The Hike to End All Hikes

On Saturday, we did the incredible hike to the top of Cerro Chato. I say 'incredible' because it really boggled the mind on many levels. First of all, the crater lake at the top of the hike was amazingly beautiful and pristine. Second of all, it is amazing that this particular journey is classified as a "hike." It is more like a very long obsticle course with hills and mud. It is a hiking experience more than just a hike. It took us five hours to complete the journey, which in and of itself wouldn't be so long...but four of those hours involved climbing and clawing one's way up and down extremely steep pathways. This was not hiking- it was mud climbing. For several kilometers, the climb was so steep up there were many places where one could not simply step, one had to hoist oneself up using only arm strength. At least that was the case for me. I discovered that climbing up incredibly steep paths is challenging for a person of short stature. Whereas my hiking mates could simply take a large step to reach certain spots, I had to cling on with my arms, perform a pull up manauver, and then throw my leg high in the air to reach the next level. Sometimes I had to cling on to a root and actually crawl my way up through the mud, pulling my body along. Apparently I was quite amusing to watch as I attempt to throw myself up to reach certain steep spots, my arms straining to lift my weight high enough to lift up a leg, and then my little legs scrambling up the muddy cliff trying to find a foothold.
Once we reached the top, there was a glorious crater lake that we sat by to eat lunch.
Then, the way back down was another experience. Those sheer mud cliff spots that we so difficult to climb up were downright terrifying to get back down. I tried sitting and dropping off the ledges. I tried climbing backwards. I usually ended up choosing to sit down directly in the mud and slide straight down. On ledges that were too steep even for sliding, I decided to just hang on with my arms for a moment, and then jump down. Which turned out to be fun after a while.
Actually, the whole experience was very fun. Challenging, but exhilerating too. Made us all feel very accomplished when we survived it. And amazingly, no one got hurt. Although my arms are terribly sore today, after having lifted myself up that many times. It hurts a little just typing this.
Here is a picture of the path...doesn't give you a sense of how steep it is, but you can see how wooded and muddy it is.