Climbing Vulcan San Pedro

So on our first and only day off last week, Leah and I decided to climb one of the dormant volcanoes called "San Pedro". After a 45 minute boat ride, we were greeted by the guide and transported to the bottom of the volcano in a "tuc tuc" otherwise known as a 3 wheeled scooter with a carriage. We thought we might have to get out and push it up the steep road, but somehow it managed to get us up the road at about 3 mph it seemed.

At the base of the volcano we were issued walking sticks and a new guide, Pedro. It was a little warm starting out, but we started hiking at a brisk pace learning about the history and the plants of San Pedro. The most prominant plant being, you guessed it, coffee! We also hiked past fields of maize (corn) and frijoles (beans). We were impressed by the recycling containers along the way (go green mission!!!) for compost, plastics, and paper.

This hike was a little more intense and it took us 3 1/2 hours to reach the top which is almost 10,000 ft. although just a baby compared to my Pikes Peak in Colorado. Unfortunately it was a really hazy day and you couldn’t see much from the top, but we felt a great accomplishment anyway. It’s interesting because on Pikes Peak, 10,000 feet is just starting to get to tree-line where trees don’t grow, but as we neared 10,000 feet on the volcano, the terrain became more lush and rain forest like.

The way down took us 1 1/2 hours but I fell about 4 times because the soil is so loose. I was so covered in dirt that when I got to my home-stay, that I just got in the shower with clothes and shoes on to rinse all the dirt off. Now I can add climbing a volcano to my list of adventures!

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