riding volcanos

i am still washing bits of volcanic rock out of my hair. i swear there are bits of gravel in my ears. in fact, i think i took half the volcano home with me, which is just fine because volcan cerro negro was big enough, thank you very much.

the second i heard there was a thing called ¨volcano boarding¨in leon, i knew it had to be done. early monday morning, a ramshackle group of 18 very adventurous--or very stupid--travelers jumped into the back of pickup trucks for a quick jaunt up and down a volcano.

once we got to the base, everyone grabbed a board (really just a piece of wood) and we started our ascent. the hike was only about an hour to the top, which wouldn´t be to bad if a.) there was an actual path, not just huge boulders you had to scramble over whilst carrying b.) a huge awkward piece of bark when it was c.) SCORCHING hot outside. the central american sun was shining, the sand is black and if i´m not mistaken, volcanos historically have a reputation of being slightly hotter than the average mountain. i literally had to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, so i didn´t even get to appreciate the view until we reached the peak. the vista was incredible! the day was clear, so you could see nicaragua´s entire volcanic chain.


we circled our way around the craters, watching sulfer steam up out of crevices under our feet. it felt other-wordly, like we were on another planet or something.




then, it was time to suit up and head out. donning the ever-sexy ¨protective suits¨and goggles, dan, our guide, gave us a run down on what to do. basically, the boards were designed to go as fast as possible. you sit, you lean back, you slide, you try not to turn because then you will fall and volcanic rock likes to shred skin. but, he said, remember that hike it took to get up here. you don´t want to through that all way by going slow, right? thanks, dan.

guess who went first?

whelp, no turning back now!

thought going through my mind: this is stupid.

dust, rock, magma and whatever else makes up a volcano goes everywhere. you can´t scream because you risk inhaling a small boulder. you are absolutely flying. using your ¨feet¨as brakes is a lie--there are no brakes. at this point, you are simply along for the ride.

30 seconds and 53 km/hr later, it was all over. on the adrenaline rush spectrum, this one is definitely near the top! after i went, everyone else headed down, speeds higher and lower than mine, so at least i put in a respectable showing. the guy who got top speed, 75 km, took a huge spill at the bottom, where the incline sharpens. i´ll try to get the video up when i have the time. spoiler alert: he survives.

victory!

by far, one of the cooler things i´ve done. a little banged and bruised, but hey, i lived to tell the tale!! until next time, amigos!