COOLEST DAY EVER!

Geared up and ready to go!

So on Friday our group went on a trip to 27 charcos (a ‘charco’ is a pool, as in a pool of water at the base of a water fall.  Before we left they told us to wear shorts over our swimsuits and sturdy sandals or tennis shoes.  When we got there, they gave each of us a life jacket and a helmet (this is to give you an idea of what we all looked like heading out). 

To get to the first charco, we hiked about fifteen minutes along this trail splashing across a river several times.  The first pool had a 10-foot waterfall flowing into in and just above that another 12-foot waterfall.  In we go.  It’s hard to describe but we swam and climbed and were heaved up this series of waterfalls and pools and canyons.  It was amazing and at times quite frightening.  Lets just say I was really, really happy I had a helmet on.  On one of them we were each literally hoisted up by our feet by one guide while the second grabbed our hands.  I’m sure I was air born for a least part of that and then landed in the middle of a waterfall and had to scramble and shimmy up the rest.   There were also places with wet ladders to climb and/or ropes we used to pull ourselves up cliff faces.  It was a GREAT work out. 

 

After over a mile of swimming, climbing and hiking up this chain of waterfalls and river, we finally got to number 27 where we promptly turned around and headed back.  But going back was oh so different than on our way up.  Instead of climbing, we got to jump!  We each took turns jumping and sliding down the waterfalls.  That’s right; in places the water had worn the rock smooth, creating a natural waterslide.  The highest place we all jumped from was about 25-30 feet.  From the top I would have sworn it was at least 50, but the guide was like, ‘no, it’s only 15.’  Yeah, right. 

This is me sliding down one of the natural water slides!  

Whenever one of us would get nervous about doing something we would invoke the words of one of our members: “One life yo!”  And we’d end up doing it. 

I feel like my description is just not capturing how amazing this way.  The water was so clear, and when you flipped over on your back floating down six feet wide canals with twenty-foot high walls, you could see the sun flittering through the ultra-green leaves.  It was so beautiful and so unique.  We all joked that there is no way this could exist in the US because everyone would all have to sign too many waivers.  That’s just one of the great things about being here.