The Friar
On June 13th, I decided to finally climb to the top of the mountain visible from KWP's farm and from almost everywhere else in Canta Gallo. They recently built a telecommunications tower on top on the nub that is sticks about above La Lima and the farm. The locals call it El Fraile (or The Friar). I've asked around about why it has this name, but so far nobody has been able to tell me. I suspect that a Catholic Friar came through here at some point and got the top of the mountain named after him. There's a statue along the main road (included in a previous post). The state is of a person holding an infant. Both the adult and the infant's statue heads have been broken off for some reason. When I first saw the statue, I assume that it was of the Virgin Mary, but now I'm starting to think that it's of this Friar guy.
Back before he left, KWP showed me the turn off the main road that they cut to go up the mountain to install the tower, so I knew how to get there. The reason I'd waited so long, is because it looks steep. Every time I'd look up there, the energy would drain out of my gut. It proved every bit as steep as I thought that it would be. I had to take regular stops as I climbed up the first part of the new road, but eventually it leveled off or at least the grade became more gradual as it wrapped around the back side of the mountain.
I picked up a freshly cut stick that was the perfect length for a walking stick and used it for the rest of my walk. This was about half way up. It wasn't until I was on the way back down, that I realized that someone had probably cut the length of wood (that I was using as a walking stick) for firewood (lena). Oh well...
I had to jump a barbed wire fence to get to the very top. It seems that the builders of the tower want to discourage people from going all the way up to it. I'd been up in Madriz for long enough by this point, that I didn't even hesitate before I trespassed.
I found some great views around the tower, but even better views as I dipped a bit to the top of the cliff face facing down towards the farm. It's far from safe. I had to use every bit of my mountain climbing and free-hand rock climbing experience as well as my nerve in order to make it to the exposed and precarious spots where I took most of these photos. The climb back up and out of those spots was enough more nerve-wracking. Still, it was worth it for the views.
The walk back off El Fraile was pleasant--because it was down hill the entire way. On my way up, I'd come across a couple of trails that intersected the road they'd cut to built the tower. Since I was feeling good and hadn't even started in on my water yet, I decided that I'd explore these trails a bit. I walked down one a kilometer or more before turning back. I turned back, because it occurred to me that the trail might drop me into the far valley and that making it back up and over to the farm could prove difficult--at least without more planning.
The entire trip only took maybe 2 hours, and I took my time. It was a much closer and easier walk than any of the others that I'd done recently (Condega, Venecia, Vijagual, San Andres). I still had energy left when I got back to the farm, but I think that I prefer this to the fall down exhaustion that had become the norm. Here's to more reasonable outings in the future.
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Originally Posted by songbird27
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