Monday, May 02, 2016

Treading the Path of Doom

So, as I mentioned before we left, Husband planned for us to walk up a volcano.
This is what I thought was the volcano we were going to walk up.
But we got halfway up and realised we were then at the bottom of the actual volcano that had been hiding behind. You see the path on the right? That's the one we took. The path on the left, which seems to circle the bottom of the volcano rather than go to the top, is the one we should have taken. 

As it was, we scrambled, slipped, sweated and swore quietly, up the scree to the top. According to the internet guide the path was cobbled. 'Huh! Call this cobbled? mutter, mutter, mutter.' Before I go on let me say I'm not good with heights. Or climbing up mountains. So I was a little nervous even though I knew it was illogical. Even if I'd fallen I'd only have tumbled down and scraped and grazed myself. It wasn't life-threatening. Yet.




So it was when we reached the top that we realised there was a proper path - that went up to a viewing platform on the opposite side. (You may just be able to see it in the photo.)

This was as close as I would go to the edge. 
The guide said it was about 1 kilometre around the circumference so rather than attempt to get back down the hard way Husband suggested we walk around the rim to the proper path.

Well, it started off fine but as we walked it got narrower and narrower and less path-like until eventually we were just manoeuvring from foothold to foothold. Husband was in front and I was clinging on to his hand so tightly he almost lost feeling in it. He could just about feel how wet and sweaty my palm was. Now it was life-threatening. Okay, maybe not, but still jolly scary.

'Look at that,' he'd say occasionally.
'I'm not looking at anything and don't you look either! Just keep going!' I snapped back.


Our path of doom.

'See? I'm not scared at all!'
There were loads of these Barbary ground squirrels around the viewing platform, coming right up to our bag when we rustled it.
With the inuksuk I made.




4 comments:

nick said...

I know the feeling. I've gone up mountains the hard way and then realised there was a much easier route round the other side! Glad you survived to tell the tale and weren't totally paralysed with fright!

Suburbia said...

I'd have been scared!! Glad you made it in one piece.

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Intrepid travellers , the pair of you !

Liz Hinds said...

Thanks all.