One of the reasons I love the Dominican Republic so much is because of the incredibly diverse nature found on the island. Most people only think of the beaches, but little do they know there are four prominent mountain ranges with incredible green forestry. Within the largest and tallest range, the central range, lies Pico Duarte, the tallest peak in the Caribbean at 3,098 m elevation. This is often a popular hike for volunteers and I had the pleasure to not only hike to this peak, but also share that experience with my family.
We met our guides at the base camp the first morning around 7:15 am. They packed up our mules and we were off. I was surprised to see the amount of people gather to start their hike as well. A group of about thirty Dominicans was already congregated at the start of the trail. The five of us eagerly took to the trail, heel clicking occasionally and unaware of what lay ahead, what would turn out to be a long and difficult hike. By the time we reached the first camp site we still felt energized and naively believed the rest of the hike would be about as easy as that first 3k. Soon thereafter, our strength was tested as the incline increased and we faced more and more uphill battles. They were frequent and very rocky terrain, and with this change we soon realized the importance of the three mules we took to ride.
Early on in the hike I met a Dominican woman that was hiking Pico Duarte for the first time but was no hiking novice. She had been all around the country hiking different mountains on the island. I was thrilled to meet someone from my country of service that had a knack for hiking. It was a short conversation because at the next rest stop she and her group pushed forward while we took a longer break to recover.
As we continued our trek, we began to notice with the temperature change, there was a change in scenery. We hit a point where the air turned more frigid, despite the sun beating down on us, and the type of foliage reminded me more of home than a tropical island. While we walked the first 5k, it felt like we were in a hot and humid jungle, very reminiscent of Jurassic Park. Soon we were walking through what could have been a snowy forest in winter. I took one course of Forestry in my undergrad, so I learned all about how trees can move up and down mountains due to changes in climate. But it never really hit me that atop one mountain there would be multiple different ecosystems only a few miles apart. The small stretches where the trail would level off with a view of the forest and the valley made the hardships on the trail bearable.
Around 1:30 we made it to the last rest stop before our final resting place that night. We took our time there to make some trail lunch and rest our sore legs before the final stretch to the camp. Of course we could not make the typical Dominican bandera for lunch, so we made do with egg salad sandwiches and snacks. You haven’t had an egg salad sandwich until you have made it in a Ziploc bag.
We set off for the campsite “Compartición”, thinking it would soon be over, but we had a rough hike ahead of us. We soon came across a very steep downhill that was ridden with loose rocks. We passed that little obstacle and our prayers were answered when we saw the camp in the distance. But looks and distance can be deceiving. It took us an hour at least after we saw it to finally reach it. And we made it just in time. With maybe 20 minutes to the camp, it started lightly raining, but it started to downpour when we reached the comfort of the camp.
The campsite was a sight for sore eyes. We found a spot on the floor of the cabin for hikers and claimed our territory. We were cold and exhausted. It took us 8 hours 46 minutes to reach the camp. Since it was cold and raining, a short nap was just what we needed before dinner.
Dinner was very interesting. As any avid camper or boy scout will tell you, everything is done over a fire. Here we used what is called a “fogón”, which is a wood fire stove but is made with cement to form a three sided square. The wood is placed in the opening to create the fire and a piece of metal is laid across the top of the sides to place a large pot on top of the opening.
In order to make dinner as easy as possible, we made tuna mac and cheese. It was quite the experience making it, but at the end of the day it was delicious and the guides also approved.
By 7:30pm we were in our sleeping bags attempting to sleep. We had a 3:15am wake up call to make it up to the peak and down with enough time to hike down to the base camp. Unfortunately, the large group that we saw on the trail was not sleeping early and were loudly talking and laughing into the night. My mom was less than thrilled. But either way, I didn’t see us getting the best nights sleep anyways on the wooden floor.
When others began stirring at 3am to begin their descent, we were awoken as well. It was painful to get out of the comfort of my warm sleeping bag. But we knew what had to be done. The hike to the peak began at 3:45am in the frigid air and darkness. At 5:45am we were at the peak celebrating under the watchful eye of Juan Pablo Duarte, the most famous founding father of the Dominican Republic. Looking out at the very mountains we had conquered the day before was exhilarating and so satisfying. We were on top of the world. We could see the mix of pink, yellow and orange rising behind the mountain peaks in front of us. In that moment there was so much stillness and peace the rest of the world disappeared.
After a half hour on the peak, we began the long day down the mountain. We reached compartición at 7:45, after four hours. We made some delicious oatmeal with mango, which I must say is a delicious combination. The coffee really hit the spot as well.
The descent of the mountain was in a weird way really fun. We all wanted to reach base camp so badly that Blake, Noah and I were jogging down the mountain instead of painfully stepping down the rock steps. In the last few miles we were even doing some sprint training with Noah, teaching him how to surge up little hills for his upcoming cross country season. How we found the energy, we may never know. But I do know, it was less painful to run the last mile and a half to base than drag it out by walking.
We made it down to base from compartición in 6 hours 25 minutes. I will always remember this experience as one of the most beautiful of my Peace Corps service. Sharing it with the four people in my life that I hold most dear was also a blessing. We had such an incredible time hiking and I would not change it for anything. We finished with some aches and pains, okay maybe a lot of aches and pains, but at the end of the day it was definitely worth it. And that night we were able to celebrate with three HUGE pizzas.
To finish off this post, I would like to share a poem my brother Blake wrote about our time on the mountain. I think it grasps our flow of consciousness pretty well during the trek to the peak. Enjoy.
Pico Duarte
Peaks and troughs
Do you hear that?
That’s peace
And silence in the air
The gentle swing of moss
Hanging from tall pines
Swaying in the breeze of morning.
Meadowlarks chipperly chirp
As life begins to move.
The waning gibbous and rising sun
Compete for control of the sky.
As always, the moon concedes in the morning.
Patient mountains stand tall watching the morning summiteers.
A serious fog drenches all that is
Before the morning light begins to crackle through;
Immense darkness exists.
Three forty five in the morning,
The hike of life begins.
The hike to the top.
The peak.
The top of the world.
Rocks, forming.
Rocks, breaking, crunching, deforming.
All that is
All that isn’t.
A singular mosquito
A singular bug
One scorpion, and the rest is none.
Six humans, two mules take the trek
Yooh, hoo
Yoh, yooh.
The morning air
The vision of nothing, but optimistic life
Nothing but perfect beauty
The most pristine landscape
Unhindered by the chains of humanity.
This place is,
This place always was,
This place always will be,
Duarte.
Pico Duarte, República Dominicana 6-22-19