The Paricutin Volcano

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This part of Mexico does not see many touris, especially around the active volcano Paricutin.



I reached this fantastic "pueblito" called San Juan from Uruapan which is a nearby city in the Michoacan state.



I arrived in the morning time and curiously not many campesinos were around considering the bustling little towns of certain areas here in Mexico and I expected to see more action.



Once got off the bus I started to search for a local guide to accompany me to climb the volcano.



After a bit of walk passing through a line of colonial buildings I spotted a local paerson and asked courtiously if he knew where I could find a local guide out here.



Luckily I was not far away from there and he pointed me the way to follow to get to them.



As soon as I approached the wooden houses down the road I started to see some horses and cows and a few people outside their home.



My hopes suddenly rose and slowly slowly got closer to enquire about finding a local guide.



Fortunately one of these campesinos offered himself to lead me to the peak of the volcano even though he was not a guide but he said that he often goes up there and that he also offered me a lower price for that.



We quicly agreed and he set his horse up and asked me if I wanted one but as I am a trekker I decided to move on by walk.



Along the way to the volcano he talked about his job and a family, he got two little kids, a wife and a little farm with animals where he works as a farmer .



The first strech of this trail was just fine but soon the campesino warned me that the hot here is unbearable and very humid.



The surrounding volcanic area was pretty much covered with a layer of vegetation spred evereywhere and we passed through the forest, agave fields and avocado groves for a part of this truck so that to have a bit of shadow and not to suffer the heat,yet..



We were about to start the ascend of this active volcano and the guide jumped off the horse and tied that to a tree nearby and inside a bag he had on the horse he grabbed a couple of bottles of water even though I had mine as well.



Soon the tough part commenced with the volcanic boulders, that were formed from previous eruptions, to climb and to jump from one another to avoid to fall into the cavity.



My guide also told me a bit of history of this volcano and said that the Paricutin volcano erupted in the 40's and that it covered with lava the little villages around it.



He also told me that this volcano rises over 3.000 meters above the sea level and that its crater measure 250 meters across.



At a certain point it became even harder since that we sank a bit in the volcanic soil but we were almost there and had to struggle only a bit more to reach its caldera.



Eventually, we got there and it was like a conquest..



As I reached the top I had to lay on the ground and have some rest because I was absolutely exhausted after such a long walk under this stifling hot and drunk a lot of water to avoid dehydration.



The guide, when we started to walk around the caldera of the volcano, showed me some points where there is still smoke billowing from the crater.



It was the first time in my life that I climbed and saw an active volcano and it was amazing and really felt excited.



It was nice and breezy up here and was reallly worth the struggle, it was one of those moments that, when I travel, I appreciate most to sit down after a strenuous climb, feeling empty and looking at the horizon absorbing the beauty of nature and enjoying that moment that won't last long...

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Comments

[Dancing Dave]

Paricutin Volcano
Well done Marcos. I agree climbing a volcano is an experience not to be missed. Now your appetite is enticed...are more volcanoes calling you?

[Travelphilosophy]

Well, It was a positive experience that I would like to try again so we will see..