Well, it is old news now, but just so you know that I really did climb it, here are some photos from my phone to prove that I was
on top of the most active volcano in all of both North and South America.
While we were on top of this volcano, peering down into the crater, it exploded with a deadened roar, sending globlets of molten lava into the air before our very eyes. We were not in any danger, as the display was some distance from us, but even though we were at quite a distance, the heat from the lava pressed hard against our faces, reminding us that this indeed was the real thing.
At night, we could see the red glow of the crater radiating into the night sky around it. It was certainly a magical place. The climb up took us several hours to complete, and was no easy feat. Following are the photos of our eventful times, and as promised, a story is certainly in the making now...
We climbed in teams and kept a very even pace all the way up.
Taking a break on the way up this very steep mountain.
Chris standing at the lip of the crater.
Me standing on the edge of the crater of the volcano.
Now, the night before we climbed the volcano the weather was predicted to clear, so it was cause to celebrate. We all went out to one of the local feeding points for dinner. Here we discover other people with a "beer column" on their tables. This was a huge plastic column filled with beer and fitted with a tap at its base. Of course we could not simply be at this place and let something as unusual as this pass us by. So we got one too.
The Beer Column (a little tough to see).
Some of our friends from the hostel that were with us for the "Beer Column" experience.
Before we went for a climb up the volcano, the weather was horrible. We still wanted to do something, so we went for a walk in the national park. Most of it was up hill or down hill and very beautiful. This was one of the more relaxing stretches along the way.
Chris wandering along the wooded pathway.
Greta (a friend we met at the hostel) continuing onward.