In truth, I have always found it to be the most tedious of all of the natural sciences. And, as a subsection of geography, geology is a total yawner. I simply cannot get myself stoked about rocks. I suppose that I am far more interested in the earth's end story as opposed to its origin.
When I was in Grade 9, my geography teacher did little to stoke my educational interest. Truly the most monotonous and colourless woman on the planet, she managed to kill whatever lingering curiousity I might have had in the subject and our field trips to places like the Niagara Escarpments to collect rock and soil samples felt like a descent into the third circle of hell. Suffice it to say, that was the end of my geographic studies.
If I had had any one of the naturalists who guided us here for freshman geography, I might have taken up the study with more gusto. The excitement and verve with which they approach their conversations about such benign topics as volcanic ash, lava, sediments, and small burgeoning flora species is a delight for this geography curmudgeon.
And so it was, that we found ourselves hiking through a one-hundred-year-old lava field on Santiago Island at Sullivan Bay and being totally captivated by the ribbons of dried lava. The uneven terrain made for some harrowing hiking but the fascination in this field as rekindled a small ember of my geologic fascination. As we hiked further inland and deeper across the formerly molten landscape, we approached areas that were not affected by the eruption and have already begun to rejuvenate. Here we found various species of cacti, small ground covers, and a few small trees. A closer examination of the sedimentary and porous rocks reveals an entire world within a small area. At one point, it was even possible to view what seemed like a river of lava that stopped within centimetres of the desert landscape. The fact that the Cumbre Volcano on the island of Fernandina, which is just a few kilometres off the coast of Santiago, erupted this past Sunday brought the entire exercise very close to home.
Another geography lesson occurred during our afternoon hike to the top of Bartolomé. We did the steep climb up the six-hundred metres and were treated to spectacular views of the rock formations below. Some of the most famous views of the Galápagos Islands are shot from the summit. The climb was certainly worth the effort.
Geography and its subsections will never be my favourite part of science but for this one day, it had me captivated. Take that, Mrs. S.
Some tidbits.
1. Many of you have asked me to chat about our trip. I am happy to engage with anybody who wants to email or private chat but I will say, everybody's needs and abilities are different. We chose Celebrity because, in part, it offered us everything we wanted to see and do and we didn't have to deal with a lot of the hassles that come with travel here. There are paperwork and park passes and tour arrangements that must be made if you choose to travel without an organized tour. You cannot visit many of the islands WITHOUT naturalist park guides even if you travel here on your own. So, do your planning carefully.
2. We have been very fortunate with the weather. While it hasn't rained (yet), we haven't had a whole lot of sunshine, either. It is quite warm and humid and that is a sign that the rainy season is coming. I am so glad that we decided to view the stars on our first, and so far only, clear night.
3. Another plug for The Husband's photography. Private message me if you can't see his Instagram or Facebook postings. I have shlep and will get you in.
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