Bartolome Island
When I walked the steps on Bartolome this morning, I had two ideas in mind. The first one was that everything that goes up, must also come down. The second one was that an opportunity to enjoy a view of so many young volcanoes does not come along everyday.
With these thoughts running through my mind, I climbed the 300+ wooden steps. There seem to be a lot of them, especially as this hike is the very first activity of the morning. But with the many platforms to rest at and enjoy the breathtaking view, one doesn’t really notice the ascent. The summit of the volcano is 415 feet above sea level. On top there is a beacon that shows longitude and latitude, so we know how close we are to the equator: only 16 minutes south! In other words, we are just 16 nautical miles south of the center of the world.
Having enjoyed the landscape and the breeze, I am now smiling even more. I know that walking down is always easier, and that there is a wonderful breakfast waiting for us on the Polaris. I also know that soon we will be snorkeling in the clear sea, where seeing penguins is a possibility. There will be fur seals, more marine iguanas, and other new things to experience today; therefore there really are plenty of reasons to smile.
When I walked the steps on Bartolome this morning, I had two ideas in mind. The first one was that everything that goes up, must also come down. The second one was that an opportunity to enjoy a view of so many young volcanoes does not come along everyday.
With these thoughts running through my mind, I climbed the 300+ wooden steps. There seem to be a lot of them, especially as this hike is the very first activity of the morning. But with the many platforms to rest at and enjoy the breathtaking view, one doesn’t really notice the ascent. The summit of the volcano is 415 feet above sea level. On top there is a beacon that shows longitude and latitude, so we know how close we are to the equator: only 16 minutes south! In other words, we are just 16 nautical miles south of the center of the world.
Having enjoyed the landscape and the breeze, I am now smiling even more. I know that walking down is always easier, and that there is a wonderful breakfast waiting for us on the Polaris. I also know that soon we will be snorkeling in the clear sea, where seeing penguins is a possibility. There will be fur seals, more marine iguanas, and other new things to experience today; therefore there really are plenty of reasons to smile.
