Connecting the Dots: Ascending a Volcano in Pucon, Chile

The 1400-meter, ice-covered ascent was completed and we were standing at the mouth of the fuming volcano. The air was cold and tasted of sulfur and the crater of lava at the top caused illusions of dragons and Middle Earth. Other volcanoes raised out of the ground dotted the landscape when you turned your focus away from the musky crater. From almost every vantage point there was a new volcano just waiting to improve the spectacularly mythical scenery.

After half an hour at the top, the tour guide instructed us to put on the rest of the clothing we had brought with us up the mountain—it was time to descend. With the ice ax clinched in your hands for your brake and a plastic “spoon” between your legs acting as a medium to slide, you sit down and begin freefalling down the ice towards the bottom. It was the coolest, most fun descent ever! Your own private bobsled course carved into the ice. Around the bends, ice exploded like a snowman being hit by a train. In the straights, you reached speeds seemingly uncontrollable with just your ice ax and your knees to stop you. My least favorite part of any hike is always the descent. Well, I guess is normally the descent…