December 1, 2011
Like aloha and shalom, pura vida is more than its simple translation of "pure life." Pura vida can be a greeting, a response to "How are you?," or an expression of contentment. In the context of Costa Rican culture, pura vida is a philosophy of life that embraces the richness of living and embodies a connection with the land.
I am not Tico, but I am fascinated and awed by the mountains that form the backbone of Costa Rica. Evidence of the power of tectonic activity, these are relatively young mountains. Located near La Fortuna, Arenal is estimated to be about 7000 years old. A stratovolcano, Arenal is composed of successive layers of ash, rock,and lava. 
After 400 years of inactivity, Arenal was presumed to be extinct. However, the subduction of the oceanic plate beneath the continental plate was slowly building up a pool of magma and pressure. In 1968, Arenal violently burst to life spewing rocks, ash, and lava into the valley below. The eruption killed 87 people and completely buried three small villages. Evidence of the eruption is apparent in agricultural fields littered by boulder-size rocks called lava bombs.
Seismic activity is monitored and hiking is permitted in the national park - at your own risk. Following our knowledgeable guide Eduardo Baldioceda, we walk along a flat smooth sandy path cut through tall waving sourcane. A trail maintenance worker responds to Eduardo's greeting with "pura vida." You can't help but smile when you say pura vida.
As we move along the trail, the peaty smell of the sourcane fields becomes more herbal and the vegetation more forest-like. Tree limbs are homes to insects, ferns, epiphytes, and parasitic vines. At the base of the trees, lycopodia thrive. Looking like a forest of miniature pine trees, these clubmosses are among the most ancient of vascular plants and in the tropics are limited to mountain habitats.
Tubular flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies who enter the flower for sweet nectar and carry away pollen. A few insects have an adaptation that allows them to pierce the tube of the flower and extract the nectar without assisting with pollination.
The one-day orchid blooms and dies within a 24-hour period. As we stopped to inspect these randomly dispersed beauties it is apparent that they are food for insects. A few have already begun to loose their petals to browsers.
Although the plants are diverse from the tiny lycopodia to enormous kapok tree, it is the Insects that are most abundant in number and variety. Ants are everywhere in the cecropia tree, marching along with leaves, and swarming like an army in a disorganized front of vicious biting soldiers. Mosquitos buzz exposed ears, necks, and arms in search of a meal. Dazzling jewel-like beetles cling to tree trunks. Butterflies dance through openings in the forest.
Life and death in the forest occurs on a small scale- insect as predator and insect as prey. Bromeliads are plants that obtain moisture and nutrients from a reservoir at the top of the plant. Insects take advantage of this little pond for water and nutrients. The predatory wolf spider spins a web over the top of the reservoir. An unsuspecting insect stopping for nourishment can quickly become dinner. But there are the scavengers who outwit the predator. A thread-leg insect can walk on a spider's web and steal a spider's prey. Although at first the thread-leg insect looks like a spider, a leg count confirms that it is an insect.
A lahar snakes like a riverbed between the sourcane marking the place where a thick slurry of hot ash raged down the mountain slope. The pioneer species of the lahar, sourcane, grasses, and trees, gradually brought life back to the barren gray lahar. A thin layer of organic material is visible above the thick layer of ash and fine sandlike particles of rocks.
Root systems are shallow. It is not uncommon to walk past a toppled tree uprooted by wind and rain. Opportunistic organisms will decompose the tree drawing nutrients from its bark and core. What remains will enrich the soil increasing the fertility of the volcanic ash.
Beyond the lahar lies the lava field. Huge boulders and rocks of balsaltic Andesite are a testament to the explosive power of the 1968 eruption. Pioneer species of lichen and mosses have begun the slow biological process of breaking down the rock into soil.
But the volcano is still alive. Natural hot springs are warmed by the volcano. Small quakes occur daily. Stand quietly and you can hear the volcano breathing and the low hum of a heartbeat as magma flows through its veins.
Arenal disappears into mists that veil the summit of the stratovolcano. The chance that the clouds might clear to reveal the symmetry of the cone is tantalizing. As the rainy season comes to an end, a burst of sunshine teasingly parts the clouds. The breeze whispers that if we could but linger here a little longer the clouds will lift and Arenal will be bathed in the rays of the morning sun.
Map source: http://www.costaricaguides.com/map_costa_rica_.html
More to Explore
The formation of the landmass known today as Central America was a major global climate change factor. Learn more about the tectonic activity 5 million years ago that closed ocean circulation between the modern Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean.
Read "How the Isthmus of Panama Put Ice in the Arctic" at Oceanus.
Loris your post is so informative, and your photos are amazing. I always feel like I don't quite strike the right balance between being engaging and being informative when I blog, but you do it beautifully.
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