Meet Joseph - Come on Inside
The roots of Joseph are smooth, twining as they ascend to the branches. These roots make a natural ladder for us to climb.
When was the last time you were inside a living organism?
Joseph is a grand-sire of this ancient primary forest. Joseph devoured the giant it grew on, dropping its roots from high branches into the soil, forming a woven ladder up into the first branches of the current tree. This hollow web of roots is Serendipity's "climbing wall".
Joseph is ancient -- by the size of its roots we believe it more than 400 years old. The host tree which Joseph devoured was at least 25 feet in diameter at its base. That host tree, and the beginnings of Joseph were certainly alive when Columbus discovered America.
Climbing takes a lot of leg and arm strength, but Serendipity's guides (one at the top, one on the ground) can lend a hand making it past some difficult spots.
Joseph - a unique and extraordinary Serendipity experience
Outside Magazine co-editor Randy Wayne White spent a few days with Serendipity, his resulting article warned his readers: Traveling with Serendipity is "a transcendent journey that would be easier to appreciate if (Serendipity) wouldn't insist on dragging the rest of us along"...
Ascending Joseph takes flexibility and strength in your legs and arms. With two ropes attached to two Serendipity guides: one guide is above you, one guide is below you on the ground, with his rope passing through a pulley at the top. At the very start is the hardest part -- ask the guides for a bit of help, don't give up.
Don't underestimate yourself,and your family. The ascent does require an open mind. No one will make fun of you if you get an extra push from the guide to get above the first step. Kids tend to be more comfortable than adults making this ascent and descent. Why? They trust their parents, and they trust their Serendipity guide.
When you see this entire family, with one of their Serendipity guides, standing amongst the roots of Joseph, you start to realize how rare is this tree and this primary forest, even in Costa Rica
Hiking to Joseph - the jungle as Christopher Columbus encountered
Getting to Joseph is itself a remarkable experience. Only Serendipity has private access to this isolated primary forest, so no disturbance from tourists. We enter through several locked gates. No improved trail, just your Serendipity guide with machete in hand. You could easily get lost in this dense growth, and appreciate how difficult jungle exploration would have been for our forefathers.
Monkeys, ancient trees, bromeliads, poison dart frogs are guaranteed companions. Your Serendipity guide, his machete now like a laser pointer, can explain which plants are edible, which are dangerous, which can give you fresh water, which produce stinging toxins. Indeed, local people can live for weeks in the jungle with nothing more than a string hammock, a machete, and a gourd, yet the Spanish conquistadors nearly starved to death when descending the Amazon River... because they didn't know which plants would feed them, which would kill them.
Primary forest is very rare. To be primary, the forest has to withstand not only human destruction but the devastating effects of wind, rain, and gravity. Trees cannot grow very tall on steep slopes - mountain areas do not hold primary forests. Flatlands which have extremes of dry and wet -- like the northwest and central coastal areas of Costa Rica (and most of South America away from the Amazon basin) -- cannot supply needed nourishment year round. Add wind and lightening strikes, and you'll begin to appreciate how rare this forest is.
Very few trees like Joseph have survived.
When we stand silently we listen for nearby creatures. Monkeys abound here, and shriek in disapproval our entry into their territory.
It's time to call us.