by Harley McAllister
At 3,098m (10,164 ft.), Pico Duarte is the tallest mountain in all the Caribbean. And let's face it, it would also be the tallest mountain in all of the Eastern U.S. We had our eyes on tackling this challenge for several years, and had even had some plans fall through, before we finally got our chance in April of 2013.
Pico Duarte is located in a national park, and you are required to hire guides. The guides come along and bring mules which are used to carry most of your food and equipment. As a result, all you really need to carry is your food and water for the day, which is nice in some ways, particularly with kids.
Before this starts to sound to cushy, consider that the trailhead in La Cienega is about 3,600 ft., but your first day will find you 12 miles in and about 6,000 feet higher! On the next day you summit an additional 3 miles and 1,500ft in both directions, and then come all the way out 12 miles again the final day.
For more details and photos of this challenging trip, visit our Pico Duarte page.
Pico Duarte is located in a national park, and you are required to hire guides. The guides come along and bring mules which are used to carry most of your food and equipment. As a result, all you really need to carry is your food and water for the day, which is nice in some ways, particularly with kids.
Before this starts to sound to cushy, consider that the trailhead in La Cienega is about 3,600 ft., but your first day will find you 12 miles in and about 6,000 feet higher! On the next day you summit an additional 3 miles and 1,500ft in both directions, and then come all the way out 12 miles again the final day.
For more details and photos of this challenging trip, visit our Pico Duarte page.
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