How to take a shower by lantern-light

We left the hotel bright and early (after a delicious shower and some highly unfortunate gastrointestinal issues) and stopped at Carara National Park to learn about some species. Sadly due to the aforementioned issues, I don’t really remember much about the park, the species, or anything other than the public bathroom stall (which was quite lovely, actually). Once those cleared up and my classmates appeared from the woods, we boarded the bus and embarked on longest road trip of my entire life. Literally we were on the bus (coach, obvi) for the entire 2^nd of September, due to rainy season construction (whoever thought that was a good idea is a moron). However, it was nice to catch up on my sleep!

When we arrived in Santa Rosa National Park it was pouring and pitch black. However, my expert camping skills shone again, and my new tentie Caitlin and I got our tent up without a struggle.

Emerging from our tent in the morning was an…enlightening experience, as the sun had risen, the rain had stopped, and we could now see our campsite for the first time. Someone (a saint, possibly) had erected a massive tarp over a picnic table cluster, where we would eat all our meals and have many lectures. We spent the week adjusting to living without an ocean, enjoying some incredible cooking, and exploring our new home.          
On the 5^th, we had another long hike. We left in small groups with instructions to “absorb the forest.” Also, that if we “found ourselves discussing things like the NFL or facebook, to shut up for 15 minutes, and refocus.” The 15.6-mile round trip hike wasn’t over any treacherous trails or anything, but it was long and had some lovely views. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on the bus (don’t worry, it has been recovered), so I was unable to capture any images of the beautiful old forest, but my memories are crystal clear! Around 11am we found ourselves walking on sand, and pretty soon Playa Naranjo came in to view. The waves were HUGE, so naturally I wasted no time stripping off my clothes and going to play. We all laughed and body surfed (sort of) for an hour and had a fabulous time, until the waves got bigger. I was just thinking it was about time to head in, when I hear a scream from behind me. One of the girls had gotten swept up by a wave, and couldn’t swim hard enough to get herself free of the tide’s pull. Another girl and I were within a couple strokes, so we worked together to get all three of us safely in to shore. Never have I ever been so grateful for my lifeguarding and swimming training. Once we were safe on the sand, a few shaky breaths later and I was up and playing ultimate Frisbee with the rest of the gang. Our professors joined in, and soon the whole group was playing. It was so much fun! But soon it was time to head back.

The hike that had been lovely and pleasant on the way down to the beach turned into a brutal 1.5-hour hike uphill. At the top of the hill about half way home there was a gorgeous vista where we stopped to watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean where we had just been playing. Again, I lamented my forgetful brain and the absence of my camera. We continued the hike back in the dark and made it safely back to camp, thanks to our handy dandy headlamps (which also saved my life in the showers later, but that’s a different story)! And in what was the best turn of events possible, we arrived at camp to fresh grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup!

Two days later we found ourselves back on the bus and headed to Rincon de la Vieja, one of the several volcanoes in Costa Rica. After the park ranger gave us his schpeel about what we could and could not do in the park, we were given freedom to hike wherever we wanted—the bubbling mud pits or the waterfall.

Now I love mud as much as the next seven year old, but really if all I could do was take pictures of it (my camera had been recovered at this point), I decided the waterfall was higher on my priority list. I hiked to the waterfall with my friend, and future roommate, Hannah. The hike was a lot of straight up and straight down, through streams and across a large valley, framed by mountains. Hannah and I spent the hike bonding over our mutual love of horses, nature, Avatar and Harry Potter, and made quick time to the waterfall.

If you would like to hear the story of my time at the waterfall, you’ll have to ask me in person as there are far too many emotions and pure unadulterated elation involved for me to ever properly explain it via the blog-o-sphere. It just wouldn't be fair to the experience.