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by Floyd Egner
Publisher, Tropical Breeze
Walking along a lava rock path, our close
encounter with Costa Rica’s Volcano Arenal began with sounds.
Like a muffled popcorn popper or distant thunder, the force of the
volcano is audible. We had seen it from a distance, dancing in and
out of a veil of clouds that form around its top, but now we were
hiking up a 1.6 kilometer path that began near the entrance to
Arenal Observatory Lodge and the Arenal national park. Guiding us
was Giovanni Borgasin, whose life has been shaped by the volcano.
He was six-years-old and living on a farm near Monterrey — a
few miles from Arenal — with his parents and 10 siblings when
the volcano erupted in 1968. It ruined their crops and drove his
family from their farm, but now repays him and at least one of his
brothers by providing them a living as guides.
The hike was just before sunset, getting
us to a prime observation point in time to enjoy the sun reflecting
off Lake Arenal as it slid behind the mountains. With darkness the
lava flow becomes visible. During the daytime, we had seen smoke
from the volcano’s peak. Sometimes the smoke and steam blends
with clouds so you are not sure which you are seeing. Other times,
it puffs dark and thick, clearly forming a plume that the winds
sweep away into the distance. When a strong puff of smoke appears,
a rumble follows a minute or so later as the sound travels across
the countryside. From a distance, only the biggest belches are
heard, distinct from thunder but similar in sound and deep
intensity.
Up close, the volcano’s sounds are
more varied and complex. It breathes. Hisses and exhalations bring
to mind an idling steam engine, a cappuccino machine, a steam iron;
a horse’s labored breathing after a hard gallop. Then comes a
serious belch. That produces the popcorn popper-like sound. It is a
rattle, a clatter with deep undertones. It is the sound of boulders
rolling down the mountainside, bouncing off one another and the
boulders that fell before. As dusk falls and darkness sets in, the
falling, rolling boulders are streaks of red, fireworks in reverse,
falling down the mountainside rather than soaring into the air as
the concussions of rock against rock send glowing sparks flying
into the air.
Arenal doesn’t spew liquid magma.
The lava is contained within the volcano, but pushes steadily
upward to spit out boulders. Borgasin notes that the strength of
the eruptions has declined steadily over the years he has known the
volcano. it was dormant for 500 years or more before it erupted in
1968 and may go silent again in the near future. Meanwhile, it
pushes cooling boulders of lava from its peak, building the cinder
cone that dominates the countryside for miles around. It is the
most active volcano in Costa Rica and one of the most active in the
entire hemisphere. Costa Rica has more than 100 Pacific Rim
volcanic mountains, five of them active. The lava may not be
liquid, but the boulders are extremely hot — nearly 2,000
degrees Fahrenheit. Our observation point is in the midst of a
field of lava boulders that was formed in a major eruption in 1992,
before the volcano and its surrounding area became a national park.
Borgasin said it was six months after the eruption before the
boulders became cool enough he could begin to build a hiking trail
into the field.
The mountain grows slowly. The lava field
formed in 1992 grew by only a meter or two each day, he said. It
pushed against the jungle growth steadily, burning trees and bushes
in its path with inexorable and undeniable force. Nonetheless, when
boulders are falling, they are extremely dangerous. During some of
the strongest eruptions, boulders have been thrown an estimated
kilometer upward. A five-kilometer zone around the cone is
designated as a high hazard area and visitors are warned that they
enter at their own risk. Thousands do each year, because the
volcano not only provides spectacular views, but heats natural
springs and entire rivers, providing nearby resorts with soaking
pools and spas. Or, for no charge, Borgasin points out a public
path to a river that literally steams with volcano heated water. As
we began our hike, we crossed a simple bridge over a river, the Rio
Caliente, which Borgasin assured us was not hot, despite its
name.
We followed a path created by a local
farmer who has had to fight in court for his right to provide
access to the mountain. The national park system and other private
property-owners have been his enemies, Borgasin said. His land
borders a public road, a calle publico, and he has won on the basis
of the argument that once designated as a public road, the public
right of way continues to exist, even if the “road” is
a path through the jungle. Borgasin pointed out the spot where a
barbed wire fence had been cut after the farmer recently won his
argument.
Although there were a few inclines, most
of the path was level and completely shaded by jungle trees and
plants. Our destination was the lava field, a jumble of black rock
that the jungle has only begun to reclaim. Climbing atop some of
the larger rocks, we had a spectacular view of the sunset over Lake
Arenal, a man-made lake that powers hydroelectric generators that
provide 40 percent of Costa Rica’s electricity. As night
fell, fireflies came out, providing a counterpoint to the
volcano’s fireworks.
• • •
Arenal Volcano is one of many eco-tourism
attractions of Costa Rica, which has become a popular destination
for American travelers. It offers water sports ranging from river
rafting to surfing, sportfishing to sunbathing, snorkeling and
diving. It has a greater percentage of its land area contained in
ecological preserves than nearly any other country in the world.
Its tropical rain forests and cloud forests are considered a world
treasure of bio-diversity.
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