[ft-l] Puerto Rico Hiking

[ft-l@mailman.backcountry.net (Michael McCormick)]

Howdy Listers,
I'm down here in Puerto Rico for a few weeks and just wanted to
let you know of one of the hikes I recently experienced. It was
in the el Yunque Rain Forest.
It rained;-) 
Actually, its been raining for about a month now non-stop
throughout the north and east portions of the island...global
warming I think;)  The rainforest was beautiful...there were
waterfalls everywhere and the friends I am visiting "locals" and
I sung songs the entire way. It was a short hike by normal
standards , however the 6km hike was almost completely vertical.
Needless to say the rocks were slippery as well. Moss covered
everything as did the bromeliads. We arrived at the top of el
Yunque and looked out upon a white abyss of clouds.  The wind
was blowing at about 30mph and the clouds were flowing over us
like waves.  It was cold also, not something you'd expect from
PR...an island that 2000ft below was 75-80 degrees.  My fleece
made me happy:) Our hike down was fairly uneventful except for
the fact that it was so slippery...we buddy-stepped it down,
helping each other at nearly every rock crevasse and stream
crossing.
Throughout the journey we passed about 8 waterfalls, saw many
beautiful birds (the hummingbirds were my favorite), and saw
plants (orchids) that people would love to have in their homes. 
I was amazed at the beauty of the place.
Of course, we had to drive back home to Cayey after that so we
held our breath and delved into the terrible world of PR
driving...near-death experiences are the norm.  Ok, well, sorry
about the off-ft-topic story but I just wanted to share with you
all an amazing hike...it will be nice to be back on the flat ft
after I get back...since my knees aren't thanking me for the
recent abuse...long live aleve! ¡Paz y felicidades! -Mike- "TC"

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