To continue my last post...
We are finally back at our hostal after a long day. The company we hiked with gave us a full refund and offered us a discount price for a one day trip up Volcano Cerro Negro. We only carried a tiny bag with a pair of goggles, gloves, and jumpsuit, along with a 4 by 10 foot plywood board with sheet metal on the bottom. I´ll explain those later.
Our journey began at the base of the volcano. The name of the volcano means ¨Black Hill¨. Rightfully named, as the entire volcano was composed of black rock and black volcanic ash. We climbed over very slippery, loose rock for about an hour. At the top of the volcano, we looked right into the mouth of the steamy crater! Streams of steam arose from teh crater. The soil we were standing on was very warm. If we dug our shoes into the soil about 2 inches, steam would rise from the surface. From the top of the vocano we had a perfect view of several other volcanoes.
SO, allow me to explain the interesting attire...
Because this volcano is composed almost entirely of volcanic ash and small volcanic pebbles, we had the unique opportunity to sled down the volcano! Yes, the little plank we carried was for our downward transportation. I am TERRIFIED of heights and speed so when I saw the point that we were supposed to drop our boards, my stomach leaped into my throat. Our guide told us that you could control your speed by putting your feet down, or if you realyl wanted to slow down, you could put your hands down also. Well, the image of me coming down that volcano was quite hilarious, I´m sure. My heels were dug into that ash as far as teh volcano would allow and, at times, I left a trail of 5 lines behind as I dug my nails into the earth. I enjoyed my turtle pace, my 4 mph speed that got me down 5 mintues after everyone else, thank you.
Read the next post for adventures in Esteli!
I so wish I could post pictures!
Volcanic ash embedded in my finger nails,
HK
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