Pico Duarte Day 3....

We have reached the top of Pico Duarte! We woke up this morning and hiked up 637 meters over 5 km to reach the peak. The view was awesome. At the top is a statue of Juan Pablo himself, which we dressed in a Students International shirt. We spent about an hour at the top hanging out, taking pictures, and having some snacks. It felt so good to reach the top of the mountain. After reaching the peak we hiked down to camp and were back by lunch. We were supposed to stay there and hike the rest of the way on Day 4 but we talked our guide into leaving the shelter and starting our trek back today. We hiked to Aguita Fria, getting the tough uphill swtichbacks out of our way for the last day and shaving about 3 hours off our time. Once we got to Aquita Fria we set up camp, which were half tarps, half tents. Just as we got set up we got hit with a hail storm. It was actually quite amusing, considering you never expect to see hail in the DR in August. It was cold, but it added to the adventure. Once the hail storm passed the sky cleared up beautifully and we enjoyed smores over the fire for the rest of the night. All in all this was the best day. Time to head back down the mountain tomarrow.

A cross at the peak of the mountain....