Training is Complete for Volcán Barú, Chiriquí, Panama

We started training for Volcán Barú in early February with multiple hikes around the Northern Virginia region. Most of these hikes were along the Appalachian Trail, giving us lots of uneven terrain (rocky) and plenty of elevation.

I’m excited to say that training is over! We’re headed to Panama next week. After exploring Panama City for the first week we’re heading to the town of Boquete in Chiriquí. If the weather cooperates we’ll be embarking on the 17.4 mile hike up the (dormant) volcano.

Our last training hike was on the 4th of July. This hike was a bit further south in Nelson County, Virginia. We did the Spy Rock via Crabtree Falls hike. This is a great hike for our last training session. It’s split roughly 50/50 with the Crabtree Falls Trail and the Appalachian Trail. There are three reasons this was a great capstone hike to our training. First, it’s a good long hike with about 14 miles round trip. Second, its basically all uphill and all downhill with portions along a rocky road that mimic the hike up Volcán Barú. Finally, is the amazing view at the top!

Crabtree Falls Trail

We expected it to be a hot day with lots of people hiking the Crabtree Falls portion so we started early. We hit the trail about 5 AM. It was technically first light, but not so at the trail itself. We started the hike using the flashlight from our phones. Crabtree Falls trail is 1.7 miles to the top of the falls and features the steepest ascent of the entire hike full of stairs and switchbacks.

There are lots of great views of the falls along the way too. By about 6 AM there was enough light for a family selfie partway up to the top of the falls.

Above the falls the trail continues to the Meadows Lane Parking Lot off a rough dirt road. Bonus is a (National Park style) restroom for those who don’t like nature quite that much…

Meadows Lane and the Appalachian Trail to Spy Rock

Above the Meadows Lane Parking Lot the hike includes about 3/4 of a mile along Meadows Lane itself. This is a rocky dirt road with significant elevation gain. Be prepared for a bit of a water crossing running across the road if it’s been raining recently.

At the top of the hill is a quick right turn onto the Appalachian Trail headed for Spy Rock. This section does have hikers but nowhere near the number you will find on the Crabtree Falls section. This is probably because of the length from the bottom of the falls and the fact that the Meadows Lane lot is hard to get to (and really needs good four wheel drive).

This is a very nice stretch of the Appalachian Trail. It’s got good elevation gain. Consistent but not too steep. And the trail itself isn’t very rocky as compared to sections in Northern Virginia.

Spy Rock Summit

Just before Spy Rock, the Appalachian Trail splits off and you find yourself at a very cool natural field that almost looks like a lawn in a shade covered yard.

The trail to the summit skirts around the side of the rocky cliffs climbers ascended in the past. Instead, volunteers have improved the trail and provide a safe path to ascent to the top.

The top of Spy Rock is clear of trees allowing a 360 degree view of the area. It’s a great spot to explore the rain filled pools in the rocks and sit and have a snack. In our case, we each had a Keto Brick to tide us over before homemade quiche in the car and a big shoulder roast for our major meal of the day back in Schuyler.

Returning to Crabtree Falls

As expected, by the time we returned to the Crabtree Falls trail there were lots of people. This is a favorite trail in the area and the parking lot is often full. As it was July 4th, today was especially busy with many families, groups of friends, dog walkers, and more. Awesome for them to be getting out. Since we had started at 5 AM, and were closing in on 1 PM by the time we got back, it would have been nice if there were a few less. Oh well.

There are lots of amazing hikes in this part of Virginia. The Crabtree Falls Trail itself is one of the best in the area and we’ve done it four or five times at least.

All in all we’ve loved the training hikes we’ve been doing since early February. We feel better and better each week as our knees, hips, and connective tissue adapts. During the training hikes we’ve played with adding pack weight, eating Keto Bricks, which we expect will be a staple on Volcán Barú, and adapting to zero drop, wide toe box, minimalist hiking shoes. If the weather agrees we should be ready. Panama City here we come!