Costa Rica - Rincon de la Vieja Climb - (assault of an old woman)

Tim and I decided that an assault on the "old woman" volcano was in order so we loaded up on supplies (beer) headed north into the blast furnace that some people call Guanacaste. During the next two days La Ley Seca (the dry law) was in effect due to the Good Friday/Easter holiday.......yes, it is illegal to sell booze anywhere in the country during that time......I'm sure there were plenty of bummed out spring breakers that found this out the hard way (hatin' it brah)

We were set up to camp (throw down style - no cooking) and I knew of the perfect spot. Unfortunately the perfect camping spot had morphed into a into a SPA in the year since Jen and I were here last. We ended up camping at the way-overpriced Rincon de le Vieja Lodge - out in the horse pasture. It was actually pretty sweet camping but the next morning at the lodge dining room, we paid way too much for the probably the shittiest breakfast in Costa Rica - but at least the coffee was decent.

The climb was pretty easy: about an hour and a half through some jungly stuff and then another hour above tree line

At the top there are two main craters, the extinct crater and the active one. The extict crater is much higher and pretty boring. The active crater is cool with a big ol bubbling lake 500 feet below you. The edge of the crater is hairy (unstable as hell) and the smell of hydrogen sulfide is intense.

There were a few other folks up top - some of which had no business being up there. We took a different trail for the trip down which included some crazy-steep muddy slopes and two areas where you had to slide down fixed ropes.

The assault was a success and the old lady didn't even put up a struggle.....and that's the way we like it (in fact, she seemed to have enjoyed it)


photos courtesy of Timo CrackBack, Creepy Gringo, all rights reserved