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Catarata Ririgu to Rio Lori

Day 6 – March 22

Hiking – 7.5 km (4.7 miles), 467 meters (1,532 ft) elevation gain.

Slept in and messed around this morning.  Didn’t leave camp until around 7:20 a.m. because it would be a short easy day.

Water Fall

...Chris scrambled down to my rescue and I was showing him where I was on the ledge
Chris to the Rescue

There was a tradition on the Outward Bound course I took in Colorado 33 years ago that every morning you got up and ran at least 30 minutes uphill and then back to camp by way of the nearest stream or lake.  When you got to the water you stripped down and plunged in.  The water in those streams was about 32.1 °F (0.1 °C) since it was snow about five minutes earlier.  The dip I took on the morning of day 6 was much warmer.

We knew it was going to be a short day so after we broke camp we explored around a little.  One of the drawbacks of getting way the hell and gone out in the middle of nowhere is that you can’t afford to linger.  You can only carry so much food so you have to make a certain number of miles every day or you’ll run out of days.

I was enjoying the chance to explore up a side creek and stopped on a little rock outcropping to shot a photo straight down at some beautiful pools and white water running over smooth rocks fifteen or twenty feet below.  0.93 seconds later I was sitting in the pool with the rocks from the outcropping sitting next to me.

Rule number 15 of hiking in the rainforest – nothing is solid.  It’s all been soaking and decaying for a thousand years and if you grab it, pull on it or step down, it may give way.

Fortunately I escaped with literally just a scratch.

The Toughest Waterfall Hike in Costa Rica

The toughest waterfall hike ever. It took five and a half days of hard going to reach
Catarata Ririgu

We still had a long haul ahead of us but we were planning a short day because the Río Lori was only a few hours away and it would be the last water before we crossed the divide.  Short day today, very long day tomorrow.

But that meant we had time for a side trip to Catarata Ririgu.  It was a relatively easy climb of a kilometer or so but probably qualifies as the toughest waterfall hike in Costa Rica.  It took five and a half days of hard going to reach the start of the trail the middle of La Amistad international peace park

The Easy Day

Even including side trips we didn’t break the 10k mark and only gained a couple of thousand feet of elevation but it was the perfect place to take it slow.  Most of the time we were walking in a stream and it was one of the most beautiful walks anywhere.  The whole trip was amazing but today lingering in the heart of one of the wildest places left on earth was awe inspiring.

The difference between places that humans go and the ones that they don’t defies explanation.

Camp along the Rio Lori

Up another stream...
Up another stream…

Camp along the Rio Lori on the sixth night was one of the most comfortable.  We arrived early after a short day.  We had time to wash off in the river and even got a few glimpses of the sun because the valley was slightly more open than the near vertical walls we’d been traveling between for the previous couple of days.

We were also getting pretty good at setting up.  Justin had learned the importance of stretching his rainfly and Chris was testing his hammock hanging trees before bedtime.  Everyone took a nap while it rained in the afternoon.

Porter Number 6 Part II

Porter number 6 really earned his pay on day six. We’d been sharing powerbars, dried fruit, granola, jerky (Justin got this filet Mignon jerky from a rancher in Arenal that was insanely good) with the guides and porters along the trail every day but today they started asking if we had any extra.  After a struggle with the culture and languages Andres figured out that they had scraped the bottom of their rations the night before and were completely out of food.

We’d brought an emergency meal thanks to Porter Number 6 and they dined in style on Mountain House freeze dried Sweet and Sour Pork and Chicken Teriyaki.

Go to Another Day
Caribbean – 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – today – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – Pacific

Photo Gallery Day 6 – Catarata Ririgu to Rio Lori

Each of the images below is linked to a larger version with a detailed description

Hanging out by the fire in the morning - it was chilly when we got to higher elevations.
Chilly morning
Nothing on the map today except contour lines and rivers
Just contours
Camp fire
Camp fire
El Machete
El Machete
Let's go
Let’s go
The footwear of choice for our guides and porters was rubber boots
Footwear of choice
Porter 6
Porter 6
Waiting
Waiting
One second I'm standing up on a ledge taking a photo of the river rushing fifteen or twenty feet below...
Looking down
...and the next second I'm in the river with Andres snapping a picture of me...
Looking up
...Chris scrambled down to my rescue and I was showing him where I was on the ledge
Chris to the Rescue
Literally just a scratch - I and others were thinking broken bones and airlift evacuation after the tumble down the waterfall but I escaped with nothing but a few scratches and bruises
Just a scratch
The moss and river rocks were slippery but as long as the canyon wasn't too steep traveling upstream was much easier than trying to move through the dense vegetation.
Slippery river rocks
The toughest waterfall hike ever. It took five and a half days of hard going to reach
Catarata Ririgu
The toughest waterfall hike ever. It took five and a half days of hard going to reach the catarata on quebrada Ririgu in the middle of La Amistad international peace park
Catarata Ririgu
There are parts of three hikers visible in this photo - can you see them through the dense vegetation?
Three hikers
Ghostlike trees through the mist of the cloud forest - La Amistad
Ghostlike trees
Red flowers
Red flowers
Slip slidin away
Slip slidin away
Ferns or cycads
Ferns or cycads
A few minutes to relax on a rock after lunch
Relax on a rock
Breaking camp on day six
Breaking camp
Climb over
Climb over
Up another stream...
Up another stream…
We had about 3 kilos of powdered Gatorade that we mixed up and reused the same bottles we bought at the pulperia in Surketa
Gatorade
Moss and epiphytes cling to every surface in the cloud forest
Moss and epiphytes
Pink flower
Pink flower
Deer hoof plant
Deer hoof plant
Lunch straight out of the can
Out of the can
Amazing heliconias are everywhere in Amistad International Peace Park
Heliconias
Walking poles
Walking poles
Sprouting
Sprouting
Stream # 237
Stream # 237

Go to Another Day
Caribbean – 0 – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – today – 7 – 8 – 9 – 10 – Pacific

Ray & Sue

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Over the Hill

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  • Trans Talamanca Trek – How To
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  • Puerto Viejo to Coroma
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  • Kichuguecha to Quebrada Mari
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  • Fila Bugu to Catarata Ririgu
  • Catarata Ririgu to Rio Lori
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