climbing the volcano!!!!!!!!!!!!!

---

---

Hard Hard Hard Hard Hard Hard Day Totally totally totally big time!!!! Read on

We have recruited two new ozzie blokes that we met in the hot springs who also joined us for the football. We all argued over dinner and wine!! in our cabana if the weather would clear up the next day so that we could climb the volcano. The tour company said it would take a miracle for the weather to clear up and refused to take any money from us. However we were so persistent that they allowed us to try the gear on and if the miricale happened we could be prepared to climb. We had been told by loads of other back packers not to drink the days before the climb as professional climbers struggled with the climb. And as it is winter here the climb is much much harder as the volcano is coverd in snow and ice. Unfortunately we were so sure the miracle would not happe and we all drank a bit of vino and did not get to bed till midnight!!!

The miracle happens!!
Bad start to the day as we held everyone up as I did not set the alarm clock correctly and we over slept by an hour and woke to our ozzie mate (lochy) banging and shouting on our window. Me, Nikki and Rachel ran to the company and got all our gear which we had to carry in a massive day pack that they provided. The 2 buses set off with around about 15 of us in total. We could see the volcano for the first time as the weather had been 2 bad previous days, the smoke was billowing out of the top of the volcano and we were all very excited. The bus managed to get us very close to the start of the climb but the snow and ice was so bad that we had to walk the last bit.

We started the climb with our protective trousers (for sliding down), jacket, snood, helmet, gloves, gators, boots,clampons and most importantly our life saving ice picks. Usually the first part is by the chair lift but as it is so cold the chair lift is frozen and so we have to climb this part. We get a brief demonstration on how to use our ice pick when we fall, so that we can stab it into the snow and hang on!! The ice is so bad that we have to attach our clampons to our boots after about 2 mintues of climbing. So basically we are climbing up and it is so steep and the terrain is totally ice or snow and in some places my waist deep. So not only was I doing the hardest climb of my life, I was also faced with the hardest conditions ever!!! Climbing through the clouds and being above them is amazing! It took us from 9am to 11am just to reach where the chair lift would have taken us 2!!! By this time our mate dave had to drop out as it was just 2 hard for him. He said he sat around for 40 minutes and another 15 people from a few groups dropped out (an idea of of hard it was!) We climbed in a zig zag up the mountain and when dave dropped out I was in my head really doubting my ability to be able to reach the top, it was so tough. By this point I had heard 75% of the group announce their fear of not being able to reach the top!! We kept climbing and we stopped for lunch at around noon. We had to dig a hole in the snow with our pick axe put our back packs in the whole, get our lunch out and sit on them. Of course this resulted in loads of people forgetting that we were on a steep volcano and many of us lost our lunch due 2 it rolling down. Rachel nearly lost ours but thankfully the guide saved it with his pick axe!!! We start to climb again, it was so hard zig zig up the volcano, my feet, legs so sore, just so difficult through the ice and snow and steep climb. By this time most of the group are having bad moments its just so hard. We all pull 2gether and when people are crying out that they cant make it we all come back with laods of positive words!!! When I find out I have 2 hours left 2 climb a new determination comes over me and I cant feel the blisters on my heels and I just have stay determined through the pain that I will get 2 the top!!! The views are very special!! When I reach the top I am so happy that I let a few tears out!! It is the most difficult exercise that I have ever done in my life and I am at the top of an active volcano!!! 5 and half hours of solid climbing, until u have climbed in such terrain, u will never know how great it feels 2 reach the top! The sulphur is coming out the top and it absolutely stinks, it feels like posion! Yuk! But its an active volcano Amazing Amazing Amazing!!!

The descent!!!!!!!!!!
We get all our protective gear on and start our descent down the volcano. We are all so excited as we have been told by other backpackers about getting to slide down the volcano. The first slide we get 2 do is great, u slide down feet first and u have 2 use your pick axe to slow u down and 2 stop, sliding down a steep volcano is scary and very exciting. U can only do it bit by bit, slide then walk as some bits u will go striaght off the cliff edge. The second slide we get 2 do is so steep everyone is very scared but of course we all want 2 do it!!! When its my turn I lose my pick axe at the start but manage to stop my self, I am so scared I have my axe slowing me down the whole time but as it is so steep I am still going really fast and get hurt on the ice and i lose my pick axe at then end but I think NIkki saved me with her feet!!!! The guide shouts no more 2 the other guide as it is 2 icy and dangerous however he seems not 2 here and a girl a few after me is not so lucky and she spins out of control and her boyfriend saves her from falling off the cliff edge, but she is wounded and all our guides have to stay with her and carry her down the mountain wihtout moving her body as she has a back injury. So they whistle to another guide from a group ahead, and he has to take us down the volcano. We now have the fear and ask if we can put our crampons on (they go over your boots and have the sharp like knifes in them so u can stab the ice). He says we dont have time and walk on!!! Me and Bow are so scared we nearly lose it. The twat guide realises it is 2 icy and we all stop 2 put our crampons on. But surprise surprise some unlucky boy lets go of his and they roll down the mountain. So our new guide has to forget guiding us and stay arm in arm with this boy down the mountain, along with about 5 of us (not me, I am way to scared) who have to use their pick axes to dig steps in the ice for the guy with no crampons on to step on!!! I have never seen a man look so scared ever!! I am even scared with my crampons on, stabbing my way down a steep mountiain is scary enough never mind it getting so cold it is all turning to ice and at bits really bad wind!!!! My mates all know that I have the fear, at bits, but we all take turn calming each other down. So as the guide is helping the lost crampon boy, my mates are picking the route down!!!! Lochy (our new ozzie mate) is leading but announces not to follow as it is a bad bit and it is turning to total ice, the guide tells him to carry on down and come left and join us in a bit. However after about 3 minutes i hear him scream and see him fall over, stab his ice pick into the ice and manage to hang on to it. I start screaming at the guide to rescue him and he has to use his ice pick to stab a route over to get him!! Madness!!!! Its either scary ice or snow so deep its up to my waist and so hard to walk!!! After hours and hours of this the sun starts 2 go down and the ice we get more snow (which is easy and not scary) and we begin to enjoy the descent watching the sun go down. The views are just so amazing, being above the clouds all day and just seeing them mid air above lakes and hills and everywhere is sooo cool. Seeing the sun go down above the clouds and the red on the snow is so beautiful. When we get near the bottom we all start to get so happy, that the exercise is over and we can rest our tired bodies!!!! We are all so happy to have made it to the top and made it down the volcano alive. I look at my watch and it is 6pm which is pretty much 9 hours constantly going on the volcano!! Just before we get in our minibus it´s like the volcano rewards us and changes the colour of he smoke and starts smoking out red smoke and looks very spectacular!!!

The day after!!
both my ankles consist of a broken blister, I have many aches and pains!! The girl who injured herself has broken 2 pelvis bones and is not allowed to move for three months.

Next stop is Mendoza where we all plan 2 chill out. It´s the wine region of Argentina so watch this space for our antics cycling in mendoza on the wine tours!!!

---

Comments

[jonathan wardrop]

Holy Smokes
A little bit scary!