After breakfast, we kept hiking for about 3 hours more until we arrived at a small cabin that had bathrooms and served snacks and drinks. We all ordered some coffee and rested for a few minutes before continuing our hike up the mountain. At this point, the ecosystem began to change. The trees began to disappear and small shrubs and plants filled the land around us. A light fog surrounded us, as well. Eventually we entered an ecosystem known as the “Paramo”. The Paramo is a dry, rocky ecosystem that doesn’t have many plants or animals living in it. After a few hours of hiking in the Paramo, we made it to our basecamp around 1 pm. The basecamp was a large cabin with 50 beds for any hikers passing through. We had lunch at basecamp, then rested for the rest of the day until dinnertime. After dinner, we went straight to bed because we were going to hike to the top of Mt. Chirripó very early the next morning.
Day 2: On day 2, our alarms went off at 2 am. We were beginning the second half of our hike early so that we could arrive at the top before sunrise. We had to wear headlamps during this portion of the hike because it was still dark out. It was also very cold (about 35 degrees Fahrenheit), so we were wearing sweatpants, hats, gloves, and thick coats. We only had 5 km to climb before getting to the top, but it was difficult because it was the steepest part of the hike. During some parts, we had to use our hands in order to climb over big rocks. After about 2.5 hours of hiking in the dark, we arrived at the top of Mt. Chirripó and the top of Costa Rica! After taking a few pictures, we sat and watched as the sun rose. Once the sun was up, we could see out for hundreds of miles in all directions.
