Submitted by Kirsten Gerhardt a on the 2017 winter session program in Costa Rica and Panama sponsored by the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology…
In Costa Rica, there is a mountain called Cerro de la Muerte, which means Mountain of Death. It is the only point in Costa Rica where you can see both oceans, the Pacific and the Carribean. We have known for the whole program that the day would come when we have to climb it. We will start out at around 7,000 feet in altitude and the summit is at 11,300 feet. It is 7 miles up hill and 7 miles down. All of us are excited, but also nervous because we know that on the past programs, there have always been people that didn’t make it. We know it is going to be quite the feat of strength and endurance to climb this mountain. So when the day came, I told myself that I WILL make it to the top. I have to. Just to say that I was able to climb the Mountain of Death. We started the uphill trek, and already my breathing and my heart rate were way too rapid for my liking. I felt like I had a weight on my chest preventing me from breathing and it hadn’t even been 20 minutes yet! It was hard not to feel discouraged and embarrassed. I just kept thinking to myself how out of shape I was. Sooner or later, my breathing and heart rate evened out and I was able to persevere, but it was still hard. I had many instances where I thought about quitting and I thought I wasn’t going to make it. It was just such an uphill climb and it was kicking my butt. Finally, I see people waiting at the top and they start cheering me on when I come into sight. I reach them and I can’t believe that I did it! I actually did it! Now we just have to wait for the others and hope that everyone makes it. And what do you know? All 14 of us make it! For the first time on this program, the entire group made it to the top! We were all so proud of ourselves and each other. What a challenge that was, but we’re glad we did it and now we know that our bodies can do amazing things (even if you are out of shape, like me). Cerro de la Muerte claimed no lives today!!
