Isla Ometepe and Volcán Concepcion

Isla Ometepe was anticipated to be a main highlight for our time in Nicaragua.  It ended up being our first real stop once in the country.  We pulled into Rivas shortly after crossing the Costa Rica / Nicaraguan border.  It is worth mentioning that Rivas was much nicer than we anticipated.  It receives very little mention in any travel guide, other than a as way point to reach Ometepe.  That is really too bad because Rivas has a rich history.  It is a lively city with decent accommodation and an excellent market.  It just seems to be overshadowed by the highlight of the area that is Largo Nicaragua and Isla Ometepe.

Largo Nicaragua is pretty unique.  It is large, is home to many volcanic islands, and is one of the few areas in the world (the only one i know of) that has fresh water bull sharks and fresh water sailfish.  This was once part of the sea and about 10-15,000 years ago was isolated in land by volcanics.  The water slowly lost its salinity, at a pace that allowed some of the sea life to adapt.  As well, it holds Ometepe... two large volcanoes that joined together to make one relatively large island.  The island is quite dramatic to the eye.

We boarded a ferry (one of several) that brought us from San Jorge to Moyogalpa.  Moyogalpa was our base from which we explored the island.  When we arrived we ate at a small "fretanga" just left of the dock on a dirt road.  It served excellent Nica food for under $4 a plate, as well as 1 L beers for less than $2.... needless to say we were happy after that meal.  We also arranged our hike to the summit of Conception Volcano (more about that later), and rented a scooter for our first three days of our stay.

Our accommodation was a family owned house with independent rooms equipped with private washrooms.  The property was pleasant and was part of a local tourism collective offering rooms to tourists with local families in a small village outside of Moyogalpa.  The stay included a nice breakfast each morning.  Typical to Nicaraguan homes, the rooms of the house circle around an open air atrium.

We explored the island with the scooter, many of the roads are actual interlocking paving stones.  There is not a lot of traffic on the island, but the traffic includes motorbikes, scooter, people, cars, trucks, horses, carts, bicycles, oxen and cows.  During our first evening we made it (but barely) to Punta Christo Maria.  Here we were treated to a beautiful sunset.  The water was warm and shallow and reminded us of Singing Sands near Tobermory Ontario, Canada.

On our first full day we visited Altagracias, on the opposite side of the island.  This is a nice town.  It has a museum that was pretty sad looking, but did hold some very interesting monoliths.  We went on to visit Ojo de Agua.  We were told this would be the clearest water we will ever see (they had no idea where we were from).  The water was clear, but there were a lot of people.  Regardless, this was a nice spot and a welcome relief to the heat.

Ojo de Agua... i am happy, bad photo

We then attempted to ride our scooter to waterfalls we had heard about.  This was not to be; although we were told we could do it on the scooter, it was REALLY rough and we had a feeling we were risking a blown tire and perhaps a complete scooter breakdown.  On the way back we found another fantastic Fretanga that had great food at very low prices.  We ate there the next day as well.

On our second full day we cruised around a little bit of the island, but not all that much.  We were sore from all the riding the day before, the scooters are not the most comfortable for long distances.  Also Tracey had developed a cold, so we wanted to rest in preparation for the volcano the next day.  In the morning we visited the butterfly conservatory.  It was much better than we could have expected.  There were a lot of flowers, butterflies (of course), and cases where the butterflies were hatching from cocoons and drying their wings.  This was a very relaxing and soothing environment.

In the afternoon, Tracey slept while I did laundry.  A down day is necessary every once in a while.  That evening we joined some fellow travellers to see local kids perform traditional Nica dances at the village community pavilion.  It was a lot of fun and entertaining.  We gave them donations that went towards their school.  You might be interested to know that during our stay (beginning of February), Nicaraguan kids are on summer break which begins before Christmas and ends after the first or second week of February... very different from Canada.

On the day of our climb we awoke early, said goodbye to our hosts and packed to get ready for the volcano.  The trip we purchased was to include a 2 pm start, sunset 1000 m up the volcano, sleep in a hammock, and wake up very early and watch the sunrise from the summit.  Cost... $35 per person.  Sounded great.  We collected our own food as we were responsible for that, brought 3 liters of water each as recommended, and ate a huge lunch so that we could carry less food on our backs... our daypacks don't hold much more than 10 to 15 liters.

When we arrived at the guides' office, returned our scooter but experienced a very different attitude from our guide compared to when we booked with him when we first arrived.  Our guide, Jonathan, when we first met him, was super friendly.  He gave us a lot of great advice about the island and talked up the trip with the promise of ghost stories, sunrise on the summit, and so on.  What we found before we departed was a totally different, cold personality that flat out ignored any of Tracey's questions.  We figured he was tired and this would pass... everyone gets the benefit of doubt.  Three more people booked the trip to bring the total of clients to 5.  We were joined by a young couple from Argentina, and an 18 year old girl from Switzerland. Everyone arrived by 2 pm as requested.  We never left the office until 3 pm.

  Once we started on the dusty trail, we asked Jonathan about the sunrise at the summit.  Jonathan made a strange comment, "I don't think we will be able to reach the summit because the wind will be blowing sulfur gases towards us which is bad for our lungs".  This was not communicated to us before, but as a guide myself, I was not going to question anyone looking out for our safety.  After about 20 mins on the trail, Tracey and I were way ahead of the others.  Jonathan took control and asked us to all walk behind him in a single file because "there are things on the trail ahead that might kill you".  Ok, that is a strange thing to say.  I am not one to be rude or to question another guide's instruction (especially in a foreign country) so we fell in line, but in 15 minutes he told Tracey and I to walk ahead of him and wait for him at the larger tree.  Apparently there was nothing to worry about now?  

   Tracey and I arrived at the tree and met a Swedish girl walking in her socks, while her guide walked behind her with her shoes in his hands.  She was not happy and in a lot of pain descending the trail.  In fact, no one that we saw returning on the trail looked happy at all.  

   When the rest of the group showed up there was a problem.  The young Swiss girl could not handle the weight of her pack.  (Her pack was actually lighter than  either Tracey's or my own.)  However, for the sake of the group, I carried 1.5 L of her water in the crook of my arm (pack was full), and the Argentinian guy carried a liter... notice the guide did not.

    The trail from this point started to get steep, I mean really steep (even by Lillooet standards).  I don't think anyone on Isla Ometepe has heard of switchbacks because there weren't any at all.  Our guide however showed no mercy.  I have never experienced a pace quite like this (and remember, this is hot... well over 30C hot).  We never stopped to look at a single information sign, nor did he bother to tell us what they said.  There was little to no commentary at all and only if we asked questions would he say anything.  I can move, but when it is hot I really slow down.  Tracey was able to keep up but only at the expense of nearly throwing up due to heat exhaustion and dehydration.  When we finally reached the shelter, we had been on the trail for less than 2.25 hours.... that means we ascended a few meters less than 1000m in 2.25 hours... that is pretty crazy in that kind of heat.  Immediately I tore off my shirt which was absolutely soaked and hung it on a tree branch.  I allowed the wind to dry my glistening skin before putting on my thin primaloft jacket... the only extra piece of clothing I had.  My pants were soaked with sweat... literally.  That would play a part in the hours to come.  Honestly, I have never sweat that much due to anything in my life!  We were early for the sunset and were able to enjoy our meal of canned sardines and granola bars while watching it over the lake.  Food for others was a bit of an issue.  It was clear to us that we would have to carry and provide our own food, however, the guide promised to supply food for the Swiss girl.  He did not.  Instead, he made her share his bowl of rice, from his own bowl.  She was not impressed.

We didn't stay up very long, in fact, I think I was asleep in the hammock by 7:30 pm.  It wasn't long until my wet pants became a factor and the wind started to pick up.  By 10 pm I was wide awake and cold.  Tracey was also awake and equally cold.  Our guide brought three blankets for the three people who needed hammocks: ourselves and the Swiss girl.  He did not communicate this to us.  Instead he took one for himself, gave one to the Swiss girl, and one to the Argentinian couple who brought their own gear.  We were left with nothing.  We didn't know any better until the next morning anyhow.

Throughout that evening all I heard was howling wind (and the Swiss girl farting!) and felt constant gusts of a very damp wind.  I was cold, colder than I can remember ever beint while sleeping (even colder than last year's Valentines day night in an emergency snow pit).  I was worried about Tracey because she was not feeling well the day before and I could tell she was not faring better than I.  It was at that moment that I suggested to Tracey that we try laying together in the hammock.  I was concerned that it might not hold us both but this was becoming very uncomfortable and I was concerned by morning that it might be a little more serious than discomfort (or that we might not sleep at all).  Tracey did join me, but any portion of us against the hammock was immediately damp and very cold.  (The fact we ended up sharing our hammock really upset our guide as he felt it meant he carried an extra one for no reason.  Tracey did ask him if we could both sleep in one, back at the office, but he was ignoring her questions)  We did get a little sleep but not much more than an hour or two.

  We were laying there for hours and I could tell it was getting lighter.  I could not understand why our guide was not getting us up to go when everyone appeared to be awake, just not moving.  Finally, one by one we started to get up ourselves.  The time was around 6:30 am, sunrise at the summit was obviously out of the question.  Because I was cold, I was eager to put on my shirt from the day before which I had hung in a tree to dry.  I was delighted it had not blown away, however, due to the saturated air, my shirt was even more wet than the night before.  Tracey's was no different.  It was my only shirt, on it went.  I don't believe it ever dried that day, and it was a "quick dry synthetic" (now that says something).   Around this time, Jonathan began telling us that the wind was too strong and that we would not be going any further, but that he would call the office and ask what the forecast was.  We have no idea if he actually did.  He sat in the outhouse hut and was just looking at his phone.  He was just sitting there, not using the outhouse, regardless of the fact others wanted to use the facility.

Our hut

Tracey and I sat a little above the trail each eating a can of tuna.  We were pretty bummed as Jonathan made it sound like we would be turning back.  We understood the need for safety, and even though we were disappointed, we would not let it show 'safety first'.  Suddenly a group of two hikers and a guide appeared.  They started that morning before 5 am and were continuing on.  Jonathan immediately went to the guide and began speaking to him where we could not hear but we could see.  It was obvious that Jonathan was telling him that we should all turn around but the other guide would have none of this.  He told his pair "vamos", and off they went.  Jonathan, without warning said the same.  Luckily we had already eaten breakfast, the rest of our group was forced to pack up mid meal and go.

We ascended 100 m in just a few minutes.  The wind was howling.  Jonathan again said it was to dangerous.  I looked up and saw a small whirly wind on the ridge above.  I see those regularly in winter in the mountains back home.  Jonathan said it was a tornado and that he has seen them knock over people and create waterspouts on the lake.  This was not a tornado.  Again, Jonathan said the wind was too strong.  The other group continued.  Then within a minute, another group appeared, and then another.  They kept walking a now visibly distraught Jonathan.  "Vamos" he yelled and off we went.

Orchid in Alpine meadow 

   Jonathan was now visibly pouting and would not say anything.  In this type of alpine terrain Tracey and I are able to move effectively and efficiently.  We were able to keep up with our guide with little effort.  (There was no wind at all anymore and we learned from a different guide that the area below is always windy but the area we climb is always calm.)  Soon, we reached the groups ahead, Jonathan was cruising.  Unfortunately the rest of our group was way behind.  Jonathan didn't seem to care that the Swiss girl was obviously struggling.  The lack of sleep took its toll on the other three hikers.  Jonathan would reach a point, stop and wait.  Tracey and I were able to see the others were struggling with the terrain.  In one area there would be loose sand and rocks, but beside there would be firm rock.  We always looked for the firm rock but were yelled at by our guide that what we were doing was dangerous... there was no obvious danger we could see, however following behind the group above, where he wanted us, exposed us to considerable rock fall... we disregarded him because what he was telling to do was dangerous and way more difficult.  The ground under our feet was firm and there were no loose rocks to dislodge... we still have no idea why he said that to us.

Our guide in the red pants

   We reached 100 m from the summit.  Jonathan was still sulking.  He said that we had to wait for the others.  Tracey was not happy because she could have been at the top before any of the other groups.  If only our guide had helped our fellow hikers we would have been much further along.  I would never interfere with another guide and their business, but this was beyond anything I had ever experienced before; he wasn't speaking to anyone or offering any assistance.  I couldn't take it anymore.  Regardless of being rude and stepping on his toes, I walked down to the Swiss girl and offered her help, which she gladly accepted.  I showed her where to place her feet and how to pace herself so that she could make better progress.  While I was with her, Tracey witnesses the Argentinian couple get visibly upset with our guide.  They handed over the Swiss girl's extra gear they were carrying and told him to do his job.

100 m from the summit

When I arrived with the Swiss girl, I informed Jonathan that the Swiss girl was dehydrated and needed to drink more water.  The guide looked upset and angry with her.... once again, it is his job to watch clients and give advice as needed.  Tracey suggested that the young girl leave her pack here to make the last push to the summit easier.  The guide said no because of other people stealing her pack.  However, when we started to move towards the summit, our guide left his own pack behind.

   After several minutes we continued up the volcano.  We were completely engulfed in clouds.  The rock on the volcano was hot to the touch and vents were spewing out steam all around us.  It was pretty amazing.  In no time at all, we are sitting on the summit with two other parties.  We couldn't go anywhere because it was difficult to see the drop offs and the view was totally obscured.  The wind was howling and soaking us to the bone.  We were so happy to be there, laughing and joking together with the other groups and their guides.... but not Jonathan, he sat there with his head between his legs sulking.  I asked him if he was ok and he complained he was hungry.  Tracey and I each were eating a package of refried beans on a tortilla.  We offered Jonathan a granola bar which accepted but then gave to another guide who had already eaten... not sure what that was about.

Refried beans on the summit

On the way down, immediately, our guide was way ahead of us walking with another Nicaraguan guy and his American friend.  He said only two things to us while descending the 600 m to treeline and never walked with us once.  First he told Tracey and I that we were walking in a very dangerous spot... once again he was trying to draw us into the line of falling rock... I was starting to get upset now.  Then, from a distance, he yelled back to us and the other three of our party (who were really struggling now), if we fell, to make sure we rolled to the right... not left (facing downhill).  That would have resulted in a 10 m drop.  Now I was really unimpressed.  This guy doesn't know what he is talking about.

   While our guide was keeping pace with the other Nica and his American friend.  We listened to him tell a story about being hit in the head by a big rock a few years ago and that it nearly killed him.  Yet here he was with our group greatly spread apart and in the line of fire... 'some people never learn' was my thought.  We reached a sheltered cliff line, our guide was there with the other party and finally he was smiling... this was a great spot (safe and sheltered) to wait for our other three hikers... but they were quite far behind and coming down a visibly dangerous area... an area where one slip would have resulted in a very bad injury or potential fatality.  I went to say something to our guide but he told us very quickly to continue on ahead.  So we did and when we looked back we could see why our guide was so happy and wanted us to go... the Nica and his American friend were smoking a joint with our guide.  We thought maybe he would wait for the others to reach him... nope, as soon as it was done, he continued down the volcano towards us and never even let the other three get close to reaching him.  The area his other three clients were walking was nowhere near the route he insisted on Tracey and I taking, but he said nothing to them despite the obvious potential danger they were moving through.  Now I was pissed and I was ready to tell him so.  Of course I didn't, that just isn't me, but my ever present smile was no longer there; towards our guide, I could only manage a scowl.

On our way down, the windy spot

  We reached treeline long before the others.  We enjoyed the cooling wind and the gorgeous sunlit vistas.  Our guide sat with his head between legs and only said he was "really hungry".  We offered him a pouch of nuts but he declined.  I should add here that we discovered that our guide did not pack any additional food for the second day.  Including any food for the Swiss girl.  This was brought to our attention by the Argentinian couple.  Tracey and I came to the realization that our guide was planning on turning back without trying for the summit before we even left the office.  It makes sense... set a pace that no one will find enjoyable, try to scare your clients about conditions and hazards, and then when all else fails, say the weather is too dangerous.  He would have succeeded if the other groups did not appear when they did.... why would we doubt him?  

After 20 mins the rest of our group arrived.  They were exhausted and their feet were in trouble.  We continued down, along the way we saw both howler and white face monkeys.  Our guide seemed to get happier as we got closer to the finish.  Near the base, the guide took a faint side trail.  I followed but Tracey was a bit behind to read one of the interpretive signs.  Our guide did not wait to see if we all made the turn.  When I looked back 3 minutes later there was no Tracey.  The guide didn't seem to care.  I ran back up the hill, calling for Tracey.  I knew that she had continued down the main trail.  Tracey on an average day is faster than most... this close to the end of the trail, Tracey is almost super-human fast.  I ran down the trail and after 500 meter she finally heard me call.  We had no choice but to back-track up hill because we had no idea where the trail went that our guide was taking.  We were long out of water at this point and this extra uphill took a lot of effort.  I was totally pissed at our guide now.  There was zero client care on this trip.  All I could think to myself was that if he was part of the ACMG, I would have made it my mission to have his certification stripped and make sure that he would never be hired in the guiding industry again.  A guide needs to be a cheerleader, not a Debbie Downer.  Furthermore, he put people at risk of injury with a complete lack of care and disregard for safety, zero mountain sense and no communication.  

We reached the trail head and realized we had to walk further along the road.  True to form, Jonathan never communicated anything to us, so we had no idea it we were getting picked up or walking the next 5 km to Moyogalpa... which would not have surprised us at all.  As a side note, Jonathan is fluent in English... there was no language barrier here to account for his lack of communication on the trip. 

 We eventually reached a small store where we were able to buy water and Jonathan called a tuk tuk to pick us up.  While sitting there a small dog came to me.  Over the last few day I had been grooming the street dogs that I had encountered.  Some of them had a lot of ticks in their fur, I would remove the ticks to help the dogs out.  I asked Jonathan the Spanish word for ticks.  It was at this point he informed us that we were all probably covered in ticks from the trail.  I asked him if the ticks carried disease and he replied, of course.  True to the very end, Jonathan made me shake my head... a friendly warning would have been nice, but perhaps I was expecting too much.  (There were no ticks on us by the way).

When we got back to town we went out for lunch.  Jonathan made no effort to talk to us or socialize.  I bought him a beer but only because I am polite.  Once back to his office, Jonathan was the guy we met on Monday.  Jonathan was lively, polite and pleasant, but he was trying to sell trips to new customers.  We went to leave and Jonathan  yelled over to us... please give Little Nathaly (business name) a good review on our website.  We smiled and nodded but in our minds we were laughing, 'yeah right'!

The trip of Conception was amazing.  It is a 1603 m climb; we started at 7 m and topped out at 1610m.  I have no regrets even despite our guide.  The views were outstanding and this was my first active volcano ascent.  It was equally amazing to be hiking through a tropical dryland forest, and into tropical alpine meadows.  To feel the heat of the volcano and experience the steam was a dream come true.  In many ways, I'm glad the trip turned out the way it did because it made me appreciate the other forgein guides we have previously hired.  They were all very caring, gave us positive experiences and kept us safe.  Also, Jonathan made me realize how great the service level is of my fellow Canadian guides.  Safety is paramount, equally important is providing an outstanding experience for clients  Also, a perfect trip would have been less memorable.  Jonathan gave us memories to talk and laugh about, although for all of the wrong reasons.  Thanks Jonathan, we will cherish this memory for the rest of our lives and we will continue to laugh about the guide who pouted his way to the top of a volcano until we are old and grey... but next time we will look for a different guide.

That evening we checked into a hostel in ill repair, to us it was a castle compared to the previous night.  We were filthy, completely covered in black dirt... a cold shower never felt so good.  (Tracey ran out of water, but the owner got the water running again right away.) 

Filthy but happy

The view from our door was the objective of our day.  We couldn't help but look at it, then each other and say, "we were there today", and then laugh about Jonathan.

We slept well that evening but had really sore legs in the morning.  The stairs to and from our room felt harder to get up than the entire volcano.  After a great breakfast of Huevos Ranchero with Cafe con leche, we packed up and headed to the ferry.  We secured a seat on the top deck and enjoyed the ride.  When we reached San Jorge we got on a chicken bus to take us to Managua.  It was pretty uneventful except for the plastic bucket that fell from the overhead rack onto my head.  We caught a collectivo from Managua and made our way to Leòn.

Panama in review.  Note to readers. This has been hastily written to allow me to catch up and get me to a point where I can write on a regular basis while on this tour through Central America.  There will be spelling mistakes and grammatical errors.  Also note this is written using a tablet which is poor for typing.

Once I am on track, these issues should greatly improve.  At the time of writing this, I am already one month into my travels... I will probably flip back and forth between present and past and I will try to insert posts about past events in chronological order.

Panama....

Panama was not on my list of places to visit.  I had felt that our time (and money) would have been better spent elsewhere in Central America.  As well, it meant we would have to pass through Costa Rica to get to the rest of Central America and Costa Rica is expensive.  Lucky for me, Tracey really wanted to go to Panama.  Also, I found a destination named Coiba National Park that looked very attractive.  So while planning the trip my thought was to fly into Panama City, head straight to Coiba and bus directly out.  Travel, and life, has a way of changing things and this leg of the trip was no exception.
We arrived on the 10th of January and made our way to Hostel Amador in Panama City.  Plans changed immediately and the decision was made to spend two full days in this large, modern city.  What struck us immediately were the following observations: people were VERY friendly and honest; the city was very clean by Latin American (and even North American) standards; traffic was a nightmare; and there were very few homeless people to be seen anywhere.  Our hostel was oldish looking but quite clean.  We were on the top floor with a corner room and a washroom with hot water… the last hot water we would experience for the rest of Panama. This was an old Canal house, built for the workers who worked on building the Canal.
We explored our immediate surroundings and were only able to find a mini/super and a pizza place.  That pizza place was our staple due to a lack of choices in our immediate area.
On our first full day we explored Casco Viejo, the Fish Market (we had black clam ceviche, and a seafood mixture that we first thought was wieners and beans!), we also discovered that Panama City is very hot and humid.  We took a nap along the promenade that separates the city from the Pacific.  We were surprised that there were so few people using this space… perhaps due to mid afternoon heat.  We encountered our one and only beggar we met in Panama.  We gave him a buck because he woke us and did look down and out.
Our last full day was to include Cerro de Ancon and the Canal.  Cerro de Ancon was a nice 300 m hike up a local hill in a protected park.  We saw a toucan, lots of tropical plants and were rewarded with great views of the city Skyline and the Panama Canal.  We spent some time up there and decided due to our amazing view of the Canal, there was no need to go to the Canal visitor center.  Since we took a cab to the trailhead we thought we would make our way back on foot.  On our way back we finally found a food wagon at what looked to be a police training centre.  We were (I was) a little hesitant to get into line not knowing if we were welcome nor what the food was.  We bypassed but made our way back… why would anyone turn away paying customers?  Tracey is my voice of reason.  Good thing we did, 8 dollars got both of us each a plate of rice, beans, salad, chicken, and a drink.

We were excited to leave Panama City, for people with our interests there really wasn’t much more to see and give us reason to remain.  Also, just arriving from Calgary, we found the extreme heat and high humidity to be challenging to cope with.  We took a taxi to Albrook Bus Terminal which was a lot simpler than initially thought.  Due to our poor Spanish speaking (and comprehension) skills, everything is a lot more challenging.  At the beginning of this trip, everything was new, and at times, this can be a little overwhelming and stressful to deal with.  Once at the terminal, it was pretty straight forward.  We found the ticket booth for El Valle de Anton, locally known as “El Valle”, bought the ticket and were told the bus was leaving.  We hurried to the departure bay but were stopped for some unknown toll that we were supposed to pay…. And it had to be done on a prepaid card.  We really didn’t understand but a very kind man behind us swiped his card for both of us and refused any repayment.  This expression of kindness and generosity is something we experienced all throughout Panama by the people there.

When we reached the bus we found it to be a 20 or so passenger van.  We sat in different seats as the seats are tight.  This was one of our first bus lessons that still continue as the days go by.  Stay together, and empty an bus never remains an empty bus.  Also, payment is not generally provided until near the end of your journey.  Equally important to know is that bus drivers don’t rip you off… rest assured, you are paying the right price and if you over pay they will get you the change.
The drive to El Valle was approximately 1.5 hours.  At first the landscape was rather uninspiring.  However, around 40 minutes in that began to change.  Dramatic hills appeared to the north and as we gained them the pacific started to come into view.  Also at this time, the bus was full (by Canadian standards), and as we gained elevation more and more people got into the van.  At our fullest point, there were no less 10 people standing and every seat was crammed full.  It was very apparent when we reached El Valle, where we were.  We were dropped off at the central gas station across from the fruit market.  The town is quaint and ringed by the walls of the crater of the extinct volcano that houses it.  Supposedly, the town is one of two communities the world built within a volcano crater.
We were only a couple blocks from the Windmill Hostel where we had a reservation.  We were able to walk there after meeting the town drunk, friendly guy who reminded us a bit of home.  The hostel was a very interesting place, it had a pool, common kitchen, private rooms and dorms, games room and shared washrooms.  Sadly the manager was a little rough for us and not very friendly to the locals.  He and the owner called them lazy and there were other shady dealings that I don’t care to get into.  Being this is my journal I will briefly list the issues: we arrived to barking order about what “thall shall not do”; he and the owner smoked outside our window constantly; he kept us up until 2 am the first evening (thall shall not do what I do but what I say); the kitchen was too small for the number of people staying there, the ceiling tiles thumped all night with the wind; the pool was toxic and they had no idea how to maintain the water chemistry… I tried to help; no hot water as advertised.  Honestly though, it was the attitude towards Panama and its people.  This all to prevailant attitude that “we are here to make money and we will do what we want regardless of the government rules”…. On to the good stuff.

The first night we visited the local zoo… it was amazing.  I fed and scratched spider monkeys, we saw the only known Golden Frog, many birds and various animals… many being rehabilitated to be released again in the wild.  That evening we enjoyed a meal of tacos from a stand.
Our first full day we hiked the sleeping indian girl trail.  A great hike of only 300 m elevation but a commanding view of the El Valle and the surrounding area.  On our way down we explored a side trail to a small house, waded in a beautiful cool pool of water, saw petroglyphs, a waterfall and ended our hike with a wonderful meal of Fonda, yet again.  We ate dinner at the hostel, taking advantage of the local fruit and vegetable market and eating salad.
Our second and final day required domestics, including sorting out the logistics to get to Santiago, laundry and the pool chemistry.  We visited El Rey, the grocery store, the sepentarium, the orchid preserve and hit up another and my favorite of Panama, Fonda.  We packed that evening and prepared for the next leg of our journey.

We were able to arrange with Javier Elizondo, our guide for Coiba, to pick us up in Santiago being he would be there anyhow.  We made our way to Santiago with little trouble and found ourselves at a very busy and forgein bus terminal.  A crazy old lady told us to leave, but to be fair, we were in a were standing not knowing what to do the next few hours while on the arrival platform.  We decided to walk around and found a pizza/pasta chain that offered free wifi.  We ate for hours, one slow bite at a time, trying to kill time.  It was very apparent that Santiago is not used to tourists and we found that we stuck out more than usual.  We were forced to leave when the washrooms were out of order and I had to go really bad (we thought someone was in them for 30 mins, but in fact the restaurant place lost all water).  We walked over to a brand new KFC… Tracey bought a pop so that I could use the washroom.  We walked back to the bus station, watched a street performer for about 5 minutes and just as we arrived Javier pulled up and whisked us away to Santa Catalina… about 2 hours away.
Javier dropped us off at our hostel Mundo Pequeños (small world).  It was operated by young Swiss couple and her brother who was visiting.  This was a very clean and pleasant hostel.  No shared kitchen but a quite expensive restaurant.  We borrowed some bikes and flew into to town were we saw both beaches before returning with food from the grocery store.  Food in Santa Catalina’s finest store was expensive, poor quality, and low quantity.
During our first full day we rented a 2 person Kayak ($30!) and used it for 2-3 hours.  We paddled over to Santa Catalina Island.  Initially we sat under a rather benign looking tree until locals warned us it was very toxic and if exposed to the sap from the leaves, bark, or fruit we would be badly blistered. The locals call the tree in Spanish “bad shade”.  After relocating, we snorkeled for a little while.  We was many fish, and a sting ray.  We noticed a lot of puffer fish which seems to be the norm in the Pacific.  We also experienced quite a current which now realize we have never been exposed to but are now cautious of.  When we returned we found another Fonda and had lobster.  Tracey loves lobster, I think it is ok.  Sadly that night my stomach did not agree with the lobster and I was left worrying that I might be sick for Coiba.  I took some Pepto in the middle of the night and awoke, to my relief, with just minor issues… nothing that would hold me back.

To be continued as Coiba National Park on a later post.

And so it continues....

Wow... four years and no blog!

The last four years have been extremely busy with my job as the Director of Recreation.  It was a great opportunity and a great way to be a positive contributor to my community.  During that time my back was a serious issue and it limited me from being able to walk more than 100 m without excruciating pain.  The good news is that a quick surgery solved the problem and I was finally able to get back to my love of the mountains two summers ago.  Tracey and I spent a lot of our time backpacking, hiking biking, and boating (with our 17 ft crestliner).  We took up fishing in these past four years and are pretty decent anglers as a result.  Food security continued to be a passion of ours and it progressed into the sport of hunting in pursuit of clean and healthy meat.  Last summer brought me back to Jasper where I finally climbed Mt Edit Cavell... no one can ever understand how emotional and fulfilling this trip was for me.  As well, we tackled Proposal Peak (successful) and reached 100 m from the summit of Diadem Peak... that would have assured us Wooley as well, but conditions made it impossible.  Either way, it was nice to get back into alpine climbing and more importantly to ascend to over 11,000 ft.  I needed to do this to prove that there was nothing physically limiting me in anyway.  We have also traveled a fair bit these past years: Several trips to Mexico, Dominican Republic, Honduran Bay Islands, Netherlands, and Northern BC to name a few.

 My employment is now ending with the District of Lillooet, what an experience it was!  I learned so much in so little time and can see myself continuing in Local Government of BC.  I made a positive impact in this community and learned just as much about myself as I did about the world of Local Government... how much you might ask?... I'm pretty much an expert on the subject of "Wayne Robinson"!  

The reason for resurecting this blog is our impending departure on our next great adventure:  Central America.  Most of my posts on this blog will be through Instagram... but if time allows I may post every so often to keep everyone current with some corresponding text.  Hey, pictures may be worth 1000 words, put on a blog I can type 1001!

Secret Lake

I am deliberately not telling anyone the name of this lake.  All I can say is that it is in the Shulaps and was a fantastic getaway for Tracey and myself.  We took the day, Saturday, to drive some rough logging roads to get to the trail head which took us more or less to the lake.  Although it should have only taken us 45 min to reach it, we missed an important junction as we were a lot quicker than we expected (this has been my first real hike since surgery).  We ended up over shooting the lake by 2.5 km (as the crow flies) and 200 m in elevation.  I didn't like missing the lake (I am still a guide after all), but the opportunity allowed us to explore the Shulaps a little more and wet our appetite for future exploration.

 Shulaps in all their autumn glory!

 Tracey and Pela.. the lake was right behind her!

 Me disappointed that we missed the lake... but Pinto and Pela were still happy.

 Us and us with fish!

 Rainbow Trout cleaned and in the wash basin... ready for caning.

When we got back to the lake it was pretty windy, so we spent the fist hour being blown around on the lake while Pinto and Pela enjoyed the ride.  When the wind would calm - FISH ON!  The trout were beautiful, inside and out.  Nice pink flesh (a little like sockeye) and beautiful coloured skin.  We kept 6 between the two of us and hiked them back to the Jeep.  We got home just after dark and I caned the trout the next morning.

Back in the Saddle!

 Tracey at Cowboy Camp

 Riding Cy with Joe the pack horse through Little Paradise

 Tracey with Relay mountain behind

 Tracey and Homer

 Lizard mountain from Manson pass

 Leading the pack horse along the steep sides of Tyax Creek

Tracey and Homer at Lower Relay Creek camp

I was offered the opportunity to cook for another Spruce Lake Wilderness Adventures trip.  Being my first trip into the mountains since surgery I was pretty eager to do it.  Tracey joined me on this trip which was her first trip into the South Chilcotins.  We travelled through some of my favourite areas: Cowboy Camp (upper Relay creek), Brear Paw Cabin (upper Tyax Creek via Little Paradise and Manson Pass), Spruce Lake Camp (via Tyax Creek) and back to Lower Relay Camp (via Spruce and Tyax Creeks).  Four days of horseback riding fixed my sciatica very well.  As a result, I am able to walk with little to no pain now!  I will continue my Physio for another 5 sessions and will keep on my core strengthening program to ensure it does not return.

August 2011 Update

 Sunset over the Fraser Valley

 Fountain Ridge

 It's been a cool summer but the scenery never fails to impress us!

Pinto and Pela on the deck.

It's been a pretty busy period throughout this month. I've started working at the Lillooet Wellness Centre as the Office Assistant. This has been a great job for me to make my way back into the work force. As well, this is a very positive atmosphere to work in, with a emphasis on well-being. I get great discounts on massage and acupuncture appointments! I have begun to visit a physio-therapist to help rectify my sciatica issue that has only deteriorated over the last several weeks. Walking has been difficult for me so I have been cycling instead - 5 km a day on flat ground with the dogs, plus plenty of core strengthening exercises and stretching.

I have continued canning and drying apricots. All in all I have dried 40 lbs of apricots and canned pickled cucumbers, dill carrots and dill green beans.

Tracey at the back of the garden near an Apricot Tree

Green Beans from the garden.

My 4'x8' apricot drying rack: as they dried I pitted more and placed them on the rack.

I now have Saskatoon Berry wine in the primary fermentor which will be racked into a carboy shortly.  I will post photos in the near future.
The garden has been a little disappointing this year. Most of my Black Krim Tomatoes have succumbed to blossom end rot. I don't get it - I've given them lots of calcium and kept the garden well watered. Perhaps the plants are too close together. I will not give up on this variety and will try something different next year.  Some of my tomatoes do not resemble Black Krims, and the plants are a much lighter shade of green.  These are also the plants that are most prone to the blossom end rot... perhaps a different variety has made it into my seed packet.  I should contact Saltspring Island Seed Co. to see if they know anything about this.

Salmon are definitely running well this year.  I have been out everyday so far this season.  Here's a picture of two Sockeye I caught on the first day of the season.  I hope to catch 20 Sockeye this year.  Pinks are running this year as well.  I have no number I hope to catch, but I am sure there will be plenty (they are expecting 30 million in the Fraser River this year!).  I plan to LOX smoke some of the Pinks and can them.  A local Stat'limc fellow told me that Pinks are best canned for eating.  He recommended 1/2 tsp of vinegar and a tsp of sea salt in each jar... I will try this.  I will probably can most of the Sockeye as well as we found this to be the most convenient way to store and use them.  Tracey and I installed a wash basin sink in our downstairs mud room.  This compliments the toilet that has been recently installed.  Last week we bought some lumber and built a shelving unit and counter top.  This will serve as an area for me to clean my fish, canning, and making wine/beer.  Photos to follow once everything is painted

Lipsmackin' Backpackin' : Lightweight Trail-tested Recipes for Backcountry Trips by Christine Conners

My rating: 1 of 5 stars


Poor



I have to give this book one star for one reason alone. There is a whole page dedicated to the Sunrise Bagel, as follows:

One bagel cut in half

Add butter

Wrap for the trail.



REALLY?!? That's the recipe? A waste of paper and very dissapointing. However, the vegetarian version is much better.



View all my reviews

Apricots

This week is Apricot week.  Trees are just now beginning to ripen which is a week or two late for Lillooet.  Yesterday I began drying apricots on a 4'x8' frame I built.  Today was apricot jam day (I may make more tomorrow as there is a huge abundance of fruit this year on neighbors' trees).  I thought I'd share this recipe with you... worked out pretty good and yields 16 x 250ml jars (8 x 500ml jars: just in-case your math skills are poor).  You may cut this recipe in half, but I like to make large batches when fruit is available... and it's not available for long!  Between to quickness of the apricot season and marauding black bears, you need to get on this sort of thing as quick as possible.

6 lbs Tree Ripened Apricots

13 cup Sugar

1 cup Lemon Juice

4 Tbsp Grated Ginger

2 doz. Lavender Flower Heads (bundled in cheese cloth)

Pit and quarter the apricots - place in a heavy pot (large).  Add Lemon juice, sugar and ginger.  Place on medium low heat and stir regularly to ensure the sugar does not burn.  Just before boiling (when foam starts to form) add the lavender flower bundle.  When a boil is reached, reduce heat to simmer.  I usually simmer for 5 min. - others like to do the "jell test" on a cold plate (I can't be bothered but then again some of my jams don't set all that well).  While still hot, ladle jam into hot sterilized jars.  Process in a water bath for 10 min.  Should keep for at least a year.

I hope you enjoy this recipe... another one of my pass times while in recovery mode.  This recipe is the first I've made using my outdoor propane burner (turkey deep-fryer... I'll probably never use it for that though).  It worked pretty slick... a lot faster than the stove top burner and kept the house cooler.  A bit of a pain running around between the stove top (where the jam was made) and the front yard where I was processing.  I'm sure I'll figure out something more convenient as time goes by.

What to do when recovering from open-heart surgery.

First, I have to say that my recovery progress is exceeding even my most optimistic expectations.  I must be within the top 95% of patients - to be 9 weeks into the recovery process and feeling like nothing ever happened!  You may wonder what it is that I have been able to do these last three weeks of my recovery.  The answer is surprisingly - quite a lot!

Picking Fruit.
This has been a good way to pass my time.  Picking fruit gets me out on walks.  It also gives me the opportunity to carry a little weight around and stretch my arms while picking fruit overhead.  So far I have been picking cherries, saskatoon berries, strawberries and the odd raspberry.  Apricots will be ripe this coming week, and like cherries and saskatoons there is a bumper crop on the neighbors' trees.

Preserving.
So far I have canned fruit and preserves, including: Cherry Strawberry Jam, Strawberry Rhubarb Jam, Cherry Lime Jam and plain old pitted cherries in a light syrup.  I have vacuum packed 5 lbs of cherries and 17.5lbs of saskatoons for the freezer.

Wine Making.
Currently there is 23 L of Strawberry/Cherry Wine brewing in the secondary fermentation stage.  Once I rack this batch into a second carboy (in five weeks) I will start on my Saskatoon Berry Wine (from the 17.5 lbs of fruit I picked- now in the freezer).

Gardening.
The garden is definitely behind this year.  It was planted the week after I got out of the hospital which in the case of the leafy greens and beets was a month behind schedule.  Not a big deal since everyone's garden in Lillooet is behind.  This has been a wet and cool summer (nearly 15'C below normal) and usually I would have picked the first ripe tomato by now.  Still we have been able to enjoy plenty of Arugula, Mixed Lettuce, Basil, Swiss Chard, fingerling Beets and one cucumber.  Radishes were a complete bust this year, riddled with maggots due to the late planting.

Besides all of this domestic work, I have been out hiking a bit and helped Tracey build an 7'x8' platform outside the shed (I held boards while she cut).  We were to go camping last weekend but the weather wasn't so nice.  I took my first bike ride today!  This weekend is the Lillooet Apricot Festival, and I will help Tracey build a pergola over the hot tub.  Possibly, we will get out on the canoe this week, and maybe... just maybe get out for a longer hike into the Alpine on the long weekend - maybe in Jasper?

Open Heart Surgery

My mountain travel days are on hold as I am recovering from open heart surgery.  It has been known for many years that I would need to have my Aortic valve repaired at some point in my life but up until this year, I have had no symptoms so no need for intervention (or so I thought).  As a matter of fact, I never really realized that I was having any symptoms until I met with my Cardiologist on April 29, 2011.  He observed that the gradient of pressure behind my valve was a whopping 88 mm/hg which is considered extremely serious.  He asked if I had been having any symptoms e.g. shortness of breath, chest pains, dread... you know, heart attack symptoms and at first I said 'no'.  But then I started thinking....  Over the last six months I had noticed that I was slowing down a lot.  Not only that, my level of energy and ambition was really low.  I thought I was getting older or maybe in worse shape than I thought I was (despite working out five days a week, skiing nearly nearly every week, and carrying a huge amount of large rocks to build a retaining wall daily through out February and March).  I thought the discomfort in my chest was pulled muscles and I also had an explanation for every other symptom. 

What really got me thinking was a ski trip at the end of March to attempt to climb Mount Columbia (on the Columbia Icefields).  This was a four day trip with a couple of friends who I have known since living Jasper.  At 7 am we started up the Saskatchewan Glacier, due to poor weather, carrying our packs and slogging around on skis.  I was having a very hard time once we started gaining elevation.  I was having a hard time keeping up, my chest was heaving I was so short of breath.  I remember a constant tightness across my chest, discomfort in my arms, and a feeling of absolute dread that I'll never forget.  All I wanted to do was cry, cry and turn around and go home.  I thought that I was out classed by my younger travel companions, but deep down inside I wondered if something else was really wrong.  By 3:30 pm I was screwed, luckily for me bad weather blew in and we had near zero visibility.  We were just at the ramp on the glacier where we would ascend onto the icefield.  It was decided that we would dig in and set up a camp.  I was so wasted, I hardly dig, or even eat any of the snack I had.  My friends dug snow while I sat there in complete turmoil.
That evening while I cooked dinner (which they insisted on so that my pack would be lighter) we discussed what I was feeling.  I said that something was not right, but it was agreed that I was probably a little out of shape as they had skied more than me that winter (three of the four worked ski patrol) and that I was getting old (two of them were in their early 20's - I am only 35!).  I remember waking up the next day and not wanting to continue, I felt like a complete shit who was ruining the trip for everyone else.  While we were debating what the weather was going to do (and cooking breakfast) another winter storm blew in... over night and that day we received somewhere between 50 and 100 cm of snow... we weren't moving.  The storm persisted so we built a snow cave, I started feeling better (thought maybe it was dehydration!).  The weather kept us pinned there until we had a window on day three and we thought it best to leave then rather than risk being stuck there and why spend another night in the cold just to go home the next day.  The ski out was fun because it was mostly downhill.  Near the end of the ski was an uphill section; again, I had a hard time, chest tightness, shortness of breath, but I just passed it off as all the other reasons.  As a result, the next day when I drove back to Lillooet, I had my tail between my legs and felt pretty shameful about my performance... I thought I had better start working out harder... the problem was I couldn't.

I relayed this story to my Cardiologist who said the weather may have saved my life on that trip.  Attempting the 3700m + peak might have lead to a very serious situation in a very remote place or worse my death.  Suddenly, everything started making sense, I was showing symptoms.  I was scheduled for an Angiogram in Vancouver for May 16.  I knew that I would probably have to go for surgery soon afterwards, so it was a race to get some work done.  I finished the rock wall, build a side and back deck, excavated the garden and built raised vegetable beds... probably too much.

May 11, 2011 I couldn't even walk the dogs on a level trail without feeling a tightness in my chest, and that feeling of dread - again.  The feeling continued right through into work, I didn't make it through the day.  At 12 noon I checked myself into the Emergency department.  Within two days (Friday) I was ambulanced to Vancouver General Hospital undergoing an emergemcy angiogram.  Some people wait months for this proceedure, but it seems that I needed surgery very quickly as things were going sour for me at an alarming rate.  Mortality was staring me in the face and if I wasn't at Death's door step, I was certainly on the sidewalk in front of his home.  Surgery to repair my valve was scheduled in two days - Monday, May 16, 2011 - 8 am.

The surgery had some complications.  My aorta was herniated due to the pressure of the blood coming through my stenoic valve, an annherism was forming.  As a result both my valve and my ascending aorta had to be replaced.  My old valve (replaced with a bovine valve) was one of the most heavily calcified valves my surgeon had ever removed (he retires in a year!).  As a result, two days after the surgery, I had complete heart block.  My heart would not beat properly without the aid of a pacemaker.  A pacemaker was implanted (while I was still awake!) on May 23, 2011.  I was released the following Thursday.

It is now nearly six weeks since my sternum was cracked, and I am feeling quite good.  Both my cardiologist and my family physician believe I am healing 'remarkable fast' which is not fast enough for me!  At this time I cannot carry anything over 10 lbs, I have lost much of my muscle and still weight 20 lbs less than what I started with.  I still feel like a shadow of myself, but I feel great improvements every week.  I have been off the nasty oxycodon's for a week now and very glad for it, although I am a grouchy bastard and feel really bad for Tracey who has to endure this.  Strangely though she says I've been a grouchy bastard since the sergury, although due to the medication I remeber little of the first five weeks of recovery and feel she must be making this up.  Tracey has taken very good care of me and I owe her so much once I am recovered.  As for my recovery, I am expected to be 100% withing 3 months of surgery and already iIknow I will be stronger than I've ever been.  Already I am climbing hills with more ease than I have in three years!  Now that I look back on past events, I can see that I have been showing symptoms for probably three years or so.  My first clue to this was the size of my lungs (pre-operation x-ray).  Due to my body over compensating all this time, my lungs would not fit on one x-ray image!  Truely though, I'm just happy to the be able to be healthier than ever, and more importantly, alive.  Life has a new meaning for me now and a different perspective on life, family and friends is just comming to realization.  I love you Tracey, thank you for standing by me through it all. 

Time to Consolidate

It's time to consolidate my blogs.  I've been trying to operate too many blogs and thus I haven't been maintaining any of them.  I'm going to limit myself to 2 blogs:  This one - Wayner's Mountain World, and a personal one for family only.  Quite often my family blogs will be posted on this blog too, but I doubt anyone other than family are interested in the state of my garden or how many times I had to mow the lawn this year... this is a blog on my mountain adventures after all!!
Be sure to check old posts as I will be updating information on past trips and excursions that have not been published so far from the past two years.  I am also changing the format of this blog slightly.  As well as posting information on the life and times (in the mountains) of Tracey and Wayne, I will be posting my guided trips through Canadian Mountain Adventure and Spruce Lake Wilderness Adventures, and tips (from my now defunct blog Mountain Travel Tips), including some of my favourite back-country recipes.
Ciao for now!

The Aussie Top Up Method

How long and how often you stop during a hike is very goal dependent.  However, an Australian study may hold the answer if you are wanting to stay at your optimal condition through out the day. 

Check out this 'Aussie Top Up Strategy'.  

The study gave a group of athletes various eat, drink and rest schedules, and closely monitored each patients' body for signs of fatigue, dehydration and discomfort. 

Optimal schedule:
Stop every hour for 5 min (only) during streneous physical activity: eat, drink, and rest during the break.  After the fist hour you will drop to 90% your optimal condition and bounce back to 95% by the end of the 5 min rest.  When following this schedule, after 3 hours you will have only dropped to 85% (bouncing back to roughly 90% after the rest).  As 9 hours rolls around you will still be operating at 70% of your optimum.  Even at 12 hours expect to be functioning above 60%.

Compare this to another scenerio.  The atheletes in this trial rested for 15 min every three hours.  By the time they reached their first rest, atheletes were only functioning at 70%.  After the 15 min break they did rebound to 80% only to plunge 50% by their next rest at hour 6.  By hour 9, 30% and around 10% at 12 hours.

The obvious but interesting observation is that in both scenerios, the actual duration of rest is the same.

I will be trying out this strategy for my next few trips. 

September 2010 and Yoho's passing

Above: Cow Camp in Little Paradise.  Below: Summiting a peak above Munson Pass

 Overlooking Upper Tyax Creek Valley

 Below: Cinnabar Basin

 Lizard Peak

 Lorna Lake

 Permanent Snow Patch (mini glacier) on Lizard Peak.  Below: Looking South from Lizard Peak

 Above: Wolverine Tracks.  Below: Fish Lake

 Shadows on the shoulder of Lizard Peak

SCREE!!!

Spetember brought mixed emotions for us.  On the bright side of things I guided several amazing hiking trips through the South Chilcotins.  I also had a couple of good horse packing trips with Jaimie as well.  I developed a passion for Salmon fishing and was able to catch 22 sockeye with the season was on.  I was also lucky to have a good friend of mine, Ryan Titchener, come from Jasper and assist me with a trip I was guiding out of Eldorado Cabin. 

Tracey, on the other hand, was left to deal with Yoho, who was deteriorating at an alarming rate.  It finally reached a point where he was experiencing many more bad days than good ones.  When it got to the point that he lost control of his bowels, which had to be an awful thing for him to have happen (he was such a composed dog when healthy), we decided that it would be more merciful for us to let him go.  September 29, 2011 at 4 pm: we had Yoho euthanized in our arms.  We knew exactly when he passed, the light in his eyes faded out like a candle being extinguished.  Our boy was gone.  It was a painful drive back knowing that he was in our trunk with a plastic bag wrapped around his remains.  We brought him to a favourite spot and placed his remains where he loved it most (while living here in Lillooet).  I felt his ears one last time and let him go.  We are able to look over where we placed him on a daily basis and know that his spirit and the lessons he taught us live on.  It is a little unfair for Pinto, we are expecting him to live up to Yoho's legacy, to be even half the dog that Yoho was will be good enough.  Perhaps it would be best if he didn't as then maybe when he too passes on, it may not hurt quite as much.