South

So...the whole point of labeling the last post "North" was that three days after we returned from Beyond, we flew "South" to Costa Rica with Stephanie and Reid. I am sure the contrast has been lost in my delay, but here are a few images from our trip.

First stop, Volcano Arenal in La Fortuna.

Cyrus ate arroz con pollo a lot on the trip. He claims this one (his first and most interesting) was the best.

Catarata de la Fortuna

Next, we spent 2 days in the mountains exploring the cloud forest. We took a guided walking tour too see the forest from below and then we took a zip line tour to see the forest from above.






I have plenty more pictures from the forest if you want to see them...I was fascinated by the diversity of life - plants and animals...as a Biology geek I was in heaven.

Steph

Hanging bridges

Cyrus has no fear


Abbie was a bit more cautious

Greasy from the pulleys and the rain, but worth it.

Don Juan's coffee plantation. We toured and tasted coffee grown in the mountains of Costa Rica. We even met Don Juan, although we were too star-struck to say much.

flower from a coffee plant

storing dried beans

Reid and Abbie separating coffee beans from the husk

Next we headed to the Pacific coast and Ian and April Foster joined us for a night.

Unfortunately, this was the only turtle we saw.



But my iguana friend hung out by the pool one afternoon.


We spent five days exploring different beaches...

Harassing the crabs....

Making sand angels...

and boogey-boarding! (this was the best part)

To travel between beaches in the rainy season you have to cross a few rivers...here we are checking it out before.

And Reid bravely driving through....good memories.

Thanks for a great trip Steph and Reid!

North

As soon as we finished teaching we drove to Beyond to lead Guide Training, affectionately known as "10-Day". We climbed Sun Peak and completed a lot of training along the way. This is a view of the peak from Sun City (camp night 1).

Contact Lakes campsite

Looking for a crevasse to use for training

Success! We had a great day for crevasse rescue training and a beautiful crevasse to jump in.

Lunch break

Inside the crevasse

Sunny days...views of Mt. Albert, the Bon Bon glacier and Smithman's Ridge

Summits of JJ and Sun Peak

Crossing the summit ridge

We LOVED being in the mountains. It was the best way to transition after another school year. The Beyond staff is full of wonderfully talented and compassionate people. I am excited for the work they are doing this summer.