This lake is in the crater of a volcano, but the last time this volcano erupted was in 1280.
My two friends and I woke up early to start our hike in the mountains around the lake. Since we started to early, we barely saw any other people along the trails. The lack of other folks made us feel super adventurous - like we had the whole mountain range to ourselves. Of course, this was untrue. Even if there were no other tourists, there are still be many local people in the surrounding communities.
We had an amazing view of the lake for almost the entire hike! There were also beautiful wildflowers that lined the trails.
After hiking around the crater, my friends returned to the hostel to get some rest. I, on the other hand, decided to hike down to the lake itself. The trail down was steep, so momentum helped me reach the bottom very quickly.
Looking out over the lake was magical. The views were even more spectacular when I rented a kayak and paddled out into the foggy water. Soon it began to drizzle and, realizing how tired I was, I returned the kayak and began the trek back up to the town.
Other tourists took advantage of mules to carry them up the steep trail but, as much as I was tempted my the mules-for-rent, I took the challenge of walking myself. Hiking up was especially difficult because the altitude made breathing tough, but I felt really happy with my accomplishment when I finally reached the top. Besides, the extra hiking made my evening backberry juice taste even better!
