How Not To Die On the Top Of a Volcano In the Tropics
I was there when it happened to two young men in Nicaragua.
I was recently reading a post by Alexander Lewis, A Cold Night In the Crater. As I read about his tales of almost freezing, starving, and getting dehydrated in a volcano crater in Guatemala, I was reminded of a chilling event that took place on the island of Ometepe in Nicaragua while my ex-husband and I were there in 2004.
It’s hard to believe that it was almost 20 years ago now.
Ometepe is an island in the middle of Lake Nicaragua, Central America's largest lake. It is comprised of two volcanoes that create a stunning visual as they jut up high out of the surface of the lake. Visiting Ometepe is one of the great experiences one can have while in Nicaragua, and we were eager to check it out.
We arrived on the island and were taking a break from living in San Juan del Sur, on the southwest coast of the country, where we were staying with a host family for two weeks while attending a Spanish language school. As we had arrived later in the day, there was nothing to do that evening other than chat with fellow travelers and have some dinner.
The next morning we woke up and went out to the main room for breakfast. It was then that a girl came out of the dorm announcing that two people hadn’t come back to their beds the night before.
Of course, this started a frantic panic around the hostel, and everyone was trying to figure out where they had gone. One guy recalled that they had headed out on a hike up the larger of the two volcanoes, and the one closest to the hostel, Volcan Concepcíon, or Concepcíon Volcano.
As the day wore on, and they still didn’t return, search parties were formed and the local guides started hiking around looking for them.
The girl in their room went through their bags to find their passports and it was determined that one was American and one was British. They were both in their early 20’s.
The day went by and there was no sign of them.
The local guides met back at the hostel that evening and reported that they had spoken to one man who lived along the trail. He did recall seeing them. He said they were scantily clothed, ie. in shorts and tank tops, had bad footwear (one had Teva sandals and the other had running shoes), and were carrying one bottle of water between them.
Now, let’s just stop right there.
Volcan Concepcíon is 1610m (5280 ft) in height. The hike started at about 100m above sea level. So these guys decided that they were going to climb 1500 m on just a leisurely day hike because that is how it seemed when they started to put all the pieces together.
Of course, they didn’t take a guide and figured that they were fine on their own, which is okay if you have experience and know what you are doing. I don’t think that was the case here.
Plus, ONE BOTTLE OF WATER? For a 1500 m climb!? I don’t even know what to say about that.
At this point, the parents were notified through the emergency numbers in their passports. It turned out that the American guy's Dad was a retired military guy. I don’t remember his ranking or what his status was, but by the next morning his parents had flown down via US military helicopter and there were US military men that had joined the search.
The hostel turned into a full-on military headquarter operation. It was surreal to witness.
My ex-husband went out with the crew on the next search. He happened to have good hiking boots and was fit for the climb so he wanted to help. Except he came back shaken. He said that it was foggy at the top, the trail was very narrow and it was really slippery. He said that they could have fallen off the trail in many places, and he was scared to step anywhere for fear that the mud they were walking on was going to give way and slide into the abyss below.
He said he wouldn’t be surprised if they had just slipped off somewhere and fallen.
A bunch of us girls waited back at the hostel and sat with the mom around a large table. We sat with her while she cried, and held her hands to comfort her.
“We made him promise not to come to Nicaragua,” She told us, “Costa Rica was fine but we didn’t want him in Nicaragua. It’s too dangerous here.”
The saddest part of that was that he didn’t die at the hands of the Sandinistas or some crazy violence like they thought might happen if he went there. He died because he went on a hike unprepared. This was not Nicaragua's fault. And indeed, Nicaragua was quite safe in those days.
As the days wore on, the prognosis got grimmer. It was clear that the boys weren’t coming back, no matter where they were. Nobody could survive out there in those conditions with no water and food for that many days.
We had to return to San Juan del Sur to continue our schooling, so we gave hugs all around and made our way off the island. It was a very forlorn time, and everyone felt awful for the situation and the grieving parents.
About a week later our host told us they had found them. She had read it in the newspaper. They were hanging from trees halfway down some slope. It looked like my ex was right. They had simply slipped down a slope.
Of course, this could happen to anyone. It sounded like even if you had good shoes on, it was treacherous at best. But from the bits and pieces of information that the guides had found out from the man who had seen them go, it doesn’t seem like they were well prepared.
And if you read Alexander's post that I linked above, he admits that they weren’t either. But thankfully, he was one of the lucky ones that made it out alive.
After reading his post, in fact, I started thinking about this situation differently. On the outside, it seems like they just slipped off the trail. Or maybe the trail gave way as my ex suggested could have happened.
But what if it was a different story? What if they were delirious because they were dehydrated and hungry? What if they had mild hypothermia because of the dampness and coldness at the top? In either situation, they could have gotten disoriented and simply walked off the edge.
These are things that can legitimately happen when our bodies are put to extreme tests.
Our minds get mixed up and our brains can tell us to do weird things.
So for the sake of readers who may need to hear this information before heading out on an adventure in the tropics like this one, I have some pointers.
- Always bring warm clothes! Even in the tropics, if you are high enough in elevation, it does get cold!
- Always bring a rain jacket or something that will keep you dry. You are far more likely to get hypothermia if you are wet. Even just foggy and damp conditions is enough to make people cold enough to get hypothermia.
- Always wear sturdy shoes when hiking, especially when climbing mountains.
- Always bring plenty of water. Dehydration is your biggest threat in these situations, and it can set in very fast.
- Always pack food that will keep you strong and your blood sugars elevated. ie. hard-boiled eggs, protein bars, nuts
- TAKE A GUIDE if you are unsure of anything or inexperienced!
In fact, we heard that after this event, the hostel owner would not allow anyone to go up the volcano without a guide. He made it mandatory.
Climbing mountains is no joke, and volcanoes are mountains too! Stay safe, be prepared, and don’t become a statistic!
Happy Travels!
xo Jill
Hi there, we are 2 Canadians, Jill and Chris from Artistic Voyages. We have been nomadic since 2017 living in numerous different countries, and experiencing the life and diversity of our planet on the ground and firsthand. We paint FREE murals in exchange for accommodation. Consider tipping us on Ko-fi!
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