Costa Rica
by Lee Soares

After reading about the bolas in a geographic guide, I decided to go ahead and pack my shoes. A bit of climbing during vacation is always nice. After all, I try to do a bit of relaxing on a road trip and climbing shoes and chalk really don't weigh too much. We are heading to Costa Rica to meet some friends for a week long vacation. The photos and web site for the hotel showed off shore islands with sheer sides and the hotel boasted of its cliffside location. There was obviously rock there, but how well would it climb? I had low expectations. With 200 inches of rain every year and oppressive humidity, the beach looked much better than any bouldering I would see. The country of Costa Rica sits between Panama and Nicaragua and is hardly bigger than the state of Delaware. Most people quickly think, don't drink the water, third world country, I wouldn't want to get kidnapped, but such is not the case. Instead of spending tax dollars on the military, the Costa Rican government is choosing to invest that money in such things as roads, education, and public utilities. This is helping to insure the growth of its most profitable industry: tourism.

Wish you were here...

After a couple flights and one long, bumpy van ride, we arrive in Quepos, a small town just north of Manuel Antonio national park, our final destination. A short drive out of town and we arrive to our friends warm smiles and some cold beers. Its the end of the rainy season and the hotel has virtually no guests this time of year. Climbing was slipping from the picture. The next day brings views of the off-shore islands and the distant mountains glowing in the morning sun. A huge breakfast buffet and some stout coffee start the morning off right. We walk down to our hotel beach and find once again we are alone. I'm greeted by a tall black boulder capped with green vegetation. It reminds me of a giant Chia pet. Its soaking wet and highly featured and topping out without a machete is not an option. I fumble through a few traverse moves and think my climbing shoes will never see the rocks here. With the bolas at least another two hours south, we spend the majority of our days hiking trails in the rain forest and sunbathing on secluded beaches.

On one hike, we run into a nature guide pointing high into the trees. We follow his finger to find a two toed sloth lounging high in the canopy. We head down our trail and cross paths with a pack of capuchin monkeys. I quickly learn not to leave your backpack on the ground while shooting video.

The days are passing nice and slow, and I find our level of relaxation is unprecedented. With the last days of our trip closing in, we decide to explore a new area of the park. The trail to Escondido beach is a dead-end and is the furthest point in the park visitors are allowed. Judging by the way we've gone through water on previous hikes, I carry as much as I can. Its barely enough. The walk is really nice and the heat is still mild in the morning. The trail brings us high above the beach to a nasty switchback that almost takes my ankle. We step out onto a small beach hemmed in by broken cliffs and washouts. Far off to the left, we see a sprawling beach with no footprints. That's the spot. With the rocks wet and the waves breaking, timing is everything as we negotiate the base of the wall that separates us from the postcard. We make it and throw down our stuff in the sand and hit the water, sans suit of course.

A long drink and a beach nap recharge my sense of exploration. The beach we're on is the last I can see as it turns to stone about a half mile away. What's around the bend I said to myself? The cliffs and rocks I could see were of a different color and quality. I had to investigate. My girlfriend was happy to just sit on the beach so i told her that I would loose sight of her for about half an hour as I walked on the other side of the jungle wall. I find her a hefty stick and tell her to hit the ocean if a snake or jaguar stop by while I'm gone. She smiles, then realizes I'm not joking. I lightened the pack and re-applied sunscreen. It's now around noon and the sun is baking the sand and rocks so much I cant believe they don't melt into glass. As I reach the point where my half an hour starts I see what I believe to be the best free standing boulder in Costa Rica. I realize that half an hour will hardly be enough time to work all the problems. I can hardly see Bobbielee never mind tell her I want more time. Besides even if she could, the sun wouldn't here of it.

The clock is ticking and I dance across the hundred yards of small boulders too fast. I have to rest in the shade for a few minutes. As I do I'm amazed at the amount of problems on this one boulder. I pull on my climbing shoes with my feet full of sand. Unlike the giant Chia pet this rock has problems well inside the V scale. I dry my hands and take a dip of chalk. I onsight the left side and top out with thoughts of passing out from the heat. I climb down and am forced to rest in the shade once more. The right side looks harder and a fall here is not an option. Even a minor injury can be a major problem this far from any help. I chug the rest of the water I brought to the boulder, and pull on to begin the problem. Powerful slopers and a ballsy highstep prove me right. This ones definitely harder.

Two more moves and I grab the top hold. As i shift my weight to my feet and top out a ten pound hold slides off still in my hand. I'm glad I brought my horseshoe and rabbits foot too. I switch my slippers for sandles and my poor feet breathe a sigh of relief. Knowing my half an hour is about gone I have to make it back to the point were I can wave to Bobbielee in the distance. I know she's getting worried even though I'm not yet late. It's justified for sure. This environment is no joke. I make it back to our shady spot and realize I'm flirting with dehydration. I drink all but a few sips of our remaining water and pack the bag up. Before we step off another pack of monkeys comes to the tree we're sitting under. Within minutes there are about thirty monkeys feeding above us. Luckily they aren't interested in my backpack this time. We reverse our tracks and make it back to a snack bar in a little over an hour.

Costa Rica is a nature lover's dream. The rugged mountains and eco diversity are second to none. As far as bouldering goes there is at least one stone out there worth crimping and slapping. Good luck finding it. Now to answer your question. What the hell is a Bola? Bolas are manmade granite balls with the perfect sphericity of a glass bead. They measure from just a few inches to as large as ten feet in diameter and weigh up to 15 tons. Some are found singly and others appear in groups of twenty or more. I don't know about you but a perfectly round ten foot boulder sounds like a nasty problem. Noone knows exactly what they are or how they were made. They date back to 400 a.d. around the time of the Diquis culture. One possible theory about how they were made suggest that large boulders were tumbled like ball bearings at the base of mighty waterfalls.

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