Palo Verde – El Empalme (18km) Actual 6.7 miles. 3,000 feet of elevation gain. El camino de Costa Rica Section 11
Summary
Today was another short day, but a day with some steep climbs. We were done by about 12:30 and had the afternoon free, which was welcome as several people in the group weren’t feeling well. Our guide said this is often the place in the two weeks where some people get sick. the symptoms seem to be loss of appetite, a bit of nausea, and tiredness. Luckily everyone in our group bounced back and were feeling better by the next morning. Tomorrow we cross the continental divide. We are at an elevation of 6,800 feet above see level and the weather is cooler, especially at night. Our high point is about 7500 feet so we shouldn’t have that much elevation to gain tomorrow.
Details
We took a shuttle van back down to where we were picked up yesterday and then walked back to our cabins on different dirt roads then we took in the van. We saw few if any vehicles while walking. There continues to be steep grades and lots of up and down. All in all though, it was pretty easy walking today with plenty of shade and much cooler temperatures. The views are incredible and while the hillsides are green they seem to be a lighter shade of green than lower down on the Caribbean slopes.
We stopped at a small store about a kilometer from the end of today’s walk and just about everyone bought a frozen ice cream treat. It was here and later at lunch that we learned just how many people weren’t feeling well. There are many opportunities to pick up a bug along the way, but I have a suspicion that the cause of illness traveling around may have been a roadside juice seller a couple days ago. That is just speculation though as while I passed on the juice as it looked a little dicey to me, most everyone else bought juice from him and so far not everyone is feeling bad. Apparently, the afternoon of rest and skipping a meal or two really helped as everyone but one person was feeling better in the morning.
Track
