© 2019 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Bucket List item number 34…climb a volcano.
I was finally going to get my chance in Guatemala.
After our arrival, we had set up a tour to climb Pacaya. Though the tour we booked was to be conducted in Spanish, we decided that we could make it work.
Picked up from our hotel, we endured a longer than normal drive due to the heavy traffic. Arriving at the Visitors’ Center in the village of San Francisco de Sales, late in the afternoon, there were so many tour buses and hikers, we were afraid that we would lose our group. Maybe the tour being in Spanish wasn’t such a good idea after all!
After paying our park entrance fee and saying “No, gracias” fifty times when asked if I wanted to buy a hiking stick by the hordes of children hoping to make a few quetzals, our group of approximately fifteen hikers and a tour guide, finally set out on the uphill trail.
No sooner than we began the uphill climb, I began to have a bit of trouble. Now, I’m no Olympic athlete, but I do go to the gym fairly regularly. And yes, I am over the hill, but the altitude and steepness of the climb, however, was no joke. Thankfully, three young men following our group with horses, came to the rescue. You can bet I climbed up on that horse’s back quicker than you can say, “Lava”.
At every lookout point and rest area, I watched everyone sweating profusely and breathing heavy. Me? I just hopped off my horse and attempted to capture the views of the Laguna De Calderas and Mirador Majahue, neither of which we could get a good glimpse of due to the low clouds.
My ride was enjoyable and I suspected we were close to the top when the clouds descended upon us. Separated from the rest of the group, me and another horse rider, were guided up another trail to where the horses are kept and traded out.
Everything was white (and windy) and I was quite ecstatic that I had not exerted myself for no view. As I blindly ambled across the lava field, I saw the Lava Store and thought, “Well, at least I have something to take a picture of…”
Finally, hearing voices in the distance, the rest of the group made their way toward us. As if on cue, the clouds seemed to dissipate a bit and just over the ridge, we could see lava streaming down the side of the volcano!
Thinking about the earthquake a couple of nights prior, it was a bit disconcerting, yet thrilling at the same time! Were we tempting fate? What if there was another earthquake at that moment and it shifted the flow?
Possible? Maybe? But I am no seismologist! And I am definitely not a volcanologist!
Instead of worrying, I happily accepted my stick and marshmallows from my guide and made my way to the heat vents to roast my snack. Amazingly, the heat (probably enough to melt the soles of our shoes if you stood in one location long enough), was sufficient to brown and make them a gooey, bunch of goodness!
Feeling as though we had worn out our welcome, it was time to appease the volcano gods and vacate their unstable residence.
Hopping on my horse, my Guatemalan hostler led me back down the steep path to where our hike originated. Though we were far from the lava flow at this point, I have to admit, I felt as though we weren’t far enough.
Though it was thrilling to see, maybe I wasn’t quite loving the lava!
For more pictures, check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.
Pacaya Volcano
- http://www.volcanpacaya.info/
- Admission: 50Q (about $6.50 US) for park admission, not covered by tour price. Tours run approximately $7-8 US per person and often conducted in Spanish.
- Getting There: Many tours are available through hotels and tour companies.