Thirty minutes into our journey the sky darkened and rain bounced from leaf to leaf down through the canopy and onto the heads of our 16 fellow hikers. Our spirits were not dampened, but lifted by the cool rain presented in time to clear the sweat from our eyes.
Two hours into our journey we found the first waterfall. I have always been awed by waterfalls, even man-made ones at botanical gardens, which in no way could compare to the beauty of a real waterfall. We pressed onward to the second waterfall, which literally took my breath away. I have used the term “breathtaking”before, but never truly experienced its effects until that moment. It was pouring rain at this point and the camera that replaced the one that was stolen does not fit into the underwater housing, so sadly, I have no pictures of it. I do have the enduring memories of swimming up to the waterfall and having a head massage in its course. The second waterfall is my favorite waterfall of all time. A combination of the surrounding beauty and composition of rock and water and the mini caves behind made it serene to the soul and exciting to the senses all at the same time. After soaking up the negative ions for a good twenty minutes, we pressed onto the third waterfall where we found the majority of our party camped on the bank of the river having a water and snack break.
Three and a half hours into our journey found us traveling along the slimy and slippery edge of the river we had crossed. The third and fourth waterfalls were, of course, all magnificent and a fifteen to twenty minute walk between each. It was a bit further to the fifth
waterfall and a welcome opportunity to rest for a snack and water.Four and a half hours into our journey found me swimming with all my strength (and then some)
against the river’s current to get to the sixth waterfall. It was well worth the extreme effort as the last waterfall was powerful and awesome.
The current was really coming in strong and after swimming to and then climbing up to get a better look, we decided to ride the current back to where we left our bags. We were surprised to see how much higher the water had risen. There was no longer a flat bank to walk along and our guide had to bushwhack the plants along the side of the river searching for a path along and up. We all realized too late that two members of our party were still across the river and the current was dangerously fast. It was a flash-flood and looking at the sides of the cliffs on either side of the river told us what we neglected to see before, that the river can rise well over twenty feet above where we were. As our guides frantically tied a rock to asmall rope to throw across the river which to then send over a larger rope with a waist lasso to bring our fellow hikers back across the river, a member of our group on our side lost his footing and went rushing down river. I was the furthest along the "path" at this point, but my brain only thought of my default phrase which apparently is ,“Holy Shit!”. I said this a couple of times before yelling for the rope, but there was no way I was going to be able to reach him. In an act of supreme
bravery our guide dove into the rapids and swam like a fish to grab the guy and bring him to shore. At this point the rope was of some help, but we quickly needed to redo efforts to get our other friends across the now angry river. I don’t know how, but our guide managed to swim across two more times to save our friends, who had a difficult time in not drowning while crossing. I am happy to say that I was able to give them each a helping hand out of the water. It wasn’t really needed, but I at least felt better being able to do something.Seven hours into our journey found us climbing up a small steep and slippery waterfall to get out of the river basin. It was harrowing to say the least for someone who is not into extreme danger adrenaline sports.
Eight and a half hours after we began, we stumbled out of the forest a group bound together the way only those who have faced disaster and survived together could.
Would I recommend the hike? Maybe, with the caveat of choosing a dry day (good luck with that), an excellent guide (shown left), friends you can trust, great gear, a quality first-aid kit (and someone who knows how to use it) and plenty of food and water.
This picture of our group was taken at the beginning of the day. We did not take a picture at the end, just imagine all of us covered in mud, totally exhausted and happy to be alive.
Would I go again? No, I think I’m able to cross that activity off my to do list. Since our adventure we have heard a few stories of peop0le who have died on that hike and I am counting my blessings to have made it through unscathed.
I will always remember that day and all the people with whom we shared the adventure. Thank you everyone, we made it through together!
