Latin America

Four hours sleep isn’t the best start for climbing a volcano, but what can you do? Up at 6 and out for 6:45 to meet at 7. Guatemala time is an excuse, but in reality, everyone runs late because of the busses or roads, or some religious festival, so we ended up getting the four of us, plus dog, for about 8:15.
We got off the bus in Santa Maria de Jesus and headed to o the tourist office to pay for our entry and pick up our park ranger type dude. He was quite old and wearing dress trousers, boots, a hi-vis vest and carrying a machete. He would take us up to the end of bandito alley, then on to about 2600m. The village sits at 2050m, Agua looms over the whole area at about 3700m, it’s a beast!
The bottom slopes are all really difficultly cultivate farm land and you can see how people may get robbed in this bit as the people are very poor and you are quite remote. Everyone we met, mostly under 18, were happy and said hello.
We had set off from the road at 8:50am,
the path up the first part part was basically rocks filled in with mud, sort of what was expected, and got a little steep fairly early, it wasn’t to get much easier.
We thought it might take us 3.5 hours and when we said goodbye to the ranger at 2700m, we were an hour and a half in, so on track. The climb was pretty relentless the whole way up, but having an overly energetic Rat Terrier with you was awesome. Scooter was his name and he understands English and Spanish, my favourite dog yet!
On we walked to the crater on the top, on the way we passed the scar in the southern face that gives the volcano its name. About 300 years ago, find the wiki for when, there was a massive landslide that wiped out the village below it. Not too far off the situation with Fuego the week before!
We just about reached the crater before it started raining and at that altitude it was tough on the lungs, but more so the temperature drop was really noticeable. The rain then turned into hail! Things got a lot colder really quickly! We headed into the shelter in the crater, next to a small football pitch, where we stayed for 45 minutes. The hail didn’t stop! I stuff my face full of banana bread whilst the guys made espresso, which we drank from half a coconut fashioned into a cup. I’m not sure why this was, to save weight? Nope, the guide had brought one of those Italian percolator things, a bit over the top!!
We needed to get on with heading down, so we braved the hail. I was not looking forward this next bit, but it had to be done, back down the same path we went, clouds obscuring any chance of a view, a massive shame as this peak dominates this area.
The path down was now like a mud slide and everyone fell quite soon on. I actually got really into it and enjoyed the challenge. The clime has taken us about four and a half hours, longer than we thought, the down would be quicker, we thought...
The clouds finally cleared a bit on the way down and we got a glimpse at the view we knew was there. You could see for a very long way! I did take any camera or phone with me just in case we were robbed, but luckily Dave (Paul from Holland, someone in the home stay) did, so I have his photos.
We finally got to the bottom, mentally and physically exhausted, but smiling. It had taken us 9 hours top to bottom, epic!
We walked back through the town, which had a festival on and some of the people we saw were dressed in tradition dress, jumped on a chicken bus back to Antigua, and walked home. My legs were killing!
It was a full on 12 hour day, but one of the best things I’ve done on the this trip so far by a mile. I thought it would be hard, I mange’s it okay, but walking for that long up and then down something quite steep in trail running shoes was a challenge. Effort and reward, that’s what it’s all about right?!
Such a good day and shout out to Paul, Kayley, Josias and most of all Scooter the dog.
It’s now five days later and my legs have almost stopped hurting.Read more