Kat Sack here! Sometimes Katastrophic Sackrilege to the running community, but most definitely The Mountain Lioness to those who follow and join my adventures. I currently call Tallahassee, FL home. The mountains are my favorite place to be and explore but given my location, I dive into other types of rad places too!

I created this blog as a personal project to document my adventures. Photos are great, but I love text describing more of the story and to recall what I have learned. I am no expert at outdoorsy activities, but I learn as I go! If you end up here, I hope you can get something out of it.

My original focus was on backpacking, hiking, camping, kayaking, and mountain biking. I have thus shifted the scope as I discovered my love for National and State Parks. I have the National Parks Passport and the Florida State Parks passport which have allowed me to discover places I originally would never have seen. Now I write about national monuments, history, run-cations, etc.

At some point I hope to dive into personal growth as well with topics including self-sufficiency and improvement, turning boredom into adventure, steps to heal my body and mind, and overcoming social adversities.

Life is an adventure. Go outside. Pay attention to all that is around you. Get lost in the moment. Everything has a story. Listen for it, even if you do not speak the same language.

Año Nuevo en Puerto Rico: El Bosque Nacional El Yunque

El Bosque Nacional El Yunque

Año Nuevo en Puerto Rico

1 Enero 2018



Summary:


Link to Main Post of the Trip: Año Nuevo en Puerto Rico: 2017 a 2018 después de Maria

While searching for things to do in Puerto Rico, I discovered that there were bioluminescent bay kayaking trips! As I looked into booking a tour, I found a day trip that would pick you up from your hotel in San Juan, take you to cool places in El Yunque, and then bring you to Fajardo for the kayak trip. This wonderful tour is listed here: Kayaking Puerto Rico: Bio Bay & Rainforest.

Unfortunately most of El Yunque is still closed, and that part of the excursion would not be possible. They called to inform me and refunded us the price for just the bio bay kayaking. This no longer included transportation; however, we were able to get a rental car for the duration of the trip rather than just part of it so it all worked out. If you're reading this once the forest restoration has allowed public access, please check out that tour! Especially if you don't plan on having a rental car.

We would have gotten to:

  • Visit El Portal Visitor Center (video, information, souvenirs)
  • Hike to La Mina Falls (trail hiking, refreshing splash)
  • Visit Yocahú Observation Tower (panoramic view, picture area)
  • Visit La Coca Falls (sightseeing, picture area)
  • Dinner stop at a local restaurant (meal not included in tour price)


This didn't mean we wouldn't drive to the rain forest and see what we would be able to do. If anything we could just admire it from afar. It is essentially on the way to Fajardo anyway. Well - we were somewhat successful! Story below!


The Gear:

  • Sony A5100 Mirrorless Camera


The Story:


El Yunque is almost a direct shot from San Juan and only about 45 minutes East of the city. We were redirected off of the main highway due to utility crews. Pictures in the main blog post of this trip here [Link Coming Soon]. There were trucks from various U.S. States present. We even saw them erecting a telephone pole with a crane. 

We probably didn't need Google Maps to help us get to the rain forest because there were signs at least at every turn. We could also see it from the highway due to the high elevation of the forest and a cloud of fog/rain at the summits. 

Some quick fun facts about El Yunque National Forest / El Bosque Nacional El Yunque
  • It is the ONLY tropical rain forest in the United States National Forest System
  • 29,000 acres - small in size for a tropical rain forest yet it is one of the most biologically diverse national forests
    • 1000s of native plants
      • 150 species of ferns
      • 240 tree species 
        • 88 endemic/rare
        • 23 only found in this forest
    • Hundreds of animals, many that only exist in Puerto Rico
      • No large animals though
  • Average temperature of 21°C - it felt great!
  • Name from Indian spirit Yuquiye, which means "Forest of Clouds"


We reached this sign, and I believe at this point we knew the Visitor Center was closed. We turned right towards the recreation area. Had we gone left, there was apparently a short trail we could have hiked. We drove up to a police barricade which gave every subtle sign possible that we would not be allowed in. Surprisingly, we were told we could drive up to Coca Falls but after that everything else was closed to the public due to restoration efforts. Yay! I was fully prepared to be disappointed.


Poor signs :(


It was all so green! Everything was green. Except for the obvious - the road, colorful accent plants, and tree trunks. The tree trunks did actually have lots of green covering them though. The roads were fantastic and smooth to drive on, especially compared to the roads getting into Rio Abajo.



Since I had been expecting a guide tour of the rain forest, I hadn't done much research. When they said Coca Falls was open, we kind of just smiled and nodded like we knew what to expect. We kept pulling over to take cool pictures. We saw this little waterfall and wondered briefly if this was it!

Since there were no obstructions in the road and also that Coca Falls seemed like common knowledge, we figured this wasn't it and kept going.




Luscious green and plentiful water everywhere! I truly love forests and mountains, it just sucked I kept sneezing. Hopefully I'm not allergic.




We got this view of the Northern coast. Puerto Rico is not that big of an island. El Yunque is in the Eastern side of the island. We will be driving past those buildings on the coast to get to Fajardo.



We got to observe one of the two observation towers in the forest. Yokahú or Mt. Britton, I'm not sure. Most likely Yokahú.




The turn around point at Coca Falls was obvious. There was another barricade, a 'Road Closed' sign, as well as a 'Coca Falls Viewing Area' sign. There was also a waterfall, a cop car, other parked cars, tourists walking about, and a stop sign.


We got to see the waterfall from behind the barrier. It was pretty. I was also loving all of the enormous leaves. I was in fact wearing shorts by the way, just tiny little running shorts with a longer shirt. Oops.




Rain Forest Kitties

We met some rain forest kitties!  The first three pictures are of Rain, who we met first. The one after is Forest, who almost let me pet him/her! They were comfortable being near people but did not want any ear scratches or neck rubs.



And the third cat we met was hairless. Okay so maybe this one isn't a cat but was just hanging out near the cats.


We finally began our descent after we were feline distracted. We realized we had 45 minutes to get to Fajardo, and we were exactly 45 minutes away. So we didn't stop as much on the way out. There's still a few cool pictures.





Hurdles:


Literally...two gates. Which we could have technically hurdled over if we were racing the steeplechase. But, they were both guarded by police. We were allowed past the first gate, but the second one at Coca Falls was completely blocked and restricted. I was just happy they let us go in to the rain forest. We did not find out until that evening that if we had turned left instead of right at the fork, we would have been able to access a short hiking trail that potentially had a swimming area. We probably would have ventured that way if we had time, but time is something we lacked.


Quote:


"Enjoy all you have while pursuing all you want."
--Jim Rohn


Relevant Resources:


Fun Bonus Photo!

This is me in El Yunque April 1998, almost 20 years ago. I was climbing rocks at La Mina Falls. Nothing has changed.

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Location: El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico

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