Mount Doom

One morning I decided to trek up Pacayo, the local volcan. It's aactually a live volcano which last erupted in 2010 when the lava eruption reached a height of about 1 km, 3 people killed, airport closed... But when it's not acting up, there's a geothermal plant that transforms the heat into electricity, servicing a few hundred thousand people and exports electricity all the way to Honduras.

It's looking pretty calm at the moment. In fact, it's completely covered in fog and mist...

This landscape feels familiar...

Oh yeah, Mount Doom in Lord of the Rings:

Let´s go hobbits!

The fellowship of the ring + a dog...

Expecting to be attacked by an orc at any minute but still smiling...

To really get a sense of the vibe check out the videos shot all the way at the top:

VIDEO 1

VIDEO 2.

I think we can all agree I look the part...

Magma heat is coming up through this hole. Quite comfy on a cold morning.

In fact, it's hot enough for some s'mores a la magma...

That dog just caught a marshmallow! Now I know why they were following us...

The hound of the marshmallows.

Naturally the weather improved as soon as we walked down....

CLICK HERE for more pictures (with witty captions) of the Mount Doom trek