You may remember me from our Virtual Appalachian Trail Hike...or perhaps Papua New Guinea...anyway...here we are getting ready for a 2 day..overnight trek up a live volcano.
Stop shaking your head.
My guide is Palo (Pah-Low) who may be 18...but it is doubtful. My Spanish is shaky...so is his English...we are going to be quite the pair.
Unlike a sherpa...he makes it clear he is NOT here to lug my backpack up the impossibly steep climb....but does assure me he will not let me fall off or go rolling back down.
That is comforting.
When I arrived this morning my pack contained about 22 pounds of stuff...Palo took one look and laughed at me.
...young man...my Spanish might be broken, but I know enough to know when you looked at another guide and rolled your eyes muttering something about the whole damned house...
Anyway...
It is pared down to a much more comfortable 10-12 pounds now...we have tossed a lot of food and fluids.
...if I starve up there, Palo...I'm eating YOU...
Added a warm hoodie and wet wipes...and some bacterial wipes??????
I have jeans on instead of shorts...and my tennis shoes are replaced by thick socks and hiking boots.
...I may hate Palo, already...
Our little group numbers 12. Six tourists. Six guides.
The news out of Mexico is that they are experiencing an eruption of their own right now.
...lava...nobody mentioned lava...are you sure this is safe????
Palo pretends not to hear me.
At 13,000 feet tall...I now realize why all the photographs I have seen of this hike are summit pictures...smiling...laughing...happy people.
Not labored breathing-like-a-dying horse struggling to keep a foot-hold on this straight up climb.
And I have paid $15 USD for this privilege.
But here we go....
The trail is black volcanic grit.
Our guides tell us that stumbling or falling will result in lacerations as it is basically like finely ground glass.
...well...THAT explains the antiseptic wipes...
Between the language barrier and attempting to not lose my footing (and breathing, of course) conversation is limited...until about an hour into the climb when I exclaim
...Palo...I'm hot...and I'm tired...I'm thirsty...and I need to pee...
And Palo just grins with those impossibly white straight teeth in his brown face...he's not even breaking a sweat...
...yeah...I hate him...
But, just as I feel like I cannot take another step...just as I feel like I am going to die of dehydration or a burst bladder on this godforsaken mountain...a level steppe appear...and with it an oasis.
Suddenly there are food and drink stalls..and bathrooms...even tee-shirts and trinkets...
WTF???
Civilization...or at least tourism...at maybe 700 feet.
There is juice...or water...or even beer, if you are so inclined.
We rest here about 45 minutes...then it is back to the climb.
...I am feeling much better...I may let Palo live...
I have dumped a couple of bottles of water over me...it is really hot climbing beneath the Guatemalan sun and we are well above any vegetation/the treeline now. The surface is black and gritty. So am I. The swarms of tiny insects have also found the water....which may have been a mistake.
I have the rest of the chocolate with nuts created at the ChocoMusa and hope it withstands the high temperatures like they said...otherwise my pack will be candy-coated.
I also brought some of the bean coffee for in the morning.
About an hour and a half later we reach another of the steppes...with more fresh fruit...water...snacks.
This is NOT the Appalachian Trail...lol.
Refreshed and rested, we start again to approach the summit...and our overnight camp.
The air is thinner here and a slight sulfur stench is prevalent. We can see the smoking top.
Occasionally, there are small tremors and noises...crackling and pops.
Palo assures me this is normal.
At last we reach the camp where we will be spending the night. The sleeping quarters are the size of two or three sleeping bags across.
It gets very cold up here once then sun goes down...Palo struggles to explain.
"Muy Clima Frio"
and I claim the small space that is mine for the night.
Camp Porters have a substantial dinner cooked for us with rice and beans, peppers and pork, tortillas and much more. It is delicious.
Palo explains there is a one mile night hike to the adjoining volcano (Mt. Fuego) which is in an almost constant state of eruption.
"Fotos"
I can see the area he is discussing from here.
I decline.
I have hiked all I am going to hike today.
Later...another of the guides tries to tempt me into going by explaining that the high point of the trip is making S'mores over a small hot vent on the side.
It is getting cold here, and I am exhausted.
I pass on the sulfur-scented S'mores.
Sitting on the wooden bench outside my sleeping area I watch the orange of flames/lava in the not-so-far-away sky when I am surprised by Palo...who has brought me a steaming hot mug of cocoa!
...yeah..Palo is okay.
Catch everyone on the climb down tomorrow...
Love,
"Beans"
