El Valle de Anton- here there be square trees

February 19-21, 2016

El Valle is in a volcano.

Don't worry, its an extinct volcano.

The little town is in the 6km caldera of El Valle Volcano which last blew about 300,000 years ago. Now its full of trees and scrub and is hard to tell you're in a big hole, except for the fact that there's big hills on all sides of town. This means there's lots of high places to hike to which I seem to have a propensity for doing. (Other examples here,  here, and here)

So I caught a bus from Panama, and after finding some lunch and reading for a spell, I took a good look at the list of hikes at the front desk. The hike to Cerro Cariguana said leaving around 4:30 gave a good sunset view, and it was 4:20. Done. One of the gals at the desk, Gina, was just finishing her shift and volunteered to come with me.

So off we went. Short walk through town, then a section on paved road, then steeper unpaved and rather rocky road.

Then we turned into the woods, went through some pines and out onto grassy hillside.

Here it got interesting, as the wind was strong enough to knock us both off balance. We had to fight for each step forward towards the hilltop and the view.

And it was worth it. The whole valley was laid out before us.

Notice I don't have my glasses on. That's because the wind was going to blow them off my face. Literally.

We (carefully) walked the ridge to the final hill. I'm pleased to report neither of us got pushed off the edge by a gust.

The sun was starting to go down and was making everything yellow and pretty.

The walk down with wind at our backs was equally interesting, and we both were forced to run a couple steps more than once. I'm not the best at approximation, but having stuck my hand out car windows for most my life, I estimate gusts of up to 50mph. A couple times I just plunked my butt down and waited for the gust to die so I didn't get knocked over.

We got a lift back down into town from another group that arrived at the top just after us. They had driven the roads. So we loaded into their little dune buggy car, and had a bumpy bumpy drive down.

This was the clearest picture I could get with the bumps.

The thing had some of the best suspension ever though, it was bumpy but not the sudden jolts that make your butt hate you.

We arrived back to the hostel just as sprinkles started, which I found quite satisfactory.

For my day 2 adventure I chose Cerro Gaital, the lookout on the other side of town. There are a bunch of waterfall hikes, but they said water was really low due to the dry season, so I decided to save those entrance fees for something more impressive later.

It started with 2 hours walking uphill to the trail head. I could have caught a bus, but I decided I could use the excersize. It took me through jungle woods, then up on a little mesa area that held chicken farms, the largest supplier in Panama. It was a pretty straightforward walk, though I checked in with locals regularly just to make sure. No point missing turnoffs.

This sign was all the way down in town.  It doesnt tell you that theres still 2 hours of walking to go. And it really  cracked me up...

Because the guy has a HUGE nose!

At the start of the path I had to talk with the ranger for a bit and convince him I didn't want a guide. He tried to tell me to come back tomorrow so he could guide me, which after my 2 hour uphill battle I was having none of. Eventually he let me by.

The hike to the lookout was easy and only about a half hour. The view was rewarding, and I could see where Gina and I had been the day before. I had a nice little lunch of peanut butter and bread, and a little pack of pringles I indulged in.

Little lookout platform where lunch happened. I tested steps and boards before trusting them with my full weight.

There was another hour long trail that went to an even higher point, but reviews said it was muddy and not well marked. The 10 steps I took on the path already involved a good quantity of mud, which decided me. I had my view, and didn't feel like more adventure.

And it was a lovely view indeed.

On the walk back down I noticed a line of leaf cutter ants hauling their leaves away. They are mighty little guys, the leaves were way bigger than they were.

At the bottom I accepted a ride from the ranger guy back to town. This cut a couple hours off my travel time, but meant 20 minutes of explaining why I wasn't terrified to travel alone, why I don't have a significant other, and listening to his unsolicited relationship advice which involved telling me that physical violence shouldn't be a part of it. (Well duh..) But I got home fast.

I wanted to make carbonara for dinner since I found a small affordable pack of bacon at the store, but volcano minimarts don't have parmesan. I settled for veggies and bacon with noodles which was good anyway.

My last morning I went to the arboles cuadrados, or square trees. Reviews said you had to use your imagination a bit but the walk was pretty, so I wasn't expecting much. 40 minutes to the hotel they're behind, 10 up into the woods, and there I was pleasantly surprised.

The walk was nice, as promised.

The tree clearing was lovely.

And the trees were square!

This one. Its this one.

The pictures don't show it too well, especially with dappled light, but there were four definite, pretty straight sides to the trees, especially at the base.

I think they grow up to be like the big one in the clearing photo with viney roots coming off of it, but when they're small they are square. The internet says the rings inside are square too. I forgot my chainsaw to confirm, so I choose to believe its fact.

I did the path backwards (due to not asking any directions to avoid the entrance fee) so I found this bridge after the trees, and all the signs pointed backwards.

It was altogether a satisfying morning. Some lunch, and I was off to my next stop, Chitre. I leave you with fun graffiti.

He looks so scared...

On the wall in the hostel