Today marks day 11 of our trip. We ate pancakes and pineapple at 0715 for breakfast before we got on a bus at 0800 to take us to our two-day adventure at Volcan Acatenanago. We arrived around 0930 and embarked on our long journey up the volcano.
Just a little background of Acatenango. Acatenango is part of the Sierra Madre mountain chain that runs through Central America. It is a dormant volcano that sits next to its active partner, Volcan Fuego. We began in farmland and crossed through a cloud forest and a high alpine forest before clearing the treeline and reaching volcanic terrain. The trails were often straight up with few switchbacks. The volcano is over 13,000 feet high. The base area is at approximately 7,000 feet so we gained about 6,000 feet of altitude.
It was around 85 degrees Fahrenheit on our walk up to the campsite, so trying to stay hydrated was more difficult. We took breaks along the way and took our time getting to the top. About halfway up we stopped and had lunch. Lunch consisted of chicken burritos, rice, cucumbers, Oreos, and juice boxes. It was just the fuel we needed to keep pushing our way to the top.
We had three guides that spread out throughout our group to make sure we all made it up okay. One was at the front, one in the middle, and one at the back. They were all very encouraging and allowed us to go at our own pace. Some of us never saw a guide because we were in between the one in the front and the one in the middle, but they all made sure that if they saw us they asked if we were okay and motivated us to keep going. There were times when we wanted to quit, but we all pushed each other to make it to the finish line. In total, it took us about 6 hours to get to our campsite.
Once at the campsite, tents were set up, and distributed among the group. We were provided with pads that went underneath our sleeping bags, for a little extra cushion. Hot chocolate and banana bread were passed around as a snack before dinner to warm us up. The temperature dropped significantly at the top, down to about 50 degrees, but it felt nice nonetheless after the long hike up.
We could see Fuego across as it erupted smoke and, at some points, even lava. Experiencing these sights was one of the most unique experiences you can imagine, and probably one that some of us won’t see again. As we were walking up, we could hear the rumble from Volcan Fuego erupting, but being able to see it was breathtaking. We weren’t able to see any of the lava until it started to get darker, but once we were able to view it, we were all excited and wanted to see more. We were up above the clouds. We were so high up that we couldn’t see the towns down below. The clouds just covered them up.
A campfire was started, and dinner was distributed, which consisted of more hot chocolate, chicken, rice, and mixed vegetables. Once dinner was done, we all just sat around the fire talking and slowly started making our way to our tents to get some much-needed rest. By the time we were going to sleep, the temperature was about 40 degrees, but it made for one of the best nights’ sleep that some of us had got all trip.
-3/C Shayla Narodowg
