When Words will not suffice.

Oh, and who can spot the Crocodile in this video?!

Izzi's Journal

Dec 29th
Last night we drove the Pan American Highway south
to a beach called Hermosa. The narrow highway
was packed with cargo tucks and cars. The road
was a hazard in itself, but on top of that bikes, and
families were all trying to walk and ride along
this same dangerous path. Where is everyone
going I thought?
We eventually headed away from the highway and our
journey became more and more exciting. We
crossed smaller bridges, larger rivers and
bigger potholes, until we finally came to the
most beautiful, rugged, muddy road. All of a sudden
the jungle surrounding the road opened and
revealed a beautiful beach. This was Hermosa
Beach. We set up our hammocks in the trees,
just off the beach and excitedly climbed into
our hanging beds.
I could see the ocean, the moon, the stars, and the
jungle all from the soft swing of my hammock.
The tide was very low so a thin layer of water lay on
the beach and reflected the sky. It was incredible!
This poem I wrote the next day about the magic and
beauty of this beach at night.

Last night Was
The sand a reflection of the land above
the dizzying shallow waves
slide beneath my feet
a moon half bright
shadowed a distant firelight

Do i imagine this waking dream
of giants walking among the stars
and gypsies lost in night?

My soul, it wonders
Is this it?
the place earth ends?
or is this where it all
begins?
-------------

In truth
there is not an end nor
start
but simply
this moment
with all of heart

Dec 30th
Since this entry has been typed and you are not
reading it straight from my journal (which is barely
legible), it is not as evident as to the harshness of
the road that we are driving on. The road has
gotten much more treacherous- to say the least. I
think we driven through 10 rivers, but haven't gotten
stuck yet. :-)
Tonight we stayed in Carate which is basically the end
of the road on the Osa Peninsula. From here we
will launch our kayaks. We have our hammocks
set up among the palms just up on the berm off
the beach. This dark grey sand beach stretches
on for miles. I cannot see the end of it in
either direction. The rain-forests here are the
lushest I've seen so far, and I have already seen
Macaws, Toucans and Howler Monkeys. It is
so beautiful here it is almost hard to see. Hard
to realize that it is real. My body can feel
the heat and the crashing warm waves, my ears
hear the chirping, howling and screeching of
the jungle, but for some reason it is almost too
beautiful for to see.
Today we took a extremely long steep stairway
into the mountainous rain-forest that surrounds
us. It has been named "The Stairway to Heaven"
which makes sense because-it's not an easy
journey to get there-but exquisite and worth
every stair once you do.
I have been looking at guides on native
medicinal plants-because it fascinates me that
when you are in such a natural habitat there is
no need for anything except preserving what is
already here. If you know how to live with the
environment you are in, then you don't even need a
first aid kit. I saw a Mimosa Pudica, a
very common plant here in Costa Rica (it can
even be found in the states), but i had just
learned that it helps with nervous dysfunctions
and insomnia, (besides the fun fact that it
closes its leaves when touched), so I was excited
to recognize it.
Jan 31st
Today I was a bit nervous, but ready to get going.
Getting out in my kayak was crazy. I was
completely strapped into a 200+ pound boat
preparing to paddle for miles on the open ocean with
basically no prior experience. I felt as if I
had been crippled and strapped to a wheelchair
and shoved toward huge crashing waves with only
the help of a small paddle.
I was really scared actually! But when asked if
I was ready, I swallowed the nausea, said yes
and was pushed toward the wild ocean.
Amazingly, my boat cut through these steep waves;
it's weight actually a blessing. My boat would
angle toward the sky and then swiftly fall to
the ocean as I made it over the waves. I was paddling
like the wind, but between these waves the
water slightly calmed and so did I. This was when I
needed to be paddling the hardest. The skirt
that covered the opening in my kayak was filled
with water and I wasn't making any progress.
It was insanity. Finally I realized that,
although I thought I was advancing toward the
calm blue water ahead, I was actually
retreating toward the beach. Upon this
realization a violent wave picked up my boat
and flipped me. It was my first escape, and I
felt almost relieved to deal with the worst.
Underwater I waisted no time, strangely, I
actually felt like I had plenty. I reached
forward, found the release strap on my skirt
and swam out from under my boat. I felt calmer, but
also wondered how I was going to ever make it
beyond the waves.
After my kayak was emptied of water I got back
in. Ben began to plan to have me swim out and
then would figure out how to get the boat to me
once I was beyond the waves, but I decided
no-(although it seemed almost impossible) I
knew I could do it. At this point I had
attracted a small audience of people that were camping
nearby. An older man who had come to watch and
take pictures said to me-"you can do it".
"I know", I said and I shoved off. This time Ben
pulled me through some of the white wash and
with all of my strength I paddled and charged
through the waves toward the the deep blue
ocean and---- I made it! I did it! Now I just
had to paddle for miles against wind and
current to our next destination and ......get to
safely to shore. I couldn't wait it's gonna be a
great adventure it already has been.

Out of the Jungle - Jesse

After seeing Rio Sirena with our own eyes, we felt ill prepared to document it like we wanted to. Without our kayaks and underwater equipment we were limited to watching from the shore as the sharks and crocs moved about. Ben especially was at a disadvantage since his telephoto lens became a temporary victim of the jungle humidity. He still got some great shots though. We got what we could there, and then started back late for the Leona Ranger station where we left our kayaks. It was a nice walk back, and the wildlife was abundant along the trail as dusk approached. monkeys threw branches at us, and strange birds showed themselves through the underbrush. An anteater even appeared and made a hasty retreat up a tree. The trip certainly did not end as we got to the ranger station, since a long drive and a long shower were still to be undertaken, but our exit from the jungle was definitely felt. We boarded our kayaks the next morning and quickly covered the distance back to Playa Carate and our truck with calm seas and "mellow" waves pounding the beach during our entry and exit of the sea. Izzie even saw a whale on the way. This trip definitely showed us a lot about the coastal waters of the Osa Peninsula. Although it is still a refuge for marine animals, much still needs to be done. It is not a hopeless situation, but one that could be improved upon in very simple ways. An image that I take with me which demonstrates this, would be one of the park rangers illegally driving a vehicle down the beach and then fishing several miles inside the park. Like I said, it is the simple things like integrity that could help a place like this more than anything.

Photo Gallery - Ben

http://homepage.mac.com/ben.horton/PhotoAlbum3.html

Dolphin - Ben

Well, it's not quite a part of the expedition, but the Osa Peninsula was visible from where we where, so I don't feel to bad putting this story into the blog. As a going away gift to Izzi, we took her 19 miles off shore, and told her to Jump off the boat. It wasn't as bad as it sounds, the water was full of Spinner Dolphin, and swimming in a school of hundreds of spinner dolphin is a pretty amazing experience.

Sierpe Crocodiles - Ben

While sitting on shore and waiting for the bull sharks one evening, we saw a the back of a crocodile with all its serrated ridges moving up the coastline through the waves. It disappeared rather quickly, and our interest returned to looking for sharks. The river water was clear, and so as we stared into the depths, with my underwater camera at the ready, we felt confidant that we could not be snuck up on. With the light failing, I moved up river to photograph a few smaller crocodiles (2-3 meters) that where lounging in the shallows. Just upstream of Jesse and Izzi, a fully grown crocodile popped it's eyes through the surface of the water, obviously the one we had seen in the waves, and quite undetected by our vigilant eyes. Crocodiles most often attach from downstream is what we were told by Dr. Brady Barr, and this one had just swum up from downstream and passed within a few meters of us without ever even causing a ripple of concern from our team.

Sierpe - Ben

There was once a time, when the sharks came up the Rio Sierpe in such great numbers, the locals say that you could have practically run across the river on their backs. Now, with sport fishing boats and longliners just past the breakers, it's no wonder we saw a mere 3 sharks the entire time we where at the river. I don't know much about the range of these sharks, but they are known to stay near this river mouth, and with no protection whatsoever, their numbers have dropped drastically. There is no enforcing of the law in Corcovado when it comes to fishing in the park, and the park only extends 500 meters out into the ocean. One of the locals of Playa Carate just told me about a battle that she and a few locals had against the powers that be who had planned to put a tuna farm at the mouth of the sierpe river where the ocean floor drops off to as deep as 2oo meters. I am not a biologist and I don't know the impact of putting a tuna farm in the area, but I do know that any time I've seen nature messed with, the only things that happen are bad.

We arrive at the first ranger station, only about 3 miles up the coast, and we have to check in with the rangers and pay the park fees. Coming to shore was easier than going out, and Izzi amazes us with a natural ability to side surf a kayak, never having done it before, still though in a comical collision, she and Jesse get tangled up in the shore break and both end up in the water trying drag their boats to shore. At the station, we hear that since nobody has ever done a trip like this in the Osa Peninsula, that it must not be allowed. So the ranger says that he is going to have to call the "director" to see if Sea Kayaks are allowed in the park. I doubt he ever called, but the word was that we would have to hike it. No boats. As he said this, we could see fishing boats motoring up the coast without so much as a glance from the rangers. We could get in the boats and paddle forward, and they would have most likely been unable to have done anything, but we decided that we would do our best to work with the park instead of against it. The only problem being that we are in no way set up for the 16 click hike that we have in front of us. Jesse has a drybag with shoulder straps, and a pair of shoes. Izzi and I are equipped only with our Hammocks and soft bottomed neoprene surf booties. The trips status as an expedition is waning the only thing we have left to call it that is our firm resolve to work through all of the obstacles that stand before us. So, we throw our gear in Hammocks, put our heads down and start walking.

Setting off - Ben

We spent a night on the beach at Playa Carate, and set about getting geared up for the trip. All the while, the waves break heavily on the shore like the teeth of the ocean gnawing away at the land. Scarlet Macaw, Howler Monkeys, and Poison Dart frogs
keep us entertained, and we get to test our system as the tropical rain pours down almost dousing our camp fire, and threatening to drown us in our hammocks.

Finally, after dozens of unexpected set backs, our boats are packed, our hearts are racing, and the waves aren't letting up. We decide it's time to make a break for blue water, and one at a time, peel out into the rip tide, hoping against all hope that we will be swept into the blue and not catapulted back onto the beach in boats weighing upwards of 200 pounds full of gear.

I pull Jesse through the head high shore break to give him a head start and as he gets up to speed, he begins to break through the white wash from waves the just broke a few meters in front of his boat. My stomach begins to drop when I see what in surfing we call a "cleanup set"
forming in the distance. The set rises above the rest of the waves and charges the shoreline, it's obvious Jesse sees the set coming, because his arms have started pumping like cylinders in an engine to get him through the coming battle between man, boat, and the pacific. Two more meters and he would have risen gracefully over the wave, and he would have had a magnificent vantage point to look out to sea for more waves, but instead, the wave broke just in front of his boat, and the whitewash blew the sprayskirt right off of his boat. In a moment, his boat was full of water. When they get this way, they are almost impossible to control, like paddling a telephone pole through the water, there is no chance of turning. Perhaps, that is why Jesse didn't turn around and try to make it back to shore. With his boat now going through the waves instead of over them, Jesse managed to get into the blue water and begin to bail his boat. I'm obviously relieved, but I turn around and find that Izzi doesn't look so good. She is fair skinned, but she is now as white as a pearl. She doesn't hesitate, and gets in the boat, weakly commanding me to help pull her into the water.

In only a few meters, Izzi hits her first wave, her first wave ever actually. As it turns out, she's only sea kayaked once before, and that was in a harbor. I push her forward, hoping to save her some energy for when the big waves come. The rip tide as stopped going out, now it's coming in, the waves are steadily marching forward, and Izzi looks like she is towing an anchor. After a few minutes, she is still pushing forward only to be pushed back nearly to shore, and she's obviously getting tired. With the coming set, she gets turned sideways, and then inevitably, upside down.

I prepare myself for an angry or demoralized team mate, but as soon as the boat is empty of its water, Izzi is back in it. This time I tow her out until I can no longer stand and we wait there with me holding her boat for a break in the waves. In a mad dash, Izzi makes for the blue water, and cresting the peak of the last threatening wave, she now only has to worry about coming back in further up the beach.

Driving South - Ben

Finally the boats arrived and we managed to get on the road. With about 8 and a half hours of driving and 9 rivers to cross before we get there, it still doesn't quite feel like we've started, but at least now we know that the expedition will happen. We only have to do our time in the truck and we will soon be on Playa Carate pushing out into the waves. Before we arrive however, we will drive through much of the inner coastline of the Osa Peninsula, and through the cloud forests that don't just catch the moisture in the clouds but produce it. As we drive we can see puffs of cloud rising off of the trees, it's as if it's the breath of the forest. The land here is becoming alive!