hike on the sleeping indian

After a bit of time at the top, we started down.  Stephen started down first - continuing the hike in order to complete the trek to do the entire trail and not "back track" the way we came.  As you can see it was quite steep to go down the "neck",  I turned around and went down like it was a ladder.  

Jose and Stephen started out across the grassy trail along the edge of the volcano and to the right stretched jungle and more mountains and eventually the ocean (wish I had taken a picture) and to the left the valley with El Valle, the little town in it that was enclosed by the ring of mountains. 

This picture below captures the valley surrounded by the volcanic ring.

It was a great adventure and if ever in El Valle I would recommend doing the hike/trek.  It was great fun and I hope to do it again.  Stephen and Jose are great hiking companions and Jose knows all sorts of wildlife and such.  His English is less than my Spanish ability if that is any guidance to you on your language needs.

After the hike we went to a very nice little restaurant in a home for a formal meal.  Stephen was a bit more tired than I.  Only I faked it better.  - for a while anyway.

hiking the india dormdia

The mountain in the background, the sleeping indian, is the hike Stephen took me on while we were in Panama.  We entered the mountains at the edge of the valley - which is a large caldera- about at dead end of the street Stephen lives on -- see previous post.  In this picture it would be against the mountain about where the wire is hanging down.  We started out climbing towards the right rather than up the sleeping Indian's head.

Our guide and hiking partner was Jose, a neighbor and friend of Stephen's who was of some degree of local fame as one who was able to make the trip very fast in an annual race.

At various points in the early hiking it was quite jungle like, complete with the jungle sounds, and very very wet.

The water fall is a famous tourist spot and has some indian carvings which I will show in the next post, (I forgot to up load the photo and do not know how to place a photo where I want it with out starting over)

As you can see there were points where the hiking was quite rough and over an "uneven trail" and in other places very very steep.

In the photo below you can see the lip of the volcano and the path along the edge, the wind was quite strong as we approached the top at this point and was the point from which we first began to see something other than plants.  

The proverbial "at the top" photo and extremely strong wind- hence my willingness to remove the hat.  and our knelling down rather than remaining standing on the edge with strong gusts of wind.  You can also see the valley in the background.

next post.  the rest of the trip.  and some photos I forgot from the trip up to the top.

Visiting Stephen and Jen

Patt and I just returned from a trip to Panama to visit Stephen and Jen and what a very nice time we had midst the heat and rain of Central America.  Our hosts were wonderful, treating us to a trip into the interior of the country to their see "new"  "hometown".

above,  the coffee shop -- no double "p" spelling with an "e" on the end either.

The little grocery store at the dead end of the street where Stephen and Jen were living and at the foot of the ring of mountains or edge of the volcano that surrounded the valley

passing what would pass for a subdivision ( a house) on the road back to their place for February -- S and J are moving to another next month

just another house, I think I thought  that  it was where they were moving, but it does capture the low hanging rain clouds which were so present for a couple of days.

Stephen's office, seriously, it is his office, internet provided by the hotel above. the resturant

Patt and Jen in front of the house - now former residence.

We had such a good time.  Next post, Stephen takes me on a mountain climbing expedition along the rim of the volcano.