Buenas Noches from Leon! My name is Hannah, and today I am the Lider Del Dia. Since today was our fun day, I can say that we went on an adventure. We left the hostel at around 7:30 am and took an hour bus ride to the base of a volcano. This particular volcano is called Cerro Negro–the only volcano in the world you can slide down on! Cerro Negro is approximately 760 meters high and erupts approximately every 15 years. When we finally got to the base of the volcano, we had our two great tour guides that had each one of us carry a backpack with our suits in it. For me, it felt like I was carrying 50 pounds of rocks on my back. To add on to that heavy backpack, we also had to carry our own sled to use to slide down the volcano.
Hiking up to the volcano got us pretty exhausted; it took us about an hour of walking and climbing in the middle of a very hot day and flying bugs everywhere. Even I had to stop walking to catch my breath. Thankfully to our GG leaders and other glimpsers helped some of us carry the sleds. Some of the big rocks also made it easier for us to step on or hold on to. There was many times when the wind was literally hitting our faces and making it tough for us to stay standing still. When we were halfway up the volcano everyone was feeling really tired and dizzy, so as a leader of the day I had to make sure that everyone was able to stay hydrated by drinking tons of water.
We saw lots of great views and more volcanoes while we were at the top, we all cheered for one another. When it is finally time to slide down the volcano, everyone was all suited up with our overalls, goggles and gloves. We slid down the track one by one and when it was my turn I decided I wanted to slide down fast; however, that was a failed attempt since I kept putting my legs on the sled when I’m not supposed to. Some of us even had our faces covered with black dirt. Overall, everyone had a great time sliding down the volcano. After, we enjoyed a “raw burrito” for lunch that had corn, bell peppers, avocados, and more vegetables than I have ever eaten in a day from the Quetzal Trekkers. This experience has made me feel a deeper connection to my peers by stepping out of my comfort zone and being the leader of the day.
In conclusion, this volcano adventure that we had today was really fun. Even though it was tough for some of us to the climb up Cerro Negro with all the dust and sulfur in the air, we fought through it all and worked hard to get to the top and at the end, it is clear that all our sweat and hard work was all worth it.
Buenas noches Hannah! Awesome writeup on today’s activity! Good job keeping everyone hydrated!
Jon,
Aren’t you glad you’re in baseball shape? The long trek in the heat with all the equipment to carry will definitely take a toll on your body. Make sure you’re well rested for tomorrow’s activities. We can’t wait to hear more about the volcano trip and the sled ride down. Sounds so DAREDEVILISH!
Oh and did anyone remind you to take your malaria pills! LOL!
J/K
So jealous! Good to see your smiling face, Reya Sunshine.
What an impressive day you all had – so impressed with your stamina through the hot hike! Reya, Val wants to know how it’s possible that you look so gorgeous in a picture at the end of a long, dirty hike. I’m just thankful you’re in the picture – I know they warned us not to expect to see you in the photos every day, but I do get mom-stress when you’re not visible. Love & miss you!
– mom (from Paul’s amazing Sonoma house)
Gracias Hannah and all the bloggers for these wonderful reports! What a day to be LDD. Congrats Glimpsers for being champions of the volcano! Your vibes reverb all the way back home. Alyssa we all miss you and are so proud of you. Hope soccer training helped you climb the volcano. Ziplining will be a piece of cake. Devin’s coming down to Palo Alto to experience a special needs playground; maybe we can get a grant for REACH West. Remember the DEET! Love to the whole Team; you are amazing!! – Auntie Di
Hola Alyssa y Glimpsers!
I got a chance to view your amazing 9 days of fun, adventure and learning. Thank you for setting up the blog to capture and post the highlights each day. The pictures and daily recaps are a fabulous way to share all your awesome experiences. You all look like you’re having a great time and learning so much! Wishing you and the Glimpsers a safe return home!
Tia Jo
Hey Alyssa,
I’ve been reading about your adventures and I’m so impressed by all the things you have experienced and accomplished. Volcano climbing and sledding? WOW! It’s a good thing that you are so athletic and in great shape.
Keep having fun, experiencing, and learning! I can’t wait to hear more about your time in Leon.
With every post I am more and more amazed at the experience you all are having! Every day I read (and re-read!) and am so thankful each of you are getting a chance to learn so much about another culture and create a bond with each other. As an educator and parent, it brings me great joy 🙂 Thank you all for the detailed information and giving us just a glimpse of your glimpse! Josh – all is well on the home front and we love & miss you!
I hope there’s some video! Sounds like good, honest, hot, sticky, dusty fun.
Can you bring those coveralls home? Super flattering, Kyra! 🙂
The volcano adventure sounds amazing!
When was the last time it erupted?
-Ryan’s mom
Your adventures are awe inspiring!
The volcano adventure sounds amazing!
When was the last time it erupted?
-Ryan’s mom
Hi Hayley, mom and I were so happy to hear your voice earlier, please keep up the good work that you all are doing over there. See you soon. Love Dad…