfer. I guess it’s time to dust off my board and head to the beach!

Just returned from my second 2-day long ordeal to reach the top of Costa Rica, Cerro Chirripo. First a few facts about this sacred mountain (sacred to me because of the blood, sweat and tears, yes tears, I have shed upon its rocky flanks)….

highest mountain in Costa Rica, with an elevation of 3,820 meters (12,533 ft)
38th most prominent peak in the world
from the trail-head, the summit can be reached via a 19.5-kilometer (12.1 mi) hike
it is possible on clear days to see from coast to coast, from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea

Now for the statistics of my latest Chirripo conquest….

trail-head to Base Crestones (the very “bare-bones” base-camp where one spends a cold night prior to striking out for the summit) – 7 hours, 13 minutes
Base Crestones to summit and return to Base – 4 hours, 15 minutes
Base Crestones to trail-head – 5 hours, 15 minutes
total hike time – 16 hours, 43 minutes

Chirripo is an endurance test for anyone, let alone a 52 year-old who likes his Imperials and tragos de Flor de Caña a bit too much. But apart from the sheer effort it takes to arrive at the top, there is an intense spiritual element in the experience, at least for me. Once you enter into the valle de los conejos you reach a point of environmental nirvana that is as completely unsullied in its natural state as one can find on this planet and accessible to the human form without risking one’s life and limb (and bank account) to get there…..Everest comes to mind, but how many have died on its icy slopes? Some really do pay a dear price as one unlucky man with a dislocated vertebrae was awaiting a helicopter to bring him back down to a hospital (at a price of around $5,000). I am fortunate to say that my price was merely sore feet (my shoes were a bit too snug for the descent to be anything but a painful experience).

I made the trek this time with my buddy David Picado (he was unable to make the summit due to a bum knee that was aggravated on the 7 plus hour ascent to Base) and my 15 year-old sobrino (nephew for you gringos), Sebastian (or, Sebas as we like to call him). Chirripo remains hidden from sight for most of the trek and only reveals itself about a kilometer or so prior to reaching the summit. Sebas must have asked me a hundred times which peak was indeed Chirripo, as the park is home to numerous ones that closely rival the namesake in height. But once you get that first glimpse of the jagged triangular peak one’s initial reaction is to gasp (at both its immaculateness and due to the fact that you know you must get up there….somehow).

And that somehow is basically with every ounce of energy your arms and legs can muster as you strain towards the top against gravity and lack of oxygen. Once you arrive you are greeted with the most magnificent view that I have had privilege of laying eyes upon in my 52 years above ground. I have not seen it myself, but they say on particularly clear days both oceans (Pacific and Caribbean) are visible.

I hope that this is not my last visit to this hallowed rocky parcel of my beloved Tiquicia. In fact, I plan (at least in my head) to make the trek once a year for as long as my legs and lungs will allow it. And since I live only an hour from the trail-head, there aren’t too many excuses for not doing so. Chirripo presents a rough reminder of our mortality. But also of the immortal nature of the human spirit as well as the author and creator of both.

Costa Rica Surfing

Conquering Chirripo – Round 2

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