Those who have toured Guatemala will tell you that you HAVE TO hike one of the three volcanos clustered around Antigua, the former capital. Always up for adventure, Liebling and I put a volcano hike on our list of things to do. After looking up the requisite info, we decided that we wanted to hike the Pacaya volcano, a fairly easy hike at only 2 hours to go up and 1.5 hours to come down. The added plus, besides besides being a relatively short and non-strenuous hike, was that the volcano is supposedly active, with the last eruption only being a few months before (if I’m not mistaken). Looking at pictures offered by the tour company we decided to go with, we were excited: the volcano promised stunning views. Blue skies contrasted sharply with green landscapes and the clouds shrouding the entire tableau made it look as if hikers were in heaven looking down upon the earth. Perfect.
Of course, us being us, that was not to be.
We had decided to do the afternoon tour, which was to start at 2pm. After a lovely morning strolling in Antigua in the bright and hot sun, the skies darkened an hour before our pickup.
Liebling and I looked at the sky and then at each other. Foreshadowing?
It was only about half an hour after we got picked up and were seated comfortably in the minivan that was to take us to our destination that disaster struck. Torrential rainpour came down angrily from the sky. It continued on for the duration of the 1.5 hour drive there, and didn’t let up, even when we pulled into the base camp.
I bitterly surveyed the surroundings when the truck stopped. I didn’t even have an umbrella. I was NOT going to hike this volcano. Any tour company in their right mind would not have let us hike that volcano. The guide book advised against hiking in the rain. I was sure that the hike would be cancelled and that our minivan would turn us back around. I was happy.
But then… the driver got out of the van and spoke to the guy in the booth selling tickets. It was with incredulity that I watched them both come back to our vehicule and ask us for the 60 quetzal ($7.50 USD) admission fee. We were going in. We were going in?? We were going in?!?!
The people in our tour group looked resignedly at each other and pulled on the little rain gear that they had. Shockingly, no one objected to what would be a very wet and potentially dangerous hike up a volcano. Surly, I sulkily complained to Liebling that I didn’t have any rain gear. Young children selling large plastic bags with holes cut out for the head sold us two. I was given a helmet by the guide.
I put on the trash bags and helmet and begrudgingly kept it moving.
Despite the rain, it wasn’t too too bad. I struck up conversation with fellow hikers and cracked jokes with our Guatemalan guide, using the opportunity to practice my fledgling Spanish.
The views were poor but the experience one of a kind. I was moderately happy that I decided not to be a baby and did the hike after all. Two hours later we reached the summit and I took a bunch of pictures of the vast landscape that was a zillion shades of gray.
Then the lightnening started. No worries (or so I thought). Our group roasted marshmallows over the hot, gaseous openings all along the face of the volcano. I waited dutifully and took more pictures of myself and Liebling.
Then it got dark. I urged the guide to get moving. Many of the others decided that they wanted to roast a THIRD round of marshmallows.
I started getting antsy. Rain I can deal with. Lightening, less so. But that AND hiking down the slippery, muddy face of a volcano in the dark? Um, no.
We finally got a move on and half-way down we were in the pitch black. I lost my footing a few times, enough that the guide, deeming me an incompetent baby, grabbed hold of my forearm and personally steered me down the rest of the way.
I have never been so happy to see the inside of a cramped, smelly minivan in my life.
Neither were my companions, I’m sure. We were wet, cold, muddy… but we made it, with no major injuries.
So that’s why I almost didn’t hike the Pacaya Volcano. But to be honest… Now that I think about it… I’m kind of glad I did.
Another tick off the bucket list.
Have you done something remotely dangerous that you are ultimately glad you ended up doing?
12 Comments
Ooooooooooo, I so have! I went to Genoa with some expat (Indian) Brits and we visited one of the villages of the Cinque Terre where we proceeded to climb a really steep cliff even though it was getting dark. Well, half of our group turned back, but me and 4 others decided to continue to the end, thinking, "peace of cake. We're fit and funky". Little did we know how dark and treacherous the hike would get as we couldn't see our way ahead and the drop over the narrow cliff path (which changed sides as we continued) would have been to our demise. Someone had a brilliant idea to whip out our cellophones to map the way and thus we made it. I look back now and realised how much I enjoyed that trip, though I remember my skinny knees knocking out of fear. BUT, I forgot, I was with IT cracks!. This lot know EVERYTHING!.
Glad you made your experience too!.
Eep! Inspector Climate and I are planning to hike an active volcano in Vanuatu!
Here's to hoping our weather is a bit better than yours!
But As for slightly dangerous things, I've done quite a bit of outdoor sports that I really didn't want to do but ended up getting brother-pressured into it…can't see I'm GLAD I did any of them. 🙂
OMG yes! This reminds me of the time my friend and I went to visit the Monteverde cloudforest (Costa Rica). Everyone at our hostel told us not to go b/c the shortest hike took 2 hours and the forest was "closing" in 1.5 hours. But it was our only day in Monteverde so we decided to go anyway. You would think they'd have a cutoff time for admission but nope– the ticket seller just waved us in and said he would have a taxi waiting for us at the exit in 2 hours. Then he locked up and went home. Well of course, we got lost. Once we realized our mistake we backtracked but by then it was nearly pitch dark & every rustle in the trees or animal call made us jump. We stopped talking– we just booked it for the exit! And we were both praying that the other wouldn't slip on the wet leaves and sprain an ankle b/c there was no way anyone was getting carried out of there so we would be spending the night in the forest until the rangers came back in the morning. Needless to say, we made it out 3 hours later (the driver was still waiting for us– I don't think anyone has ever been happier to see a taxi driver in their life!). Now we joke about the time we got lost in a rainforest in Costa Rica but at the time we were both terrified!
LOL the things we do for adventure 😉
But Oneika, it wouldn't be Latin America if they didn't have you hike up a volcano during a thunderstorm in the dark with no raingear…and probably with no liability release either, haha.
Classic!
YAY volcanoes!! I LOVE volcanoes… 🙂 I'm glad I got on the scary boat (24 hr in 4m swells with no life jackets or radios) to camp on an active volcano in Vanuatu, it was awesome. Don't worry Deidre, this isn't the way tourists visit volcanoes in Vanuatu.
You're better than me. I would have turned my behind right around.
@foosrock- honestly, IXNAY on the night hikes! I m all for the exercise but I really that there are MANY things that I refuse to do in the dark, and walking about in nature at nightfall is one of them!!
@Deidre- Hopefully it is, I should have prefaced this post by saying that it s rainy season in Guatemala… lol… Also I am such a baby when it comes to sports, I m always afraid someone will take my eye out!
@Stacy- Nearly spraining an ankle and getting lost in the jungle in Costa Rica is not cute, but it makes for a great story… Glad you got out fine but would you do it again if you had the chance?
@Mamacita- LOL! Liebling kept on saying on in Europe they never would have let the tour run… Thankfully we were alright and now I can laugh about the experience!!
@kiwi- Gosh you are hardcore! My stomach is feeling quesy at the thought of that boat ride… Yikes! Kudos to you for being such a trooper!
@Bougie- Oh… I almost did… But peer pressure is a mutha… LOL
I would have stayed put in the bus…I am just learning to unleash my adventurous spirit. Glad you enjoyed the hike despite your reluctnace.
Yup! I went tandem-skydiving. By the time I scooted to the edge of the plane and realized what tha bleep i was about to do – it was too late.
…and here is my shameless blog plug about it. (I'm soo uncouth)
http://9to5newyork.blogspot.com/2011/01/diving-through-friendly-skies.html
Looking forward to your next entry!
Cheers!
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