What Would Michael Strong Do?

*Disclaimer: For those of you who don´t know who Michael Strong is:  He was my instructor in a lot of my Outdoor Pursuits classes at the University of Oregon.  I learned more from him that I think I did any other single figure in my college career, and not just about knots and tree identification, but about how to be a leader, and indeed, a better person.  Within the program at the UO, he has gained the status of myth or legend, as the greatest source for outdoor knowledge and information of successful trips.  I am aware many of you reading this do not know who he is, but I hope you get the basic idea of my admiration, and how much I learned from him!

So... What Would Michael Strong Do?  Jon and I, both having taken classes from him in school, have arrived at this question numerous times during our trip to Boquete, and I think it has helped shape our adventures, certainly in a positive way.  Let me explain the circumstances, and it might make more sense.

We could see two countries and two oceans from where we sat... I think that makes us experts in foreign policy, right?

All the guidebooks we have read say that Parque Nacional Volcan Baru is a must-see sight around Boquete.  The recommended trail is a nice loop which where Panama´s numerous bird species and a multitude of wildlife are often spotted.  The climb to the top of Panama´s highest peak, Volcan Baru, is also suggested for those feeling more adventurous.  After a few relaxed days, we were certainly feeling adventurous.  But the rain comes down hard here every afternoon, so Jon and I debated whether or not we should do it.  This is when we came to the question: What Would Michael Strong Do?

We decided to do it.  As long as we were as prepared as we could be, we should take advantage of this opportunity of being here, and we should go for it.  Most people do the hike in 2 days, hiking the"strenuous" 14km the first morning, camping at a spot 1km from the top that night, summiting the next morning, and hiking down before the rains the next day.  Jon and I, however, catch wind of a couple of Spanish guys who are doing the up and down in one day, and we decide to do that instead.  What Would Michael Strong Do?  It seemed safer to go in a larger group, and that cut down on our camping logistics.  We were in.

The plan was to leave at 11pm, so after dinner and presidential debate watching, we played the waiting game, carefully packing our bag.  Jon and I had taken our packing seriously, so our bag was considerably larger than the others.  We took one pack for the two of us, but each item inside had gone through the What Would Michael Strong Do test.  At 11, we head out front of the hostel, and the town is dead.  If Panama City is like a Friday night at a frat house - bustling and loud until all hours of the morning, then Boquete is like a youth camp - quiet and lights out by 9:30.

Eventually our taxi arrives, a cramped little white sedan, and all four hikers plus our bags, the driver, and one of the driver´s friends all pile in.  As we begin our 45 minute drive out of town, I feel like a teenager again.  It´s like I just snuck out of the house after everyone was asleep, and now here I am, cruising around on backroads, with four boys, listening to the bass shake the windows on every beat of the Spanish rap songs.

The cab dropped us off at a gravel intersection in the pitch black of the rainforest at night.  The skies were clear and afforded us a breathtaking view of the stars, but once our taxi drove away, my stomach dropped a bit.  Here we were, far from civilization, in the middle of the night, in a jungle.  Suddenly the situation didn´t seem to pass the M.Strong test.

But at this point we had no choice.  A small sign in the passing beam of our headlamps read, "Volcan Baru: 15km".  (Which translates to roughly 10 miles).  So, around midnight, we started our hike.

It was 10 miles of some of the steepest terrain I´ve hiked on, and it was continuous.  There were a few places where it momentarily flattened out, however, the overall intensity of the hike is hard to describe.  Since tractors and jeeps occasionally (and amazingly) make the climb, the path is easy to follow.  The mud made the hike slippery, and the rocky terrain made stable footing impossible.  I didn´t bring hiking shoes with me at all on this two month trip, and a few kilometers in, I realized that my Chacos might not have passed the M. Strong test either.

But I was locked into my footware decision.  After hiking awhile with the Spanish men, I realized that Jon and I had much more experience than them, and immediately my wilderness training kicked in.  I was constantly making a mental calculation of supplies and resources for a number of possible scenarios.  I thought about taping twisted ankles, making spints out of jungle materials, and what we had to warm a hypothermic hiker.  Thank goodness I never had to put any of my training to use.

The darkness added to the intense situation.  Traveling at night was both good and bad.  Good because we weren´t able to see the intimidating trail ahead and continued on oblivious to the incline.  Good because everyone got to focus on their own footsteps, and their own path, making for a very meditative journey.  I thought a lot about various things: my trip here, Teach For America, and especially Tim O´Brien´s book "The Things They Carried".  As my tired eyes started to hallucinate all the jungle creatures from spiders and centipedes to jaguars and rebel forces, I couldn´t even fathom being a soldier in conditions like this.  This is also why traveling at night was also a bad thing: it let my imagination run away with all sorts of jungle animals and possible attacks.  Also, the rough trail assumes a flat appearance under the small LED light, and your eyes are constantly straining to discern good footing.

The intensity didn´t slow us down too muchm, and we made good time, reaching the camping platform at about 5am.  It was still pitch dark, the air was bitterly cold, and at roughly 10,200 feet, we still had over 1200 vertical feet to go... and less than a mile to do it in.  We kept moving.

The last part was rough.  It was steep, it was 5am, we were cold, and the altitude had its effects on our stamina.  It took us almost an hour to do the last kilometer, but we made it up before sunrise.

Jon and I were cursing the large pack on the last part of the climb.  It was a descent scramble to the top, and the exposure and darkness made it a nerve-wracking portion of our climb.  Once we got to the top however, we were thankful for our supplies.  We still had about an hour until sunrise, and the cold was biting.  What Would Michael Strong Do?  Well, we put down our sleeping pad to insulate from conductive heat loss, and huddled together under the sleeping bag.  We kept drinking water and snacking to keep our bodies going.

As the sun came up, the view was indescribably breathtaking.  We were perched at 11,455 feet, sitting in the middle of a rainforest, at the only point on earth where you can see two oceans at the same time.  From where we sat, facing east to watch the sun come up, the Carribean-Atlantic side was to our left, the archipelago of Bocas del Toro carefully laid out along the coastline.  To our right, the Pacific, dotted with the lights of incoming ships along the horizon.  Behind us, the unknown of Costa Rica, hailed by travelers, and deserving of its own trip.  And in front of us, the country of Panama - a dark spread of land spotted with lights of towns and highways.  We could see two countries and two oceans from where we sat... I think that makes us experts in foreign policy, right?

Pictures don´t do the view justice, and thousands of words would be inadequate to describe the natural beauty we saw.  As the sun came up, the surrounding features took shaper, and we saw the thickness of the rainforest and the steepness of the surrounding hills - so steep they looked like flat backdrops on a tropical play set.

After about an hour on the top, we were sufficiently chilled, and began our 10 mile decent.  The downclimb was a bit sketchy with the pack, but our M. Strong mentality guided us safely down that first, steepest part.

The rest of the hike down was difficult.  The first few kilometers were easy, riding the post-summit adrenaline rush.  After that, over the next few kilometers, the 24 hours without sleep started to kick in, and made my eyes sting and opening a pack of cookies extremely challenging.  After that, the pain came.  Hiking uphill is strenuous, but hiking downhill is painful, especially on old joints like mine.  Five miles down, my knees were screaming at me with each step, the pack was throwing me off balance, and I was beyond tired.  I fell down three times before I realized I was going to injure myself eventually, so I let Jon take the pack.  That helped, but I definitely ate it 5 or 6 more times on the way down, increasing my frustration.  I tried to calm myself down by asking what M. Strong would do.  Go slow.  Take a break.  Drink some water.  That helped.

It was hard, physically and mentally, but we made it down.  At the entrance of the park, we signed in the guest log and paid our entrance fee before hiking the last kilometer to the road.  Once we reached it, it was anyone´s guess how long it would be before someone drove by, and hopefully they would be willing to haul four foreigners into town.

It was sooner rather than later when a big flatbed pickup stopped and let us hop in back.  It seemed like a short journey, bouncing along the rough country roads, and we were back at our hostel.  Jon and I took hot showers, ate some lunch, as it was only noon, and then decided to take a quick "nap".

Five hours later, we woke up from our nap, mad e some pb&j sandwiches, and it was off to bed by 8:30.

And now here we are.  After totalling about 16 hours of sleep we are taking the day to let our knees recover.  We tottered down to Olga´s breakfast spot this morning for coffee, and we´re spending the rest of the day packing up to head out of Boquete for the beaches of Bocas del Toro... to enjoy the stereotypical Caribbean beach life, palm trees, white sands, and fresh fruit included.