The outdoorsy tomboy I was raised to be shows itself so easily

Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. I figure I'm not a man so this doesn't apply to me right?!

I may have failed to get to bed early but I did manage (was required to) get up early. As a matter of fact I woke up at around 4am and thought I had to get out of bed. As it was I had an hour and 15 minutes left to sleep. Unfortunately I didn't really get back to sleep at all. Today was 'Climb the Nevado de Colima' day, in which we embarked to climb the dormant of the two volcanos in the state of Colima, the other el Volcan de Fuego (Volcano of fire), is still active and considered quite dangerous.

Because I had already showered I was basically ready to head out the door to meet a ride (my adoptive homestay mom, as she shall affectionately be called from here on out). I packed my bag and headed to the door, luckily for me they decided to pick me up at my door instead of at a bank 4 blocks away. What a treat. No one likes walking in the Mexican night alone, nor does anyones supervisor's.

Before the sun was up we were on the bus and leaving (6am). The bus ride was to take about 2 hours, but ended up taking a great deal more. We had five U of Colima students accompany us, they supplied breakfast and lunch for us. As previously mentioned we could not go earlier in our trip because the bus we were supposed to take was broken. This bus had been described to us as a cattle truck with foam seats in the back and a plastic roof. As fortune might have it the roof had recently been ripped off. Because of this we were in more of a coach style bus, but much smaller.

We quickly realized why a cattle truck is taken up to the starting point of the Volcano hike and not a large bus like the one we were sitting in. The road could be described as more than precarious, often times sitting at the edge of a very steep cliff, branches and trees that scrapped along the side of the bus, and sharp turns back and forth up the volcano that at times required the bus to do a 6 point turn. I found this all to entertaining, although it was clear that there were those on the bus a little less comfortable than I.

Because our bus was so large it took extra time to reach our starting point.

Upon starting our incline our guide informed us that we needed to take this at a very slow walking pace because we would not be used to the high altitudes. We were to watch for dizziness, nausea, and other such 'altitude sickness' symptoms. Upon stepping off the busy the altitude was not as noticeable as the weather, it was cold! Although we were all underdressed I think everyone was a little happy to have a cool day to hike in.

Looking at the path it was nothing spectacular (it was a fairly modest inclining road, I've hiked harder in Waterton) but the high levels gets to you immediately. Within a matter of moments my heart was beating out of my chest! It took a few stops before I started to adjust. After a few breaks it didn't seem quite so bad.

The entire climb took about 1 hour to reach the observation station, where people are monitoring the active volcano 24hrs a day, and our final destination of just over 4000 meters or about 13,123 feet. The active volcano was in full sight. Unfortnately it was quite a hazy day so we couldn't really see the base that clearly.

After hanging out for a little while, taking some pictures we started our decent. This happened rather quickly. We all met at the starting point and took our bus a little lower to a day area where there was a rock face we would be repelling down and a bbq for lunch. Because it was so cold one of the first things we did was start a fire! Believe it, it was cold enough that we huddled by the fire. It was a thing of beauty. I should also mention that the scenery was very similar to that of Kananaskis and I'm sure the weather only made it more believable. It was easy to forget you were in Mexico.

The repelling took place on a large rock face that I won't even wager a guess at how high it was but for brevity I'll say medium high (that's for you Dad). But in all honesty I'd say less than 30 feet high. Groups went up and groups went down. By the time it was my turn I headed up with two other students. I kept thinking it was going to be this great, heat beating adrenaline rush. Don't get me wrong, it was lots of fun, but it just didn't scare me, which is maybe a good thing. It was over in about 1 minute which also took away from the mystery that was repelling. The best part, perhaps, was the beautiful scenery at the top before heading down.

From there we had lunch, sat around, and waited for the bus to leave. It was a long day and most people were cold and tired. Not long after we boarded the bus and took the 3 hour bus ride back to hot and humid Colima. We arrived in town around 7pm. First things first I jumped in the shower and scrubbed the layers of volcano dust off my body and hair, yuck. Then more homework as it is getting to be crunch time.

Today was great and adventurous but for some reason not what I expected.

In relation to my outdoorsy tomboy-ness; it always seems to come into play when I'm off doing something like this. It shows itself quietly, for example when a number of girls wondered how long until a bathroom I insisted that the whole forest was a bathroom. I don't think it went over so well. Who needs a stinky outhouse when you've got a clean tree to hide behind?

Today's High: 36℃ in Colima, couldn't find temperatures for Nevado de Colima but it was overcast, rainy, and was in the 10-15 range (if I had to guess)

Today I learned:

• Altitude is no joke, that shit will knock you down a peg or two
• Repelling is not scary, but it is fun

I am grateful for:

• Cold days in Mexico
• Forests that remind me of home and (my favorite) camping in the woods

Altitude of 4000 Metres: Just before our 'summit'

Our view of el Volcan de Fuego. Unfortunately it was so hazy.