We started out with a hiking into the Santa Elena Reserve, to the San Geraldo Biological Station which is located on the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica. This hike went well, with many facts, figures and interesting tid-bits of information from our professor, Mark Wainwright. We even were able to see the bottom of the Arenal Volcano sticking below the cloud layer, right next to the Arenal Reservoir. Getting to the station at about Noon, we had a wonderful lunch ready for us of Chicken and Rice. I was so full, and yet I decided to play some Frisbee because we finally had a large open area of grass. We even tried teaching the cook’s little child how to play.
Then we had class all afternoon until dinner at about 5 or 6. These were very interesting presentations though about how a frog calls, as well as one about frog population declines in Monteverde. That was a lot of intense information packed into two presentations. I told Mark later that I felt like I was watching a one of the “Bourne” movies because I was always on the edge of my seat.
Dinner was delicious as well and after dinner there was little time to rest because we were going on a night hike into the forest in search of frogs. We found three that I remember as well as some interesting moths (Tom, I remember one is a sphinx moth but I don’t recall the other one… maybe you know).
This hike was very peaceful, mostly because we were all very quiet while the forest came alive with all sorts of song around us. I felt as though I was in attendance at a holy, nature Easter Vigil Mass, and I probably was. There were even little funguses that glowed!
The night just kept getting better and better because when we returned to the station at about 9 or 10 we were able to witness one of the largest Easter Candles in the world… the spewing of lava from the Arenal Volcano, and rolling down the side of the volcano, glowing read the whole way! It really was spectacular although on a very small scale, but non-the-less spiritual. My mother (tica) had also given me a Easter candle as a present, so having brought that alone, I celebrated the Easter Vigil by lighting the candle along with others that I had brought along, with a couple other friends. It was wonderful to have a miniature celebration, with readings and prayer, while knowing that we were in communion with everyone else around the world, celebrating and praising God for his resurrection and triumph over death.
That evening a few students and I slept on the lawn looking at the stars and chatting. I really didn’t get much sleep but it was O.K. because I think we as group of individuals are finally able to have deeper conversations together. This I have been waiting for the entire semester.
Sunday morning, I woke at 5am to watch the sunrise and once again, God did not disappoint me with his beauty. The colors were intense, and the general scene was one of a kind. Sitting in a hammock, I could see the forest in the foreground, with a ridgeline to my right that the sun was rising over. Directly in front of me rose the volcano with its top piercing through the clouds and color streaming about. I stayed there in this gifted dream world for 2 hours until breakfast. It was a wonderful Easter Morning!
We went on a hike throughout the morning in search of birds. There were quite a few that we found. Then Mark threw us for a loop by giving us a very specific assignment. Go out alone into the forest and fine a connection with the spirit of the earth, pretty much sums it up. Hallelujah… some alone time finally, and on Easter Sunday for that matter, where I am actually encouraged to find a connection with the spirit of the world around me. I knew exactly what I was going to do, but I needed Mark’s advice to make it happen… thus you must read on to the next blog, named “Rising to the Challenge” to figure out how the assignment went (the narrative from that blog was actually what I turned in for the assignment).
Later that afternoon we had to hike out, which turned into a challenge in an of itself because after 20 minutes to hiking, I realized that I had to return to the station for my rain jacket. Thus I spent the entire time in a mixture of jogging down hills and trying to speed walk up hills in order to catch up to the group. This took me back to memories of cross-country practice and intense workouts that feel so good that you don’t want to stop. You know… like the 6 mile block (for all you Alburnettians). We made it safely back to Santa Elena and began our final week of internships, getting ready for another 2 week field trip starting on the 11th (tomorrow as I write and post this blog). I am ready for this change of pace.
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