Before coming to Guatemala I had decided that I wanted to climb the highest point in Central America. The hike, with Quetzaltrekkers, was a fantastic one with great views, lots of sweat, and a great group of people.

11-20-04

We met at 4:45am and received the things that we would be carrying for the duration of the trip. This trip was up Volcano Tajumulco and would take two days. I was fortunate and received one of the lighter packs at 35+ lbs. Some of the other packs were quite a bit heavier. Im not complaining!

We took a pickup to the bus terminal where we got on a chicken bus headed for San Marcos. We ate breakfast at the bus terminal there and then hopped another chicken bus for our trail head. My bumpy ride did not allow me to take in much of the terrain.... only attempt to sleep.

The members of this trip were fantastic and really made it enjoyable. We had people from England, Ireland, Israel, and, of course, the US. Our group dynamic was amazing and we had a great time.

The first 15 minutes were a real test because it was quite steep and the elevation had all of us huffing and puffing. I could not hear anything else over my breathing and deafening heartbeat!

After that initial 15 minutes we took a break to see how everyone was doing and to introduce ourselves. Thankfully I was not the only one huffing and puffing. YEAH

Once we got the scoop on what the day would look like we set off for the far off distant peak. Like everything, when looking at the goal from a distance it seems slightly unobtainable but as we put one foot in front of the other the summit got closer and closer.

We hiked thru pastures of sheep and goats with shepherds that were between the ages of 7 and 10. They had a small herd of dogs out there with them as well. It was the first time that I saw an old dog. He was solid black with the exception of a tell tale white beard. One of the dogs had managed to grab a rabbit and was grubbing on that while I sat a mere 6 feet away. Listening to him ripping on flesh was slightly disturbing. yuck

After about 4 hours of hiking we decided it was time to lighten our packs and fill our stomachs. We feasted! We had potato salad, fresh guacamole, chips, bread with fresh made peanut butter and marmalade that came from a woman´s cooperative. It was the best meal I have had in years! ha ha

While we sat there dining I noticed a dog come up over the ridge we were sitting on. He was coming from the opposite side that we had ascended on. The sun was warm and we were eating something that he thought smelled good so he came to beg a bit.

Funny thing... I saw the dog and pondered.... where did he come from? because I did not see any more shepherds with him or any other people at all. Then 15 minutes later came a young boy... maybe 12.... and a horse. The horse had 4 pieces of fresh cut lumber strapped to his sides and the boy was carrying a chainsaw over his shoulder. When I looked to where they had come from, all of a sudden there was a small sawmilling operation going on.

Everyone in the hiking party was surprised because none of us had noticed it before. But there in the sunshine was a family milling a tree they had fallen. Soon two other young boys, maybe 8 and 10, were walking past us with 2 pieces of wood.

In Guatemala the indigenous have figured out how to move things in quite genius ways. One way is via a head strap. This strap goes across the front of their head.. just above their forehead. These two boys were using these headstraps to pull these 7 foot long pieces of wood. The strap went across their forehead and at either end of the strap was a slab of wood. These two young boys were struggling with the elevation and the weight of their burdens.

It was an interesting contrast seeing them pull these pieces of wood to be able to build a place to live while we sat there enjoying the sunshine with our packs laying around us. Both of us sharing this ridge.... one for survival ... the other for enjoyment. This picture struck me as weird. Like I should feel guilty or out of place for being there sweating for the sake of climbing a mountain and packing this stuff for enjoyment while these young boys who should be enjoying the sunshine were working. It felt weird.

After lunch we climbed for another hour and found our spot for camp. Once camp was set up, in a small valley between the Tajumulco peak and another smaller peak, we climbed the smaller peak to watch the sunset. It was beautiful and after the day of climbing that I had put in... it brought a sense of accomplishment.

That dog that begged for some grub at lunch... he felt his odds were good with us so he continued up the volcano with us. He too enjoyed the sunset. ha ha

After the sunset we made a fire, had some dinner and attempted to sleep. Our wake up for summitting was 4am so sleep was of utmost importance. Unfortunately I could not get comfy so my night was restless and the alarm for wakeup was like nails on a chalkboard.

By the time we woke up for our hike to the summit of Tajumulco our doggy friend had moved on. I missed his presence. :(

I struggled with this last part of the journey.... it was exhausting. But I made it and watched the sun come up over Guatemala. From this peak I could see the valley where Xela exists, the volcano that hovers over Antigua, and the volcano that resides at the Mexico border. Plus I could see the huge smoke plume that volcano Santiaguito decided to release. NICE

I thought of family, friends, loved ones, and said a prayer of thanks and of blessing for all of my fellow hikers. This hike felt good.

The descent was good, albeit painful on the knees, and rapid. What took almost 6 hours to go up took less than 3 to come down. It felt so good to be on the bus back toward Xela.

Five hours later I was at my house and getting ready for a shower. A shower has never felt so good! I loaded all of my clothes into a laundry bag and soaked in everything I had done in the last 48 hours.

A wonderful feeling rushed over me ..... as did sleep...... in a warm comfy bed.

Sweet dreams