Hiking the Rainforest of Puerto Rico @ 17,000 ft. above Sea Level

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Hiking the Rainforest of Puerto Rico @ 17,000 ft. above Sea Level

Jay Shannon • July 25, 2021

I pushed my limits and the pay off was AMAZING

So how does a conversation turn into me grabbing a rope and scaling a 7-foot rock, sticking my foot on a two-inch ledge, and squeezing around a corner…LOL.

Let’s press rewind on the story. Before my most recent trip to the Caribbean, I decided I wanted to try some new experiences. No more just sitting on the beach for this guy, I plan on kayaking, snorkeling, biking, and yes hiking.

Time to book a hiking excursion, 17,000 ft. above sea level in the Puerto Rico Rain Forest. This hike included transportation, an early morning authentic mountain bakery to start the day, a moderate skill level hike to a hidden waterfall, and finishing up the day with a buffet of local foods.

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Our guide Isaac was great he moved like a jungle cat bouncing from rock to rock, now I looked more like a Chicago Southside alley cat. LOL… but the more we hiked the more fun it was, challenging but exciting. We were headed to a hidden waterfall in the deep forest. I walked through a little mud, then a lot of mud. I around a few streams, then I waded through a knee-high stream. I climbed over a few tree trunks and on some medium-size rocks, then I climbed over some pretty big rocks.

(*Sidenote- Guess what happens in a rainforest??? Rain comes out of NOWHERE*)

Then finally my guide said the magic words “The waterfall is right around the corner”. Lisa and I cracked a smile and said yes it’s over. As we approached a group was passing us on the way down. One person looked at us and said “It’s beautiful, but the hardest part is coming :( :( . We approached and all we could see was a rope and a rock face. WHAT !!!, this is now a thing, then comes the jungle cat guide. He grabs the rope, puts his feet in a couple of spots then disappears around the corner. He then comes back and slowly shows us exactly how to climb up and where to put our feet. I’m thinking maybe it’s time to quit like one other couple but Lisa jumps into military mode and hits the rope. She was scared but much like Wonder Woman in her last movie Lisa grabbed that rope and disappeared around the corner. Not to be outdone I followed and actually, it looked harder than it was.

Once I turned the corner I had no words for how beautiful the waterfall was. It was like a little piece of undiscovered land that has been kept a secret for 100 hundred years. I’m just a kid from Chicago and this is beautiful in a way I haven’t seen. I swam a little in the freshwater pool then I climbed a little higher to take a couple of pics. The last thing I did was promise myself that this would not be the last time I challenged myself on vacation. I want to see the world through new eyes.

This was life-changing… now I just have to figure out how I’m going to get down out of this rainforest.

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Memories MATTER

By Jay Shannon • 29 Sep, 2021

So I have a general question. How much is a memory worth ???