We began the bus ride to Cerro Negro Volcano in Nicaragua. Our guide Julio points to our left at Lake Managua . The city of Managua was destroyed by an earthquake in 1972. Managua and nearby towns suffer 3,000 tremors a year. We pass houses made of adobe ( clay and grass) , the tallest of which is 17 floors. Fresh fruit stands are on most corners. Jorge explains that because of the fertile soil many fruits and vegetables grow year round .
We reach the base of Cerro Negro and our given our sledding boards , wooden boards curved up with a small string to hold at the front. We begin the steep hike over the rocky path with our new guide Jorge. We reach a landing and stop to rest . We are out of breath and sweat is dripping off our foreheads . The clouds start looking darker and seem to be drifting directly towards us. We continue on . A few sprinkles fall on us.
We are close to the top when the rain turns to a small hail and the winds pick up . Soon we can barely see in front of us and the winds make it hard to walk straight. I alternate between taking my sunglasses off and putting them on because I have to choose between seeing clearly and getting pelted in the face .
We stop and crouch down, huddling together. Even though they have a metal bar on them, we put our sleds behind us to help block the hail. Lighting strikes on the volcano next to us twice. The lighting hits the same time we hear the boom. We quickly discuss options on the quickest way to get back down to the bottom. It is too far back to turn around. Jorge goes to the edge of the path we are on and looks down then around. He comes back and says the best option is to continue on. We finish walking to the top and the rain and winds begin to lighten up.
We are given our gear ; bright green jumpsuits , gloves, and safety glasses. Then we are instructed how to ride the boards; sit on the back of the board, legs out in front and to the side and lightly hovering over the ground, hands on the strings in front of us and leaning back slightly.
I get on the board at the top of the path. Jorge is halfway down the hill and waves for me to hold I take the moment to look out in front of me . My friends that have already gone down the hill look like tiny specks at the bottom. Green mountains surround us on all sides.
The guide waves for me to come. I push myself a forward slowly and begin moving. Soon I am picking up pace . I fall off the board at one point and hit the ash, which feels like a rough sand. I get back my board and look at Jorge. He is making the motion of leaning back. I grab the rope in front of me and lean slightly back. He nods and I push off to finish down the hill. The rain has stopped to almost nothing now and the sun is starting to come back out.
When we all reach the bottom we take off our gear and drag our sleds back to the bus. We are cold and wet . Our hands, shoes , and socks are full of black ash . I see others beginning their trek up the side of the mountain. They will soon get to the top and have the same feeling as we did; seeing the breath- taking view and realizing how tiny we are in this great big world. The hardest climb makes the best view.
