Difficulty: Summiteer (Level 3)
In the crater of a semi-dormant volcano in southwest Colombia lies a sacred lake of startling green. It used to draw a steady stream of garbage-tossing tourists before Indigenous leaders took back control.
Ascending the Azufral volcano is not for the faint-hearted.
It’s also not for the uninvited. Only those who receive the nod from the governor of the local Indigenous Pastos community have the permission to pass.
“The spirits of the lake don’t like to be disturbed. We have to ask their permission,” Jorge Arevalo, a 41-year-old member of the lake’s Indigenous guard, said.
Before the two-hour climb, guards perform a ritual in praise of the cycle of life.
For a long time the Laguna Verde (Green Lake)…