Hola everyone! It’s Ayesha and Emma here with your daily blog! Today was definitely an energy packed day for all the glimpsers. We began our day at 6 o’clock in the morning, an hour earlier than we usually do, and then headed to Imabite for a delicious breakfast. Angel had prepared eggs, sausages, and gallo pinto for us. With contented bellies, we headed back to the hostel to gather supplies such as sunscreen, hats, and hiking boots for our upcoming crazy adventure.

The Quetzaltrekkers, people from a social enterprise created to use tourist attractions to raise money for Nicaraguan children in need, arrived at the hostel at 9 o’clock. We all gathered in their tarp-covered pick-up trucks and began our bumpy ride to Cerro Negro, one of the most well-known volcanoes here in Leon. Riding in the open tucks provided us with a pleasant breeze which gave us relief from the usual sweltering heat that we’ve become used to here in Leon. Before we knew it, we had arrived at the tourist attraction. Our Quetzaltrekkers tour guides Brooke and Fred walked us through the signing in at the office. They also provided us with a quick safety tips and instructions on how to ride our volcano boards down Cerro Negro.

We began our beautiful hike up the volcano with our safety gear and volcano board on our backs. The hike was absolutely breathtaking because the fresh fertile ash from the active volcanoes creates beautiful plush greenery in the area. After a rocky and tiring hike, we had the opportunity to take some photos of the stunning view we had around us. We then got into our protective gear which consisted of a denim suit, goggles, gloves, and a facemask. Finally, the time came and we got in line, ready to go down. The volcano boarding itself was a simple process: we sat on the end of the board, held onto the end of the rope handle and let gravity do the rest. Sliding down in pairs, we all made it down to the bottom of volcano. It was our first time tackling the extreme sport of volcano boarding but those who were a little hesitant at first did really well and were able to conquer their fears. Some of us lost balance and tumbled down a little but then were able to get back up and continue the journey down.

Covered in volcanic ash and rocks, we got back on the tarp-covered trucks and drove back to our hostel. At the hostel, (which is more like home by this point) the Quetzaltrekkers served us lunch which was a delicious taco buffet. They consisted of flour torillas, a chopped vegetable salsa, hot chile sauce, chips, and finally bagged refried beans! After lunch, many of us decided to shower the volcanic matter off of ourselves. We also worked on prepping for the last English tutoring class we had tonight. Some of us decided to use this free time to purchase goodies for the English students since it was our last day working with them.

After free time we headed to dinner as a group. Angel fed us some classic spaghetti and meatballs for dinner which we all appreciated. Then, we headed toward English tutoring right after dinner. There, we spent time with our students for the last time. Saying good-bye was really emotional but we were able to spend some quality time and share some good laughs before we had to leave. We walked back to the hostel after this and began our nightly meeting when we passed the leadership torch to Arianna. She shared her amazing talent of stepping and projecting her beautiful voice.

Overall, our day was action-packed and a buttload of fun. We got to spend moments bonding together as a family today and even though our trip is coming to an end, we know that we will always be close. We can’t wait for self-reflection day because we know Arianna is going to do an incredible job.

Jamie, Ayesha, and Tatiana enjoying the view and taking pictures on the Cerro Negro

Jamie, Ayesha, and Tatiana enjoying the view and taking pictures on the Cerro Negro

Our trap van for the day  (aka. our tarp covered pickup truck)

Our trap van for the day (aka. our tarp covered pickup truck)

Hiking up with our volcano boards!

Hiking up with our volcano boards!

Matthew all geared up for volcano boarding.

Matthew all geared up for volcano boarding.