Boquete – Pipeline Trail Hike

I woke up around 8:00 and got ready and had a bowl of generic Coco Krispies for breakfast. I think we got out the door around 10:40 to head back up to Boquete to hike the Pipeline Trail. Yes this is a different Pipeline Trail than the one we were trying to find in the Panama City area. Last night I reviewed the geocaching map and found that there were 2 geocaches on the road on the way to the trails, so I kindly asked Pete if he would mind stopping to let me grab what hopefully were going to be quick caches.

The weather was completely different in the mountains today than when we did the Lost Waterfalls Trail. Today there was no mist or rain, but a very pleasant sunny 77 degrees (I packed my water repelling jacket today so that we were guaranteed not to need it). I’m kind of glad that I didn’t realize there were caches to do on the rainy day, because today was a much better day to do them. The first cache was at an old information sign. The sign was gone but the structure was still in place. I used the hint to know it was up. I couldn’t see it, but I jumped up and could feel it on the ledge. I was standing on a small rock and stretched as much as I could but I couldn’t grab it using just one hand. Laurie got out of the car and gave me a hand and was able to stretch just a little further and grab it. First cache of the day success!!

We passed up the second cache by assuming it was going to be at the roadside waterfall we stopped at the other day, but it was actually .25 miles before the waterfall. It was fine though because I suggested we grab it on the way back down, so we continued on to the trailhead. We found the trailhead with little issue and paid our $5/person fee to hike the trail. At this trailhead they had walking sticks available for use (like sticks found in nature . . .not the kind I use at home for regular geocaching) and I suggested to Linda that she might want one. She was super happy she took one as she found it most useful on the hike.

This hike was a 4.2 mile (round trip) out-and-back. The way out was mostly uphill gaining 1000 feet in elevation. We didn’t spot any animals or birds (heard the birds . . . just couldn’t see them), but we did come across a 1000 year old tree. It was a nice hike that wasn’t too difficult. At the end of the trail was a waterfall that didn’t have a ton of water volume, but it was extremely high. The trail definitely ended here and we turned around and headed back. Going downhill on the way back made it a much easier hike.

After the hike on the way back down the mountain, we stopped at the roadside waterfall so Linda could shop the little market that was set up and I could walk the .25 miles to the geocache. I made the find with no problem and smiled at the little bug that clung to the cache protecting it. I left him on there and when I was done signing the log I replace the cache and the bug back in the hiding spot. Perfect timing was on my side as I had just finishing snapping a selfie when the car pulled up so I could hop right in.

In town we decided to park the car and walk along the main street to look for somewhere to eat that would appeal to us. We stopped at Restaurante de Mariscos La Cueva del Putufo for the wide range of choices they had. Little did we know that we ended up picking a place that was listed as one of the “Best Places To Eat In Boquete” in the guidebook. I had a fruit punch and a chicken stuffed mushroom dish. It was good. I also ordered the fish ceviche. Pete and I were the only ones who liked it, but after quite a bit of peer pressure we got Laurie to at least try a bite. She wasn’t a fan. I thought it was pretty good.

When we were done eating we strolled the streets of Boquete and popped into a tiny bakery that smelled amazing. I bought a brownie and a piece of chocolate cake to take back to the AirBnB. We haven’t done any souvenir shopping on this trip as of yet, but I wanted to make sure I got an ornament. There weren’t as many shops in town as you would think there should be, but I did find a hummingbird ornament that I liked that will remind me of our hummingbird experience at the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center.

Leaving town I mentioned there was a virtual geocache about 5 miles out-of-the way to a rock with Pre-Columbian petroglyphs on it. They agreed to humor me and made the turn. We got to the area where the trailhead should be and saw the sign on the side of the road indicating we were in the right area, but it looked like I would have to walk .25 miles through private property to get to the rock, so we weren’t entirely sure we were right. I got out of the car and asked someone standing at the bus stop where to go to get to the petroglyph (and by ask I mean show them my geocaching map, and pointing to where I wanted to go). He motioned to across the street where it looked to be the private property with a bunch of horses and other animals. I walked across the street and started walking the dirt road on the property when I believe it was the owner who approached me. I showed him my geocaching map and asked him if I just walk straight (I pointed) to get there. He told me it cost money so I asked how much. He replied $1, so I gladly went back to the car and grabbed a couple of bucks. Nobody else wanted to go on this little adventure with me, so I handed him the dollar and again I asked if it was just straight. He seemed almost to say “I will just take you there” and I followed him the .25 miles. I got what I needed for the cache, took some pictures and started walking back. He didn’t speak a lot of English and I didn’t speak a lot of Spanish, but I think we both understood each other. I asked if I could take his picture with me and he said yes. I paid him another dollar since I appreciated the extra escort and told him that his land was very beautiful. I’m sure he thought I was a crazy white girl as I said hi to his cows and took a picture of his baby cow. When we returned I said a very appreciative “Muchas Gracias” and he replied “Denada!”

Back on the road from this little side adventure and we were back to our AirBnB by 7:00. Laurie and I checked on some other hikes that we might want to do in the next few days, Linda started laundry, and then I set down to write the blog. It was a good day!

Stats of the Day:

Steps: 15,967
Geocaches: 3 of 3
Temperature Change from AirBnB to Hiking Trail: 16 degrees