The Dangerous Beauty of Maderas - Hiking Nicaragua's Fickle Volcano
TrailGroove Magazine, July 30th, 2013
THE DANGEROUS BEAUTY OF MADERAS Hiking Isla Ometepe’s fickle volcano in Nicaragua
By Heide Brandes
As we approach the cloud forest area of Volcan Maderas on the Isle Ometepe in Nicaragua, the roars begin. I can’t see the beasts whose deep, ugly and threatening howls fill the morning sunshine at the base of this dormant volcano, but they sound as if they number in the hundreds. The guttural threats bark warnings to us that we are about to enter howler monkey territory , and these black loud monkeys are ready to defend their territory with not only noise, but handfuls of feces to throw and bladders full of urine to rain down upon us. Marcos, my guide, doesn’t seem perturbed by this at all. He’s traveled the five-hour hike to the summit of Maderas hundreds of times and even volunteers to do search and rescue on the cone, a task he does disturbingly often. With almost every step, he gleefully shares tales of lost hikers, broken bodies at the base of waterfalls and husks of victims made dead by dehydration.
Read it here: http://www.trailgroove.com/issue9.html?autoflip=39
