Long-distance hiker Cam Honan says that in December of this year he will attempt to walk, cycle or kayak to the three major types of volcanoes, all of which lie within a 50-kilometer range of Guadalajara.
“This is one of the few places in the world,” says the Australian, “where you can find a stratovolcano, a caldera volcano and a scoria cone lying practically side by side. I hope to use a bicycle and a kayak as well as my hiking boots to cover a 100-kilometer route between San Isidro Mazatepec and Tequila – and I hope to do it all in one go.”
The hiker plans to do the triple-volcano tour upon his return from a far more grueling challenge he is now undertaking: a 640-kilometer full-length traverse of Mexico’s Copper Canyon, which the public can follow by checking his website, www.thehikinglife.com. Honan expects to end his Copper Canyon adventure in mid-December and to embark on his visit to the three Jalisco volcanoes “hopefully on Wednesday, December 18.”
Honan’s Christmas challenge was presented to him by the Committee to Create a Geopark in Jalisco, of which the author of this column is a member.
The first volcano Honan will visit will be El Volcán de Mazatl, a cinder, or scoria, cone with a peak nearly 2,000 meters above sea level about 25 kilometers southwest of Guadalajara near the town of Mazatepec. After following an old trail to the top, Honan will head north into the Bosque de la Primavera. After passing through El Pedernal Obsidian Deposit, he will take a dip in the natural jacuzzi of the Río Salado.
This point is near the center of the Primavera Caldera, a volcano that exploded around 100,000 years ago scattering 20 cubic kilometers of ash and rocks over a large portion of what is now Jalisco.
Honan will next walk through Villa Felicidad, an area dotted with bizarre rock forms, crossing the town of Tala to reach an old railroad track that has been converted into a Vias Verdes bicycle trail and footpath. He will then cycle 15 kilometers to La Vega Dam. Local cyclists are expected to accompany him on this leg of his journey.
The Australian’s next challenge will be to kayak north for 10 kilometers across La Vega Lake, which was recently declared a Ramsar site, one of over 2,000 wetlands considered of international importance. He will then continue by bicycle along an andador, following the Teuchitlán River to the Guachimontones archaeological site, famed for its trademark circular pyramids. Next, the hiker will proceed on foot up to the crater of Tequila Volcano where he will climb the tapón, a volcanic plug reaching a height of 2,920 meters above sea level.
From there, it’s all downhill to the town square of Tequila where we hope Honan will be given a warm welcome by leaders of the tequila industry.
You can view Cam Honan’s route by going to Wikiloc.com and searching for “Trivolcanon.”