On the Eve of the Volcano Climb

First of all: Happy Birthday, Dad! I’m glad we got to chat a little bit today, but am sorry I couldn’t be there.


Rob and I have made arrangements to climb Volcan Maderas tomorrow. To be quite honest, I am terrified of climbing the volcano, but it is something I feel I have to do. Tourists in much worse condition than I am climb the volcano all the time, so I’m not sure why I’m so terrified of it. I think it has to do with Professor Pablo and the horror stories he told me and how back when he was telling me these horror stories, I vowed that I would never climb the volcano. Its just so tall and so steep. It will be like running 2 marathons back to back, and I’ve never been able to go a step beyond just one marathon. But still. I feel like I cannot live on this volcano for a year and not climb it. Way back when we arrived, Simeon told me that February was the best month to climb. About 99% of the days its completely covered in clouds, so you can’t see anything when you get to the top. But I guess in February, there is slightly more of a chance of having clear weather. So we’ll see. I’ve seriously planned my whole research schedule around allowing time to climb the volcano in February. All along, I’d imagined that Simeon would be our guide (you need a guide to do the climb, and being a volcano guide is Simeon’s real job); however, Simeon is currently out of commission. Apparently he got sick and recently had surgery at the hospital on the mainland. He’s back on the island now: Rob saw him chatting with neighbors in the road and lifting his shirt to show off a huge scar across his belly. But he’s not quite up to climbing the volcano just yet. So we’ve signed on with a different guide and we’re getting ready for the big hike tomorrow. Every time I glanced up at the volcano today I got queasy just seeing its height. Right now I feel kind of like how I do the night before a marathon, only multiplied by a factor of 100. I am hoping for sure-footedness tomorrow and a clear sky when we get to the top. But I know that the summit is likely to be covered in clouds, so I am reminding myself of that summer I worked for Dr. Joy and how she always said, “Its about the journey.”

Thanks for reading.