Volcan Tacana

I hiked a volcano this weekend. These are words that never occurred to me would cross my mind to write. It was Volcan Tacana, bordering Mexico, and the second highest peak in Guatemala and Central America - somewhere close to 14000 ft. I went with three guys who are experienced hikers, so the trip started out being a little daunting. What if the altitude did me in, the hiking, dehydration? But I didn´t come here to sit indoors all weekend, and I don´t have the luxury of months of travel as most other people here seem to have, so I went. To make it more difficult, we didn´t start the hike at the base of the volcano, we started in the neighboring town the Chicken Bus left us in, some 8K away.

In the first hour I thought I was going to die. It was so foggy that it was impossible to see 10´in front, and every farmer with his mule carrying firewood that we came across told us different stories about how long it would take us and which direction to go. By the time we reached a girl no older than six and working with a sickle, I was starting to feel better.
How tremendously beautiful this country can be! The pine forests left a strong sweet sap smell in the air, and I felt my lungs being purified after my week in the city. It was difficult to look up often for fear of losing my footing (not to mention how discouring it was to see how high we still had to climb). My endorphins begin kicking in though when we began climbing the volcano, some three hours after commencing. It´s incredible to be so high, watching the few farmers down in the valley below with their sheep and thatched roof houses. After climbing for six hours we found a little camping site at the top of one of these stepped farms and settled in for the night. Food has never tasted so good! We all fell asleep so early out of exhaustion, but it enabled us to wake up early enough to see the sunrise above the clouds (which was possible because we, too, were above the clouds!) I looked out and saw Volcan Tajamulco - the only peak to beat Tacana in height. Beautiful.

We got moving quickly in our effort to reach the top so we could catch the last bus back to Xela at 1.30pm. (no luck) We were deceived by about 5 different peaks that once we reached the top of could see the next (with me complaining the loudest). It became an obsessive pursuit, and soon we were using arms and legs to climb boulders, moving slower and slower as we got higher and higher. I think if I paid attention inthe moment to what I was doing I would have panicked and stayed behind. I´ve been safe in New York too long.
Sitting on top of this volcano (it hasn´t been active for over 100 years, but plenty others here are), eating granola and peanut butter and apple bread.....how do I go back to an office job after this?

I´m not ready for this experience to be over.

(by the way I´m posting these photos to flickr . may come in two batches. I still have to post many many others but i have poor luck with the internet connection. check out that fog though. )