Bahía Drake, Wednesday

[Posted out of sequence as only noticed the gap for Wednesday once I'd done Thursday post and checked blog website. I think this is the full draft entry from my phone and I simply forgot to send it last night.]

Wed 15th 1930 Raining, lightning - quite cool given I am "home", although burst of lightning while crossing open courtyard after shower/laundry just now (irrationally?) concerning.

Got up a bit reluctantly just after 7am alarm, but (camera photo times would probably be definitive, though) what with one thing and another prob wasn't leaving accom gate until 0750. Had brief chat with owner, she said the bus won't pick me up here (maybe I got confused or maybe she changed her mind) but she told me where it goes from and says it is safe and I did spot the place in question (Heladeria Popis) tonight. Apparently the 1330 bus didn't used to get much business and had trouble connecting on to PJ. Honestly fail to see why locals would want a bus at 4am (while it's still dark), or why it only runs to La Palma and need to change to PJ, but it is what it is. Owner says 6k to LP, more on second but to PJ, need to tell driver of first bus want to go to PJ so the other bus will wait if nec.

This all sounds a minor fucking pain in the neck but I am probably going to do it. It is slightly adventurous (the stupidly early start, the slightly obscure route across peninsular by land), and although the morning boat leaves 730 instead of 400 it is more expensive (USD20 for boat plus at least two buses), takes longer, has a higher hassle factor all round *and* involves backtracking. Worst comes to worst (barring being torn limb from limb by marauding dogs), if I miss this bus at 4am I can come back into my room here and try to regroup to get the 0730 boat and go the long way round. It also kind of works out well with the pseudo-extra day I have here, since I can putter around tomorrow and try to go to bed early.

(Yay auto delete. Kicking in viciously every time I stop typing.)

1949 Jesus, it is raining hard and the thunder is loud as fuck when it goes off - I am not generally scared of thunder, but sitting on seat on balcony with back to the "outside" sort of makes it feel worse and it did get me feeling antsy at one point.

So I went out to hike the Drake Trail at about 0750 maybe. Quite enjoyable although maybe I turned it into a bit too much of a challenge - not sure, I think in reality it's always "necessary" to get kind of absorbed in the motion of walking and looking where you're putting your feet and hard to truly appreciate the scenery as you go.

I got slightly lost once or twice but nothing major - fairly well signed early on, but gets a bit less so as you go on, and the trail gets a lot rougher (not painfully so, just kind of nicely not-over-groomed and it does feel like you're on a "proper" hike) towards the end. I did it to far end of Playa Rincon rather than just going to San Josecito - signs say 2.5h and 2h respectively and if you take off time for getting slightly lost that's probably fair and about what I did it in. Signs also say something like 6h to San Pedrillo, it must be really rough or something on that extra stretch as it doesn't look that far on the map. I didn't try that, it would be mildly insane to do 6h out and 6h back in same day and I'm not sure you don't technically need a park entry permit for it either. I went to where the path continues towards SP at far end of Rincon beach and then turned back. I did sit and "think" a bit at the far end but I wanted to get back and it's fine - it was about the hike not the destination.

Some nice scenery, little rocky coves, various beaches. The big "getting lost" thing on way out was crossing Rio Claro (ironically named, perhaps - it's muddy-looking) - I ended up getting confused with geography and the OSM map on phone and trogging a moderate way down the "near" bank of RC until I came to a place with a (vaguely cool in a "backwoods" kind of way) sign saying to blow the whistle to get a boat across for USD2, but  no one had told me about this boat and I figured it might not take me to the trail on the other side, so I doubled back and eventually realised you need to "ford" the RC as it runs across the beach into the sea - it looks well wide and deep and potentially (tho probably not? I saw no signs) crocodile infested at the point with the boat sign, but on the beach it's relatively tame. On way out I stupidly crossed a few metres further "inshore" than necessary and the current felt quite strong (I had a stick for sounding depth and as a third leg, just picked it up off beach) and it got well over knee deep - luckily I didn't fall, though I stupidly hadn't put electronics in a dry bag. On return leg I did put things in dry bag and also by fording just a few metres closer to the sea it was under (IIRC) knee deep and although I could still feel the strongish current it was fine without a stick (there wasn't any wood handy). Had to take shoes off and roll trousers up both ways across, but that was the only point.

Route a bit muddy in places but feet mostly stayed dry - I got quite lucky with weather perhaps, there was a light rather pleasant rain (perhaps helped by being under some tree cover part of time) and altho I had shell jacket and overtrousers I didn't need them, and the weather was warm but not massively unpleasantly hot and sweaty.

My feet were killing me by the time I got back into town but on the whole I think I did fairly well. It wouldn't surprise me if this was getting on for 22km.

I went to supermaket and got food to cook back at accom and also given I'd done this hike I got some sugary "baked" local-ish snacks and (for lack of a decent diet option) some non-sugar-free 2.5l Milory Toronja - had a bit of that cold while cooking dinner from an actual glass (instead of drinking from bottle) and went down very well, as you might imagine.

IIRC I then booked a hostel for two nights in PJ and contacted the "weird" place near (not actually in) PJ and they can't fit me in on Sun but could Mon/Tue. I will need to book an extra night in PJ hostel (dorm, no cheap non-dorm options and to be fair it might be nice to have a chance of chat etc at a hostel rather than somewhere "too" private) but for some reason haven't done it yet. Have emailed "weird" place to ask if they have space Wed but they haven't replied yet. I *will* go for just two nights if that's all I can do, and it's fine to have three nights in PJ beforehand - first night will prob be knackered after 4am bus etc and sure I can kill time pleasantly enough (plus check how often boats go from there to Golfito - if they're frequent I might return from weird place to PJ and jump straight on a boat) eg just sit on beach or whatever or look for local trails on OSM in PJ.

All this takes me roughly to the same arrival time in Golfito as my draft itinerary, which is fine although it's slightly annoying I've been "forced" to do an extra day in PJ in order to visit weird place (should stop calling it that, but reluctant to give name right now) but hardly a big deal. I am probably not going to try to squeeze in all the places from Golfito to San Jose that I shoved in at random on the draft itinerary. For a start, while I can check it out nearer the time, I may not stay three nights in Golfito unless it sounds very attractive - I just might even jump straight off the boat in onto a bus out, tho would perhaps be nicer to put at least one or two nights in there.

I really should book the third night in PJ pre weird place - I do kind of want to visit (for the hiking, not the weirdness) and I will do it for just two nights if that's all they can fit me in for (altho prob excessive faff, I could also go out there and day hike one day), so I will be wanting the third night in PJ whatever they come back to me and say re Wed night.

After booking popped out and got 710ml Imperial Original and a litre of water (running low but seems silly to buy another 6l - I don't want to be lugging a lot of water with me when I get 4am bus) and went and watched sunset on beach with beer. Pretty cool, boats coming in with fresh load of tourist at start, sky cloudy but orangey-gold over on sun side, cool reflections on water and a vague "fist holding light" effect with the cloud on the sun side, also the headlands (three of them?) at different distances on right hand side of bay showing increasing amounts of fading blurrily into the mist. Spitting a bit IIRC but didn't get going enough to need to put shell jacket on, tho had taken it with me.

Oh, I think I washed trousers before going out to see sunset - they weren't filthy but had them on for a bit so if only from sweat perspective good to clean them, and they were a bit muddy mainly from day/night hike (prob more the day one, tucked inside short-ish boots on night one) and I had avoided changing them until after doing Drake Trail as I figured that could just dirty a new pair insantly.

When got back to hostel gorged on some of my sugary baked treats and watched video and went down and had a shower and (despite a couple of guys (Germans?? only spoke very slightly to them) sitting outside their room right next to shower) washed a load of underwear. Will do tops tomorrow, which I plan to be a slow day perhaps starting with a cheap gallo pinto breakfast at a restaurant near beach - run out of butter and not buying more or oil to cook here tomorrow, will eat out - so I can be sure I have tried gallo pinto, would have been good to do tops tonight but not super convenient and already struggling for pegs to hang all this stuff on line outside room. (Not attempting to get my travel clothes line out and hang in room - I haven't used it at all on this trip yet, tho I did get idea from Rosemary that you can use a line of some kind and hang clothes round a (lower) bunk to sort of curtain yourself off, and if I'd had more private rooms I might well have used it more for laundry drying, although there's no denying it is a possible candidate for not bringing as IIRC I never get on with it as well as onebag.com implie I should. And on random note, while onebag.com may have some useful stuff for Rosemary - not that I plan on mentioning it to her - she *was* carrying a tent, which would account for some extra weight/bulk in her bag.)

I think that's about it, will write more if I remember. Just going to snack (massive sugar and calorie overdose today, but set it off against the hike) and watch some YT and try to get to bed earlyish and maybe set an alarm for 6 tomorrow as although I do want to have a slow day I do also need to try to "prep" for getting up not much after 3 - fingers crossed it isn't pissing it down - to get the damn 4am bus.