I split today up into two runs. One long run and one short steep run. I was hoping to summit Arenal today inspite of all the crap about it being closed. There hasn't been activity here for several years outside of continuous small eruptions and lava flow. I had a fair idea of where the old summit trail was. I got up early and stepped out of the room. The volcano just floored me. Spectacular, and right there! It was huge. I hadn't seen it the night before since I got in so late. I sat on the sun deck overlooking the lake, visiting with a french family and had a huge breakfast. Years ago, the locals were known for dressing up as park rangers and leading "unofficial" expeditions up the summit. I thought I'd give it a try, but the desk clerk was pretty much scared about the whole thing even when I offered him $50 US to find someone. Too many people die, he said.
Not much time to write here, but I spent some time reviewing the geological site before this trip and activity was non existant, sleeping stage. Winds were from the East so I decided to run the trail from the west and come up the east side. After only an hour of running I had the great luck of runing into the park rangers, or polizi, clearing a trail section. They were major pissed off. I though I was going to jail and briefly considered outrunning them. Briefly. To make a long short, they took my camera and GPS, and told me I could ask at the station in the morning for them. Anyways, I went back down the way I came. Pretty much doubting by now that I could have made it anyways since the trails were insane and off trail running seemed to require a machete. The plants grow on the trees here for heck sakes! So I decided to run a circumnavigation of the volcano which turned out better anyways since I got some dirt road time and then joined the road to La Fortuna for a lot of the distance. I caught a tourist bus back to the lodge and grabbed my stuff for the afternoon run. I stopped at the Supermercado for six bags of ice which I put in the trunk of the car on hotel blankets for a makeshift cooler. This saved me for the next two days since I always had cold drinks and food.
After a few hours break, and lunch, I decided to run the old trail system on the west side of Arenal base. It was pretty much overgrown but I soon came across the Cerro Chato trail that is daily maintained by the private owners. This climbs pretty much straight up the volcano and down the crater rim. Amazing trail! I couldn't run it at all after a mile and had to hike it, mixed with running when I could. When I came down the crater rim the lagoon in the crater was amazing! There were frogs, fish and birds everywhere so I assumed the water was pretty safe and tied my shoes on my water pack and swam across. Man did that feel good! Then it was a simple matter of running back down. Best experience in a long time! About 8 mile round trip. Then it was time to get everything in the car and head up north into Nicaragua for the last few trails. | 