Hiking up to the Cross

Spectacular view by any measure

One of the things I brought to Mexico, and about which certain people rolled eyes, was my trusty pair of  hiking boots.  I love to hike and although I hadn't done much in recent years I had heard that there were great hiking trails in Mexico and on islands near anchorages all the way to the South Pacific. So, ignoring sniggers from unnamed sources, I packed my hiking boots and looked forward to making treks in distant lands. 

The cross...

On our arrival at Marina Palmira I noticed  that there was either a lovely big hill or small mountain (take your choice) overlooking the marina and a cross was mounted at the top.  I heard from other cruisers that it was a nice hike up to the cross and had even been invited to join a couple of other cruisers on one occasion; prior plans, then later the weather being too hot or too cold or just not feeling like it prevented me from making the trek...until now.  Our friend, John, mentioned that he, too, wanted to hike to the cross and we made vague plans to make the hike"one day" up to the top.  In the meantime he injured his foot and I developed and infection and later a cracked rib (it would seem that I may actually be accident prone) so plans were put off.  This past weekend we decided that it was time to do the deed and agreed that today, which happens to be Good Friday, would be the day we would make it happen.  

John showing me the way

We planned to meet at the top of his dock at 7:30 a.m. when it would be cool and when, perhaps, we might avoid any crowds making a pilgrimage to the cross. We needn't have worried about the latter as we saw just a handful of Mexicans both coming and going. I dug out my hiking shoes the night before and filled a day pack with the requisite granola, banana, bottled water and, of course, a small camera. I set my alarm and on waking this morning made coffee for the captain, dressed  in jeans (to prevent the snakes I was sure we would encounter from inserting their fangs into my bare skin) and headed down the dock to meet John.
It was a lovely morning, as it is every day in La Paz, cool enough for light fleece and just a light breeze.  We met a few other cruisers and exchanged pleasantries then crossed the highway to find a dirt road which, we were told, would lead us to a trail head which we would recognize by the presence of an old mattress and box spring. Yup, we couldn't miss that lovely piece of refuse. We started up the trail which circled behind, then wound its way up the hill. We remarked that it appeared to be an easy climb on a well worn trail.
And it was a relatively easy climb. It did

The moon just above the cross as we near the top

get steeper, rougher and rockier as we approached midway of the climb, and while I began breathing a bit harder (ok, huffing and puffing) it was doable. I'm guessing it took us around 45 minutes to and hour to reach the top.  John kindly paused for brief rests and a drink of water the few times I did and didn't make a single sexist or ageist remark...for which he gets muchos points!

What a panorama behind me!

Reaching the top we agreed that both the view and the cross were worth the climb.  La Paz and the bay lay out before us with sparkling blue waters and the lovely malecon. While the cross was neither large nor impressive structurally it exuded a sense of the sacred and I watched as an Mexican gentleman approached it, genuflected and then crossed himself.

The view on the way down

We took pictures, had some snacks and water, and sat for a few minutes just taking in the scenery and the moment. Then we packed up and started down. Other hikers know well that, aside from the breathing thing, the downward trek can be harder on the joints and muscles than the upward hike. Not far from the top I slipped on gravel, despite my aforementioned hiking boots, and managed to land on one elbow and one shin. Nothing's broken or even hurts much, but I raised a weird hematoma on my leg. We arrived at the bottom less than three hours after taking off, and although I fully expect some sore muscles tomorrow it was a pleasurable hike and I'm so glad we did it.

I called the captain from the top and, using another camera, he took a picture of John and me waving to him on the dock below.  If you squint real hard you can see two tiny things to the left of the cross...maybe.  That would be us.
(If you double click on the above picture, then click again, you can actually see John and me at the top of the hill, somewhat to the left of the cross.  I'm the one with two arms raised =)