Jungle Trek

Erika and I did some major jungle trekking today. Pico Bonito National Park is about 30 minutes from our house and we kept getting told that we need to go up there and do some hiking. So we decided to do just that. Douglas, a friend that we made last night and the husband of one of Erika's coworkers, offered to drive us up to the trail head. He picked us up around 9 this morning and off we went. We turned off the highway and went onto a gravel and dirt road that followed the banks of the Rio Cangrejal. This road was very bumpy, but that didn't stop me from realizing that we were going further and further into the mountains and jungle. We had left most signs of civilization behind us, just a single power line along the side of the road reminded us that we really weren't that far from society.
When we got to the Pico Bonito Visitors Center - a two room hovel with a desk and an empty glass display case - Douglas dropped us off and said "Good luck! Have fun!" before we even had the chance wonder how we were going to get back to La Ceiba. "So long Douglas!" And with that and the realization that we might have to hike all the way back to the city I just sang the lyrics to the song that had been playing in Douglas' car on the way up here, "Don't worry, be happy."
It costs $7 to get onto the trail and with that you get a guy to show you a map- they don't let you keep the map, you have to remember it- and a friendly point in the right direction. Which is really all you need. First up, the bridge over the Cangrejal.





As soon as we got to the other side of the bridge we saw a giant, bright blue butterfly go by us- a good sign. There were two different ways you could take to get to the end of the trail, which we were told was a stunning waterfall. You could take the easy way or the hard way. Of course, the easy way was closed for some reason.
The jungle is amazing. Best fitting description, "Everything is on steroids." Plants are huge, trees touch the clouds, insects fly by and create a small gust of wind with their giant wings. There are sounds of life everywhere. Everything is green. The bright colors of flowers and some bugs surprise you around every corner. You have to watch your every foot step because you don't want to crush something. Such as these ants...





We saw a lot of these ants actually. They would cover the trail at certain parts. It's amazing to see them all traveling in relatively straight lines across branches, leaves and whatever else that lies on the floor while carrying pieces of leaves, dead bugs and flowers that must weigh twice their body weight. The organization is awe inspiring when you take into consideration that there is no leader telling them what to do and that they only communicate by smell and touch. Somehow, these tiny individuals come together to move the jungle floor. Needless to say, Erika kept yelling at me to stop looking at the ants and to keep moving.
It was not that hot in the jungle because the canopy blocked the sun, but the humidity was unbelievable and we both sweated through our clothes in no time. We saw many things that I had never seen before in my life.











Then we got to the end of the trail, and through the trees we could see the waterfall. There was a group of people down there already but they left soon after we got there. The water was freezing but it felt great to cool off our bodies. The waterfall had to have been over 200 ft. high and the water falling from the top did so with such force that it almost hurt when it finally landed on you. The rocks were extremely slippery and there were small pools of water with frogs and tadpoles in them. We could see La Ceiba through the trees as we sat and soaked up the fact that we were sitting in such a beautiful place.







Here is a video as well....



It was a great hike! After spending some time at the waterfall, eating PB & J sandwiches and drinking lots of water, we headed back down the trail. In all the hiking took about 2 1/2 hrs round trip but we went up quiet a bit of the mountain to get to that waterfall. When we got back to the bridge we were soaked with sweat, muddy and tired but very happy. We walked down to a nearby backpackers lodge called Jungle River Lodge and called for a taxi. While we waited we drank a cold Salva Vida and looked out over the Cangrejal and into the massive wall of jungle that laid on the other side. It was a good day indeed.

Oh, and here is a big parrot!