After 3 years here I finally went on a trip to the top. Six SI staff made the 3-day journey: Me, Nate, Lowell, Hans, Leo, and Raul, along with 2 guides and 2 mules.
The first day was the most difficult. We hiked 11 miles and ascended 6000 feet. It was brutal. It started raining around 2 and got very cold which added to the brutality. We arrived at the camp at 5:30, tired and wet.
The facility was actually really awesome. It could sleep at least 100 people. There was a large covered fire pit, a kitchen, and a nice bathroom. Our guides had a fire and food ready for us when we arrived.
Day 2 was the most fun. It was a short hike to the peak where we took pictures, climbed around on the rocks and enjoyed push large boulders over the edge and watching them destroy everything in their path.
Day 3 should have been easy. It was a long day of hiking back down, but it was almost all downhill. The first half of the day was as expected. But, around 11am it all changed. Raul and I started running down the steep parts and jumping from rock to rock. Raul repeatedly yelled "parkcore" in a thick Dominican accent. This culminated in an all out wrestling match when I tackled him for passing me.
It's the right time to interject that Raul is former military and it shows. Once he had me pinned he asked if I was going to give up, to which I replied "claro que no". He took off running and I followed. We ran, and ran, and ran, until it stopped being fun. In total we ran about 12 km with 25lbs on our back, stopping only twice for water.
I was unable to walk normally for 3 days.
