Pico Duarte

The Dominican Republic is home to the highest mountain  in the Caribbean, Pico Duarte (10,164 ft).  Pico Duarte is also higher than any of the Appalachian peaks.  I have hiked this peak in the past, but as we began making plans to leave the D.R. and move to Nicaragua, I thought it would be great to hike it one more time. I shared my idea with the Students International staff, and five other guys decided to go with me: Lowell Troyer, Ryan Holloway, Leo Escalante, Raul Canela, and Hans Miller. The distance from the entrance of the National Park to the summit is 14.4 miles with an elevation change of 6425 ft.  We chose to make it a three-day hike.

The first day was the most intense as we climbed six thousand feet and covered approximately twelve miles.  Five hours into our hike, rain clouds moved in, and we hiked the next four hours in rain.  That evening, we arrived at a camp three miles from the peak.  We were cold, wet, hungry and tired.  A campfire, a rice and chicken dinner, and dry clothes felt so good.  The following day we hiked to the top and back down to camp.  On day three, we hiked on out.

Onward and Upward!!



At the very top of Pico Duarte!  We did it!





The mountain range extends for miles though the western Dominican Republic and on into Haiti.

The the magestic views of the mountains and valleys were incredible and drew my attention to the One who created it all.  Like the Scriptures state, " For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth". 

Upon our return, Raul approached me and said, "Nate, thanks for allowing me to go along on the hike.  When men experience challenging adventures together, they connect on a deeper level".