B.E.S.T. Vs. The Volcano Cerro Negro

I'm so happy I planned 2 volcano visits, especially since Masaya Volcano was closed. I'm going to be honest, Cerro Negro Volcano had us scared, all of us... even me. The climb up was rocky and steep. It was hot and rugged. Just by looking at it it wasn't clear exactly how one could get up there. We could see people who looked like a line of worker ants marching along the very top so we knew getting up was possible... But what about getting down?!
Cerro Negro is a black volcanic mountain that last erupted in 1988. It is our hemisphere's youngest volcano. It's much smaller than other volcanos that I've seen but it is also steeper.
After about an hour's climb we made it to the top. Our guide showed us the craters. We touched the ground near the crater and could feel its heat. It was amazing, educational, and unforgettably frightening!
We made sure we took lots of fun picture and finally we decided to leave. There were several options on how to get down. Returning on the same steep rocky path we took to get up was one. Sliding down the ashy side on our butts on a specially made board was one. And walking down the ashy side was another. We all chose to slide down in our butts and boy were we a filthy mess by the time we got down. As the sun set we all got back on our tour guides bus and returned on our hour long dirt trail trek back to the hotel. Today was another amazing day hard but amazing. All done in the name of learning hands-on and teaching across the curriculum.