Photo: Carlos Hurtecho

Author: Clare Creegan de Chamorro
Photos: Jaime M. Chamorro 

I've been a hiker for nearly 40 years now, after having started in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Santa Clara County, and Big Sur, California. It wasn't until recently, however, that I graduated myself from being a beginning hiker to being an intermediate hiker. Why the change? Due to one hell of a hike I took in Nicaragua in 2010.

On that particular hike, which I do not recommend to anyone, I, along with my husband, Jaime Chamorro Argeñal, and our hiking group, went from the base area of El Cerro Negro, to the Crater of Las Pilas, across the bases of several volcanoes, half-way up El Hoyo, down to the Crater of Asososca Lagoon, then up the lagoon's side. We walked through cow pastures, took a nap under the blazing sun, were followed by bull, walked through the jungle, experienced a spectacular show of lightning which lit up the lagoon, then hiked in the darkness accompanied by heavy rains - similar to hiking up a creek. We were highly motivated to reach the end that evening because we did not want to sleep in the jungle. We arrived at the pick-up vehicle exhausted and drenched. From beginning till end took approximately 13 hours. In the process, one of our hikers experienced nausea and vomiting, two had major problems with their shoes. My following insight comes from this and other experiences, as well as real-life cases portrayed in the local media.

What have I learned?

Author: Pam Botway
Photos: Pam Botway

A fantastic winter get-away began on a lark. Where can one go that it is warm and sunny and off the beaten path? After all, the idea is to get away from it all and not meet hordes of fellow travelers at the usual tourist spots. There would be several requirements: the airfare had to be reasonable, the destination easy to get to, and the overall cost relatively inexpensive. Of course, the guarantee of sunshine and great weather would be the deciding factor in escaping the harsh New York winter, which sparked the idea in the first place.

My travel mate, Barbara Matthews, and I decided on Costa Rica. Barbara kept mentioning email invitations from her college friend, Clare Creegan Chamorro. "Since we are going to be so close, let's go see Clare in Nicaragua."

Author: Diego Montiel
Photos: Diego Montiel

I took a shower, had breakfast with our group and then began our .......The first day we covered between 55 and 65 kilometers on ¨Macadan¨, which means compacted earth surrounded by rocks, and many steep hills with dangerous descents. At times it felt like we were riding on top of concrete blocks (adoquines) that were placed vertically instead of horizontally. The vibration was extreme, to the point where it felt like my hand was bleeding in spite of the gloves I was wearing. The pain in my shoulders and hands was intense, but I think I was the only one suffering – the other seven were consumed bicyclists: a woman from Nicaragua, Maria Celia Chamorro, then six men from Nicaragua, Bolivia, Honduras, the United States, Germany and Italy.

It all started with an announcement in the newspaper. A French Navy war vessel was stationed in Port Corinto, and the port authorities invited the public to visit and view the new ship technology from a close distance.

The two and a half trip from Managua was worth it. The children were excited, and I have to admit, I was too. What we did not realize, however, was the long line awaiting us at the port. We couldn't enter the ship and we were already in Corinto. So we decided to visit the nearby Paredones Island instead (please see map).

On October 30, 1998, part of the Southern face of the volcano, after weeks of heavy rains, slid and began a mud avalanche, which took the lives of approximately 1,600 people, and left thousands more homeless. Various witnesses on nearby farms related that the avalanche sounded like several helicopters landing.