LOST AND FOUND: PART TWO

12/13/2015

It wasn’t long until after spending a couple nights at the Lost and Found Lodge that we found ourselves irking for more adventure. We had already had an interesting venture getting to this so called ‘jungle’ hostel but better yet, we lucked out on getting the last private room to enjoy some relaxing silence at night in the very heart of Panama’s cloud forest. In the morning, the hostel embraced the calm lifestyle most North Americans strive to have; including fresh orange juice to squeeze into a clean glass to start the day off right. I have to add that the morning hammock lounging does add to the so called ‘cherry on top’ for a perfect backpacker adventure.

Because we were surrounded by beautiful hiking trails, it was our mission to get out there and explore! For safety purposes the lodge requires all guests to sign out of the lodge when going out into the wild. If you do not sign back in by night fall they send a search party (dogs included) to come find you. I remember hesitating on asking the hostel workers on how many times they had to use the search party to come find people….after all I am not professional hiker.

As Thomas and I geared up and packed up some food and water just in case we got carried away…we sign out and decided to try out the scavenger hunt that the hostel puts on for guests. Sounds like fun eh???

It was fun until we realized that we are not very good at scavenger hunts. We knew it was not going to be successful when we were led into to the hostel maze that provided a riddle that even to this day, Thomas and I cannot figure out. Once we faced defeat and our egos were shattered, we continued uphill with the the mindset of seeing the beauty of Panama.

About two hours in, which felt like a life time of hiking considering most of the two hour journey was inclined, we came across a river. The water was rushing down the mountain curving and splashing every giant boulder in its way. The trees were lush and green and while birds rested on surrounding branches it was silent and peaceful. Thomas and I looked at each other and hopped onto one of the large boulders to sit, relax and have our lunch. The inner child came out in us as we picked up small sticks and raced them in the running water. I, of course, won...or at least that’s how I remember it!

After we hopped along the boulders and had a “nature pee” break, we set off hiking uphill. We had heard that at the top of the mountain there were spectacular viewpoints and for those lucky enough to see on the clearest days… the coast that touched the Pacific Ocean. As we ventured around remembering where our last marker was placed, we all of a sudden bumped into a young man, roughly the same age as us. Interestingly enough, a Canadian!

All three of us sparked conversations about the backpacking lifestyle and how cool this lost and found lodge was. However, not being the skilled hiker that I always hoped to be..the illusion of the uphill hiking conversations appeared never to end. Thomas took the lead of the trail, followed by our Canadian friend from Toronto and finally, there was I, tailing behind… dying for another break. Another hour and a half went by and suddenly, Thomas claims that the end is near. The thoughts of tears that ran through my mind if the he had only been joking with me. But, he was not lying, in fact, I believe he knew better than that…we finally had reached the end of our journey of the day.

As we hiked back down the mountain side, I felt a sense of completion and happiness. It was when we got back to the hostel and continued to hang out with other guests that stories of adventures were shared while watching the sunset in the distance. The hostel hosts Cloud, a rescued monkey, who I would say is a mascot that greets new guests. Additionally, there is a bar room that is lively at night and a movie room if you want vouch for a relaxing night. For any backpacker who wants to create good memories and meet great people, the Lost and Found Eco-lodge is one of the places to find adventure and have lasting memories.