| A new adventure for Ham Lake Girl Scout |
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| Wednesday, 19 August 2009 | ||
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Staff writer A 14-year-old Ham Lake Girl Scout had the adventure of a lifetime when she traveled to Costa Rica for 10 days in July. It was the first time Amanda Markus had traveled overseas, and she saw up close the ecological beauty of the Central American country as she and
The trip was offered through the Costa Rica Rainforest Outward Bound School, which provides a wide array of courses and camps for kids and adults. The course the Girl Scouts took was called Rainforest, River & Reef. Over 10 days, they learned about nature and experienced another culture by visiting a remote village and staying with local families. The whole trip was an adventure for Markus. One of the toughest challenges was rappeling down a 200-foot waterfall. She thought she would back out at the last second, but she braved this challenge. Others considered backing out, but they knew they would regret it if they did not try, and Markus was glad she did it. It was scary going over the steep edge at the top of the waterfall, but she could control her own speed and there were safety measures in place. Once she got to the bottom, she felt relieved and elated to know she had just rapelled down a waterfall. “I think I gained more confidence in knowing that I can do more than what I thought I could do,” Markus said when asked what she gained out of the trip. The terrain provided many challenges for the group. They climbed in a cage hung by a rope and pulled themselves across one river. The terrain was mountainous, so the Girl Scouts had to be in peak condition to venture onward. White water rafting and a day on the beach and surfing in the ocean gave them the opportunity to see Costa Rica from different vantage points. They also looked through the eyes of some local Costa Ricans when they visited the remote Mestizo village of Piedras Blancas and they stayed with a few different families during their trip through the rainforest. The families had access to washing machines and dryers, but the Girl Scouts had to wash their clothes in a sink to gain an understanding of everyday life for those without modern conveniences. There was no hot water. A perk was they did not have to cook their food most nights. The staple diet was rice and beans. Camping was not a new experience for Markus, but a campsite without cell phone coverage was new to her. Markus had never shouldered a backpack for long treks to a campsite. Her family hiked on the North Shore this past spring, but they stayed in a hotel. In Costa Rica, Markus had her cell phone with her, but there was no reception. One day the group hiked 10 miles. The first night in the rainforest, the Girl Scouts slept outside. That night, the jungle canopy was their roof and the tarp placed on muddy ground was their bed. The 17 Girl Scouts had four guides—three from Costa Rica and one from the United States, Markus said. There was always a person walking in front of the group and behind the group and the rainforest they walked in had a good path although some spots were narrow. Amanda’s mother Deanne said she knew her daughter would be in good hands. “I thought it was an awesome opportunity,” Deanne said. “I was really impressed that she would go by herself because I don’t know I would have done that at age 14.” The total flight time was approximately six hours, Markus said. She flew from Minneapolis to Houston and then from Houston to San Jose in Costa Rica. The Girl Scouts were driven to base camp. At each airport, an employee assisted her navigating through the airport and getting through customs and baggage check, which is offered for a fee to all minors flying without an adult accompanying them. Once she got to Houston, she met a few other Girl Scouts who were flying to Costa Rica. “I was excited, but I was still a little nervous to fly all the way to Costa Rica by myself,” Markus said. Eric Hagen is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it |
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