Cerro Negro is an active volcano that has erupted 23 times since it was formed in 1850 and most recently in 1999.  It is basically a steep black mountain (sides are a mixture of burnt sand and stones that give it a dark tone) with no vegetation. The climb to the top took about an hour revealing a spectacular view of the crater and nearby volcanoes Telica and San Cristóbal.  Scrape away a half inch of the surface and you can feel an enormous amount of heat emanating from below leaving no doubt that this mountain is very much alive.  Click on the wide-angle panorama to best appreciate the beauty of the surroundings.

Reaching the mountain is best done with any one of the tour groups that come here for the “volcano surfing.”  Given that my knees much prefer ascending than descending mountains, the idea of climbing to the top and sliding to the bottom was very appealing.  My tour provided the “surf board”, protective jump suit, googles and gloves. Traveling at speeds of 50km/hr is quite the thrill but not without intrinsic danger.  It is also important to protect your face from the flying stones. I fashioned a buff from a child size tee shirt I purchased in León the day before. While this activity is better suited to the twenty year olds in my group, I managed the fastest run that did not result in a crash.  I followed the directions exactly; legs out for stability, both hands on the handle, lean back for speed and low center of gravity, stay on the course.  The bulge in my midsection is not a result of weight gain but rather where I stored my camera for the descent.

The guy who followed me down was easily doing 70km/hr until he lost control and wiped out.

I was pretty tired by the time we returned to León so I decided to relax and do a little people photography.