Hiking the Cabo Blanco
“No one saves us but ourselves. No
one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”
- BUDDHA-
The Nicoya Peninsula,
Costa Rica, Central America.
Left or
right? I couldn’t decide. One path looked well-trodden, the other a little
more ungroomed. A quick look at my
battered, old and not- so- smart phone informed me that it was 4 minutes to
8am. The
mercury was rising but morning freshness still filled the air. Thick green
rainforest surrounded me. I was told this trail, through steep cliffs and
gigantic trees, would eventually lead to the big blue ocean. With basic Spanish
I translated the two signs in front of me. One said "easy" the other read
"difficult." “Oh well, I’m definitely taking
the easy route,” I thought- I am hiking alone after all and only one (very sleepy looking) park ranger knows I’m even in here. What if I fell? already picturing the scene of doom: compound fracture to the lower left tibia, a
pool of blood trickling down the rocks, screams for help muffled only by the
enormous chests of the 15 or so howler monkeys that would surround me and maul
me into a most premature and ghastly death. A loud rustle of leaves overhead
woke me from this hair raising scenario and drew my eye up to a little coati
sitting on a branch. He stared at me
judgingly for a couple of nano seconds before scampering off into the green
abyss. There were creatures unknown
above, below and all around.
Water-check.
Sun cream- check. Food- check. Slight nervous rumble in the tummy- check. I
started walking. It felt nice and safe to have
decided to take the easy hike. Good decision. But as expected I’d hardly
climbed a couple of metres up when that old familiar voice in my head started
to chatter. “Why are you taking the easy path Liz? Go back and
try the other one- it might be trickier-but if you don’t go- you’ll never
know!” I felt my heart start to beat. I was scared of the path less travelled but
I turned around and went back.
After an
hour or so the gentle incline had morphed into to an arduous and steep scramble
up loose muddy rocks and through green shiny leaves. I was high up now. This was a difficult hike alright. It wasn’t
Mount Everest, granted, but you’d want your wits about you all the same. I
suppose there is a certain caution one needs to adopt when travelling alone, or doing anything alone for that matter. A flat green mossy stone caught my eye as
the perfect seat for a snack. I unpacked
my bag and chomped down on a cheese and ham roll. The self-generated noises of
hiking: the walking, the panting, the crunches of sticks, the clickety click of rucksack straps and the squish of mud
made way for pure silence as I sat and ate. The animals had grown quiet and the
only sound now was the slow and steady white noise of the ocean, wherever it was.
I recall, at one point being very unsure of
where I was. There were no signposts, just a track (of sorts). Doubt crept in telling me I’d taken a wrong
turn somewhere. It had been over 3 hours at this point. My feet were hot and tingly
but the sound of the surf was steadily growing louder so I trusted my gut and
kept moving forward. The climb had been going in a downwards decline for the
last 20 minutes or so. I bent down to
avoid a slap in the snoz from a low swinging branch and as I straightened up to go forward
again, there it was, the glimpse of blue magic through a gap in the bushes. I
pushed the branches out of my way and there before me like a turquoise silk
carpet laid down by the hands of some supernatural being was The Pacific Ocean.
Two headlands jutted out like
outstretched arms, hugging the white sandy beach into their broad forest chest.
Almond trees lined the beach, a few gulls screeched overhead and pieces of
driftwood littered the shoreline. I steadied myself and jumped down from the
sandy bank. I’d only love to tell you that at this point an absolute hunk of life altering proportions emerged from the sea, water glistening and dripping from his
toned but not overly sculpted body, wet curls framing a rugged yet kind face... but alas no, instead...
I plonked onto my weary and aching arse and
carefully began untying my dirty, wet laces. Removing my old manky boots I
rubbed my throbbing feet. I neatly folded my socks into each boot. I scrunched
my toes up and inhaled as the soft warm sand poured between each hot and
swollen toe. “Jesus that’s divine.” I had a quick look around to make sure I
was indeed alone before peeling my black leggings off and hanging them from the
branch behind me. Piece by piece I removed the rest of my clothes. I stood
there in my birthday suit and let the ocean breeze cool my face. I released my hair from its tight ponytail
and headed for the water. The water hit my feet with a gentle crash and it was
the most perfect temperature. I walked to waist height and turned around to look
at the jungle behind me. This was an immense view, wild, natural and very
beautiful. It wasn’t polished and perfect like a tropical island postcard, its
beauty was rawer and more awesome. I was in a veritable bath of green trees and
blue seas - nature’s best. With a big
breath in and eyes closing I dropped straight as a plumb line down under the
water. The tense energy from the hike
evaporated around me into the water in an instant and I let the ocean soak it
up. Leave it there I thought, in the sea.
I swam and floated in that ocean for what felt like hours, around and
around in circles, over and back in straight lines, on my stomach, on my back,
on my side, splashing and diving. Not one single other soul stepped foot on
that very remote beach for the day. It had been waiting for only me.
I’ve no idea
whether or not life’s path is set out for us in some pre-determined fashion or
whether it reveals itself slowly as a result of the millions of often small and sometimes larger
decisions we make each moment of each day, year after year. I don’t have the right to know exactly where life is taking me because I don't technically own my life, I cannot control it like I do the remote control. Instead I am life, it courses around my body and keeps me moving forward. That is all I know. I don't know my destiny nor do I want to.
As I lay on the warm
white sand at the edge of the oldest Rainforest in Costa Rica-staring at the blanket of blue above me- I was truly thankful to be alive and so happy that I had chosen that difficult path.
