Wilson ascends the Irazu volcano

WESNESDAY, Nov. 12—On this day, Wilson ascended Coast Rica’s second highest mountain, the Irazu volcano. It was beautiful and almost effortless. I say almost, because the air is noticeably thin at 11,000 feet, and it was a wake-up call that climbing Mount Adams next July is not going to be as easy as it would have been in 2011, when a shortage of water curtailed my climb. In 2011, I could handle the altitude of Cuzco, which is the same as Irazu. This time, I was  breathless and slightly dizzy.

Irazu is second only to Costa Rica's Cerro Chirripó volcano (12,533 feet) in height. It  is both sparse and lush. Its flanks are dressed with rich earth and abundant crops, and at its summit foliage continues to encroach, but  the scars of recent eruptions are everywhere. They include occasional whiffs of sulfur as well as deep and wide craters, and the skeleton of the restaurant that used to operate at the top of the mountain. Business came to an end in 1962, when Irazu awoke the same day that  President John Kennedy flew into San Jose.

The mountain has been quiet for some time now, and the drive from San Jose at 3,800 feet to the summit at 11,260 went smoothly and provided some local color, such as the message below, painted on the outer wall of a building that also presented a mural of picketers:

Is this a political statement, or a celebration of what education can accomplish?

Filander Rodriguez

 The message: “Another Costa Rica is possible," and it may reflect the attitude of our bilingual guide, Filander. He is relaxed, warm, personable, and forthright. When Shirley asks him what the Chinese obtained by building a large sports stadium in the city, he candidly notes that there was some “monkey business” going on. Filander lived in the United States for a while and has an appreciation for American humor.

After a short jaunt along the Pan American Highway, we turned to ascend the slopes of Irazu, rising fairly quickly above the clouds.

 

Irazu is flanked with rich soil and lush vegetation.

Along the way we saw communities of homes with corrugated iron roofs, such as those in the photo below. 

 

Homes on the flanks of the volcano.

 My first impression was that metal roofs belonged on shantys, but Filander put another spin on it: In a country where there are tremors on the average of once every two hours, it’s wise to have a roof that doesn’t weigh too much. (Our tour also included a view of the Edificio Metálico, an metal elementary school building which parents called for as a way to protect their children from earthquakes. The designer: Gustave Eiffel! The building was shipped to Costa Rica in pieces and assembled in 1890. Although the Titanic turned out to be sinkable after all, the school (not pictured) has survived earthquakes for 120 years.

 

This watering hole at 9,000 feet allowed a close-up view of the typical roof. The colorful circles surrounding the entry represent the wheels on the traditional Costa Rican cart.

At 9,000 feet we pulled over at a vintage watering hole that overlooked the lowlands. This time that rusty metal roof made a great deal more sense. Inside, business cards from thousands of visitors over the years festooned the walls. Tourists also left currency behind, which was laminated and hung from the ceiling. 

 

There isn't much space for new business cards in the bar.

 

Currency from several nations hangs from the ceiling.

 

Cards surround a painting of the way station.

 

Then it was just a little bit more driving past soil enriched by the volcano before we reached the park entrance, where a strange message greeted us: No smoking on the volcano. Well, OK, whatever.

Irazu has several craters. The one shown below is the highest. At the far end, slightly visible, is a tall communication tower on a promontory that overlooks a broad smooth caldera of what seems to be gritty sand. 

 

We actually  ascended to the highest point first, where I found myself almost wheezing and slightly dizzy. That was a surprise, because three years earlier I had been at the same elevation in Cuzco, Peru, and felt fine. From that vantage point, I could look into a lower crater far below:

Readers may notice a thin line that runs along the edge of the crater. The photo immediately below shows what that line is, and helps to put this view in perspective. You can appreciate how really big that crater is. It's not some little fumarole.

 

This fence defines the boundary between the upper crater on the left, and the lower crater on the right.

Next we descended to the rim of the lower crater, where Wilson celebrated his ascendancy to the highest elevation he has yet reached. (This doesn’t count in our hiking statistics, because we rode up in a van.)

Wilson celebrates his ascendency.

 

After Wilson and I celebrated the view, Filander got acquainted with The Indestructible. Wilson had clearly made a good friend. I showed Filander where Wilson had taken a knife right up to its hilt and not deflated. Filander was paying rapt attention and started talking about remote villages in Costa Rica where children can’t keep a ball inflated. The wheels began turning. How could he order these balls, he asked. And he noted that a basic soccer ball costs almost the same in Costa Rica as on Amazon: about $10. So yes, he agreed, $25 for a ball that lasts virtually forever is a very good deal. 

 

Within the tether, Wilson bounces off of Filander's foot. In the immediate background is a portion of the wall of the restaurant that once served tourists at the top of the Irazu volcano.

Within two days I had connected Filander with Emily Hopcian, my contact with the One World Futbol Project, and the conversation has begun on whether more Wilsons can find their way to San Jose. We’ll be keeping you abreast of that development. (In the meantime, I have inched ahead to one fourth of the way toward my goal of 100 futbols by next July.)

Here are a couple more shots taken near the rim of the lower crater: This view into the crater shows a “Sombrilla de Pobre” plant in the foreground. (That translates as a “poor man’s umbrella.” The photo of Shirley in the foreground gives an indication of just how large those leaves become. I believe these may be what we call “Elephant Ears”.

Vegetation is inching its way inexorably back atop the volcano.

 

Fortunately, it's not raining like it did at Tortuguera. But if it did, Shirley might call upon the "poor man's umbrella," visible in the background, for her protection.

 Love, Robert,

Shirley, and Wilson