0720, Fri, 042712. Isla Coronados. We started out early, wanting to get a good start up the mountain. The idea was to hike to the top of the 1,000 foot volcano. The wind was supposed to come up later in the day and yesterday, while standing on the bow, I noticed with all Neos' wandering around, that the chain looked like it made several circles around the anchor. If the wind picked up quickly this could foul the anchor and pop it out of the sand. So Sue and I started up the engines and gave her a little tug to straighten the rode out. This got our trail mates and neighbors thinking, so Bella Brisa also was up to the same thing before leaving. We were in our dinghy while Bella Brisa was setting their anchor and had time to go out to the pod of dolphins searching for breakfast. It is special to get up close while in the dinghy, like being at eye level with them. They were busy making a large circle as they dipped in and out of the water. What beautiful creatures. We made one last pass with the view box to check anchors and all looked good.
Rich and Cathy knew where the head of the trail was so we followed. It was well marked at this point with little rocks lining the edges of the path and even little wooden signs giving the names of the plants along the way. Then we hit the wall. The edge of the mountain meets the sand almost vertically and changes from sand to rocks the size of softballs and bigger. Some areas of the trail would have been impossible to find if not for the little piles of rocks marking our way. It was slow going over the rocks as they wobbled to and fro under our feet testing those muscles that don't get a lot of use on a boat. Finally, we made it through the rocks and back to semi dirt where the trail headed up the cone. The change at this point was from steep to steeper. We had a great view of the surrounding area and decided that was good enough for us. We probably could have made it to the top but it would have been a rough return trip down the rocky trail to the bottom with rubbery legs. We made the right decision and headed back down. It was as tough as we thought and slow going. My shoe had a blow out with a floppy sole making it even more interesting but I was prepared. Good ol' duct tape to the rescue. The duct tape did the trick with only several stops for reinforcements, to the bottom where I finally tore the sole clean off. We got back to the beach and plopped ourselves on the bench under the palapa for a rest, we were all pooped but nothing a little water and a granola bar wouldn't help. We managed to arrive back at the boat just about the time the wind was kicking up into the teens so our timing was perfect.
This morning we are full of grunts and groans as we move about. The wind has calmed but the boat is now sideways to the incoming rollers so we are rocking this morning, yuk. I think we will be laying low today…more later..
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