Volcán Telica

One of the things that makes Nicaragua so unique is that is one of the most geologically active places in the world. Standing on top of the cathedral in León reveals a number of hazy, triangular shapes looming on the horizon. These are the volcanoes belonging to the Cordillera Los Marrabios chain. They stretch down the length of the country along the Pacific Coast, from the Hondauran to the Costa Rican border. They are extraodinarily active, often fuming. And, best of all for me, they´re summitable.

One weekend I went with Quetzaltrekkers to Volcan Telica. (Quetzaltrekkers is a volunteer organization that guides trips to the volcanoes and donates the proceeds to Las Tías, a school for at risk street-children.) The hike takes two days, with one night spent at the summit. The cost of trip is $33.

We set out early Sarturday morning. There were about 10 in our group, long-term travelers and volunteers from the States and Switzerland. Our guides were Janine and Nigel, two cool volunteers. After breakfast at the office in León, we caught local buses to the village of San Jacinto. After examining the smoking fumeroles, the bubbling mud holes, at the edge of town, we hiked up through the campo and along the trail. The days hike took five or six hours, and unlike my other experiences hiking in New Zealand or the Himalayas, it was very hot: The high was over 90s and it was humid as well. For this reason, our breaks under the mango and orange tree were greatly enjoyed.










The hike is hot and has one steep section, but it is of moderate difficulty overall. When you reach the crest of the final hill, you get a full view of Telica--gaping, smoking furiously. An imposing monster. It is quite a strange feeling to make camp in the crater that lies right beneath the mouth of this very active volcano. (It had a major eruption within the past decade.)










The hike to the top completed, we spent the afternoon resting. But the temptation of Telica was too much, and I soon found myself hiking right up to the mouth. The scramble up over loose rocks was rewarded by stunning views into the mouth of the volcano, which in diameter is over 100 meters wide. In depth it's... well, we'll just leave that to the imagination. Looking north and south one also sees the entire chain of volcanoes in a row, and that sight is similarly astonishing.









We returned to the summit later that evening, as well as a trip to the western most part of the crater plateau, where we watched the sunset over the Pacific. After dinner, roasted marshmellows, and an intense game of Uno, we turned in. I shared a tent with my friend Ruth, who is a farmer from Humbolt County, CA. It was really fun to chat with all the people on the trip and learn about their lives, and it was a social group. That night the wind howled with surprising ferocity, but it didn't get too cold. It was beautiful to look up at the stars from that vantage point, beneath the darkened outline of Telica.

The sunrise over the line of volcanoes the next morning was enchanting. After breakfast, we started back. The downhill walk and the early departure meant that it was not as difficult as the previous day. By midday I returned to the city dirty and tied, but satisfied, having made several new friends and having completed a terrific climb that gave me the rare glimpse into the thumping, bubbling heart of the Earth.