Xinantecatl

Today we took Justin to the Xinantecatl or Nevado de Toluca. I've been there several times but I always enjoy going. This volcano is renown for a few reasons. First, on clear days, Toluca enjoys a nice view of the volcano. It used to be snowed for most of the winter (hence the name) but nowadays it's only snowed during late winter. The second reason it's know is for two lakes inside the caldera. The larger one is called Lake of the Sun and the smaller is called Lake of the Moon. The third reason this volcano is interesting is because it's the only volcano in the world where you can actually drive into the crater.

Anyway, on clear days such as this one, you are able to see the Popocatepetl and Ixtazihuatl on the other side of Mexico City. I took this picture from one of the smaller peaks. It is also said that if you are at the tallest peak, you can see the Pacific Ocean. I've been up twice, but never on a clear enough day to see if that is actually possible. Maybe I should just do the math.


Well, I climbed one of the smaller peaks as Ili, Roberto and Justin went down to the lakes. I eventually caught up with them and we walked around the lakes. The Lake of the Moon was nearly all frozen over. Roberto and I enjoyed breaking chunks of ice and throwing rocks through the ice. We did the same when we got to the lake of the Sun, but it wasn't all frozen. In this picture bellow you can see Roberto walking ahead of us.