First of all, Nicaragua is AMAZING! The people here are awesome, and the team of girls I’m serving with is even better. I know that God is going to do incredible things while I’m here and I’m so excited to see how He is going to use me personally.
Tuesday was our day off, and feeling adventures we decided as a team (kind of) to hike a volcano. I mean it sounds awesome, how hard can it be right?! The nine of us piled into the back of a pickup truck with tennis shoes on, backpacks full of Bibles, journals, snacks, and water and took a thirty minute drive to El Volcan Mombacho. We arrived energetically as always and we were ready for a “nice” hike up the volcano. We talked to the workers and said we wanted to climb by foot. They kept insisting that we take a shuttle, but we thought, “Why would we take a shuttle, we came here to hike!” After being laughed at by the locals, we started walking.
About 45 minutes in it became very clear why people do NOT walk up this volcano by foot. The incline was steeper than anything I have ever experienced. At certain places it was more comfortable for me to walk bent completely over than it was for me to walk standing up. This road zig zagged back and forth and it felt as if each turn the incline got steeper and steeper. It also tells you something when you see a sign that tells vehicles to put their car in 4 wheel drive while on a paved road because of the incline. The funniest part though, was that we thought we were hiking TO the base of the volcano when really we were hiking UP the volcano! This is where all you can do is laugh at language barriers!
It took about 2 ½ hours to reach the top of the volcano. With sweat dripping and legs burning it was time to start the second adventure of our hike, Sendero El Puma. This was the actual path that people take the shuttle to. Testing our Spanish skills we asked for a Spanish speaking guide. His name was Chico and he actually spoke pretty good English, BUT when we asked him if the Puma path was flat he responded, “Si, mas o menos.” (Yes, more or less) We were like okay; we just climbed to the top of this mountain, so of course we can do this “flat” path. The nine of us caught our breath, took a break, replenished our bodies and started out on Sendero El Puma.
About 10 minutes in was when I asked myself, “What did I get myself into?” Even more inclines, but this time we were climbing the steepest stairway I have ever seen made out of wet and slippery rocks and stumps from the middle of this jungle. I couldn’t even stop on these stairs because my legs began to shake. Again it was more comfortable to lean forward and climb the stairs on “all fours” because my body was aching so badly.
When we reached the top and looked out over the land of Nicaragua and El Lago de Nicaragua (the Lake of Nicaragua) it was worth the pain I went through to reach the top. The view of God’s creation was so surreal in that moment. I was so energized by the sense of accomplishment. The puma trail was a little over a two hour hike so in total, with breaks, we hiked for about 6 hours but it was worth every minute. I was energized physically, mentally, and spiritually. The icing on the cake was that when we returned, the last shuttle had already run for the day take us down the volcano and I was preparing myself for a miserable trek back down the mountain when they told us that if we pay 5 American dollars they will take us down, and let me tell you, those were the best 5 dollars I have ever spent!
