Costa Rica II: Ziplines, Tiny Planes, and Visiting Poás Volcano National Park
Katie and Weston taking in the view on the first platform at Canopy Bosque Mar. |
Canopy Bosque Mar Zipline Tour
Whether a result of my body relaxing in Central America or germs floating around on the various planes I'd taken to get there, I woke up the fourth morning of our Costa Rican adventure, June 18th, with a bad cold. The majority of the group had surfing or other activities planned, but for Katie, Weston and me, a zipline canopy tour through the rainforest was on the menu post-breakfast.I couldn't bring myself to miss it and jumped in a small Toyota truck with the rest of the crew and our guides for the day to head out. Our destination was Canopy Bosque Mar, about a half hour from the Crocodile Bay Resort. The company began zipline tours in an effort to both protect a stunning tract of rainforest land, and to generate income for the folks who live there. Despite my eternal fear of heights, I couldn't wait to explore the rainforest from a new perspective. It was abundantly clear that our guides were experienced, and both had extensive knowledge of rainforest flora and fauna.
A panorama from the first platform. Rainforest as far as the eye could see! |
Columbia creative director Dan Richards demonstrating proper zipping form. Legs straight and crossed in front of you, brake hand securely on the cable. |
The evening also brought a severe thunderstorm, complete with what seemed like feet of rain. It's what I expected to experience in Costa Rica - deafening downpours and humidity making it impossible to dry out any of your gear or clothes, but somehow, completely fine and normal. For me, a big part of of the joy of trips to unfamiliar places is the chance to test my go-with-the-flow abilities; being out of my comfortable surroundings at home and accepting what was fine and normal in Costa Rica was wonderful.
Despite power going out. I had an incredible last night at the resort. I sat at dinner chatting with Nancy Bouchard and Dylan about our passions, what made coming to Costa Rica special, and how we got where we are with work and the sports we're passionate about. After dinner, I remember navigating my way around the resort with my borrowed iPhone's flashlight kicking myself for leaving my headlamp at home, but loving how profoundly dark it was and how the darkness magnified the sounds of the rainforest.
Puddle Jumpers from Puerto Jimenez to San Jose
Weston, Dylan, Katie and I with Dennis, one of our guides from Crocodile Bay. The Departure Point Dress is one of my absolute favorites of the Spring '16 pieces I wore. |
Living in Philadelphia, I'm accustomed to a ton of traffic at the airport, long security lines, a long check-in process, and hundreds of people fighting to board the plane at the same time. To get to the Puerto Jimenez airport, we drove five minutes along dirt roads around the town's single runway, walked into a building that didn't seem much larger than my Philadelphia apartment, got laminated boarding passes we'd return for future use before we left, and boarded a 10-14 seat Sansa Airlines Cessna Caravan plane without overhead bins or flight attendants.
I was terrified to be on such a small aircraft, but the flight was smooth and uneventful. We flew around the Osa Peninsula to pick up passengers in Golfito, flew over stunning blue waters and rainforested land, and got front seat views the entire way. It was incredible being two rows behind the pilots and being able to see directly out of the front windows of the plane; I don't anticipate getting to have that experience often!
One of the trails we used for the photo shoots. Wet, muddy, and beautiful! |
A Quick Visit to Poás Volcano National Park
After landing in San Jose, we boarded a bus and were on our way for our afternoon activities. Our first stop en route to Poás Volcano National Park was Restaurante Freddo Fresas for strawberry milkshakes. They're infamous, and with good reason. Strawberry fields surround the restaurant, and the fruit is as fresh as fresh gets.After our snack, we climbed up into the mountains for what seemed like hours, finally arriving at the Poás Volcano visitors center mid-afternoon. I couldn't wait to explore the area, given it was our first opportunity to hike through the rainforest at that point in the trip.
Dylan and I messing around with handstands in Columbia's active apparel between shots. Love the Zero Rules skort! |
Next, we'll cover learning the origin of one of my favorite things in the entire world - coffee! And then, it's on to the final stage of our trip, including horseback riding into a jungle lodge, torrential rain, and more. Have you been ziplining before? What about to the crater rim of an active volcano? We'd love to hear from you!
Editor's Note: Travel, lodging, food, and related expenses were covered by Columbia Sportswear as part of this trip, but as always, the opinions and views expressed here are my own.
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