Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Remember Whensday: In the Clouds

Philip and The Becka in the clouds at the top of the Ceboruco Volcano

I last visited Mexico in 2006 and started blogging the next month. One of my first posts was about our climb toward the crater of the Ceboruco Volcano near Tepic, Nayarit. My brother Philip has a knack for selecting a very isolated beach or mountain for exploration. We spent several hours here and did not see anyone else on the trail.

We are still hearing daily repo
rts about the earthquake in Haiti and this has made me think of places I have been where the earth's crust is unstable. I was in Mexico City four years before the magnitude 8.1 earthquake which hit in September 1985 and caused great devastation. We stayed in a high rise apartment for two nights with friends of my parents and I wonder if that building survived the quake.

The Ceboruco Volcano last erupted between 1870 and 1875 and the volcanic rock fields are still visible. We climbed past steam vents which were hot enough that campers could cook food in them. When we neared the crater, the clouds descended on the mountain top obscuring the way and making it difficult to reach the goal. We had to turn back which was fine with me.

I am following my brother past a steam vent

Finding yourself lost in the clouds on a mountain top is alarming. We had to trust my brother's knowledge of the path as we descended the trail again. I was not afraid that the mountain would erupt but the raw power potential beneath the ground was very evident. The shrouded path is a metaphor of times in our lives when the way is not clear. Sometimes it seems that things will crumble beneath our feet. We need a guide, or can be that guide for someone else in a difficult situation.

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8 comments:

  1. Great post, Ruth. I enjoyed very much the tale of your trek up the mountain. I think I would be nervous along certain parts of the trail, too.

    Living near mountains that are also volcanoes makes you more aware of the power that can erupt without much warning leaving devastation in its path.

    Thanks for sharing this in the Remember Whensday meme this week.

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  2. Interesting place and photos, and very interesting reflections. I like the metaphor. I've been lost in the mist a few times in my life. Fortunately, I always had a little help in finding my way.

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  3. That mountain climb sound like just a bit too much for me.I'll bet the views were spectacular before the clouds set in.It is awesome to think of the power that lies within our earth.
    Blessings,Ruth

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  4. That pic is really neat looking, yet rather scary. Hiking on volcanoes does give me a true sense of respect for the power of the earth. Glad your bro got you back down safely. It is nice when others can help lead us out of the mist we may create for ourselves.

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  5. It's scary. I worry (sort of) about when the next big meteor strike will occur. I understand that, statistically, we are overdue.

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  6. I like that.I thought I was reading about volcanoes and the next minute I was reading about life. Very clever the way you turned that.

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  7. Yikes - very scary, but interesting reflections and thoughts.

    I was in Hawaii flying over a volcano (in a tourist helicopter)and the feeling of power was just awesome.

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  8. wow...interesting story and images. It is amazing how quickly we become afraid of the unknown when we find ourselves on unfamiliar ground, in any sense.

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