LAND OF THE LORAX
Fueled by coffee, I ran back from La Finca to the center of town and piled onto a Jeep Willie with 11 others to go to La Valle de Cocora. The Lorax tree is Colombia’s national tree and entering the valley was like entering a dream with rolling hills, low lying clouds and these fabled trees, just like in Dr. Seuss depicts in his stories.
We jumped off the jeep near the trail head and went our separate ways. I ran down the main road and was flagged down by a guide leading a Dutch couple and their baby on horses. He too was a runner, so we talked for a while and I joined his tour for a traditional ritual of washing one’s feet in the river, which is said to cleanse your blood and provide health. I’d compare it to a baptism of sorts, especially with the baby on hand!
He was turning his tour around but pointed me on the path to continue up the mountain. I thanked him and wished the Dutch couple safe travels. My shoes were wet after the ritual, but with cleansed blood and renewed health I powered on running. I had to take breaks though to appreciate the views and take photos. I reached the altitude entering the clouds where visibility was limited but I allowed my other senses to kick in and stopped to listen and feel the forest around me. At the top of the mountain was lots to smell with a beautiful garden of colorful flowers.
I descended the other side of the mountain, which (much to my liking) had more twists and turns and varied terrain through the forest. I felt like Indiana Jones, especially wearing the safari hat and running across streams on rope bridges! Since my shoes were already wet, I splashed through smaller springs without a care and treaded lightly through mud. I was sure to pick my feet as I ran over rocks and roots. Around an hour and 20 minutes into the 12 kilometer loop, I crossed paths with the folks I shared the jeep with, still hiking their way up the mountain. It took me about another 40 minutes to return to the trail head. I would have enjoyed their company on a hike but my time was limited as I wanted to catch the night bus returning to Bogota.
The Schwiet Life 