Rocking that *International* Paradise

It was on the way to hike Santiaguito, the most active volcano in Guatemala, that I asked Rachel, “Will this be the 13 th Guatemalan volcano that you’ve hiked, too?”  It was.  Lucky #13 for both of us.  Knock on wood that our 13 th wouldn’t be our last! Rachel, Russell, and I were mostly excited, but all a little nervous to be hiking Santiaguito, “Guatemala’s youngest and most dangerous volcano.” [1]  The volcano erupts nearly every hour, and we planned to sleep right next to the crater, crossing our fingers that the wind wouldn’t blow the wrong way and shower us with flying rocks and lava.  Our friend Ben, a guide from Quetzaltrekkers, had hiked it before and was excited to take us up.  He assured us that the hike was “More of an adventure than just a trek,” and estimated it would take us 8 hours of hiking each way.  That’s a long trip, when you consider that our group can generally make it to the top of any volcano here in Guate in 4-6...

The six of us scampered down Volcan Tacana on Monday with not many cares in the world.  We’d made it to the summit of the 2nd highest peak in Central America without any serious rain, had enjoyed a sunrise stretching out over Mexico and Guatemala, and now we were heading back to civilization with lighter packs and fuller hearts.   Sunrise from the summit of Tacana We enjoyed the sunshine and the views of the valley stretching out below us.  We passed purple, white, and red flowers tucked into the undergrowth.  We remarked on how green everything was, and we loved the way the mist made everything seem more mysterious.  We took our time, taking multiple breaks and walking at a leisurely pace.   At 12:45, we stopped for a snack break and ate trail mix and gummy candies.  While we were relaxing, I mentioned something about how I’d overheard our guide, Cesar, say that the last bus from the town we were headed for left at 1:00pm. ...

Some adventures are easier to write about than others.  Some have their own stories, and rather than telling about what we did on the adventure, I tell the story.  Some posts practially write themselves. And then sometimes, you just have an absolutely amazing experience...and it's just too much and too many stories to fit into one post.  This year's spring break was like that.  For six days, I lived in the moment and had the best time of my life.  And now I'm left with too many memories, too many stories, too many breathtaking snapshots, and I'm having a hard time deciding how to get it into a blog post.   I decided (or maybe, my inability to write decided for me)  to wait a few days (or a week or two) before beginning to write about spring break.  My hope is that what I'll be left with in my memory is simply the best stories, simply the things worth telling about.  That is my hope.   Amy, Rachel, and I had dreamed about this...

If you read this blog at all, you know I tend to put a positive spin on just about everything in my life.  Getting lost is an adventure.  A punctured gas filter is a chance to get to know a part of Guatemala I would normally never have stopped in.  A stormy day makes it that much easier to enjoy the company of those around you.  It’s strange, then, that I have been having such a hard time finding the positive side to my hike up Volcan Santa Maria last weekend.  It was a pretty epic plan that Amy and I had.  After school on Thursday, we hopped on a bus bound for Xela, arriving there at around 8pm.  After a meal, we were to meet at the Quetzaltrekkers office by 10:00pm.  The plan was to start hiking the volcano at around midnight, under the luminous glow of the full moon.  We would summit shortly before sunrise and make a temporary camp at the top of the volcano to await an awe-inspiring view as the sun poked out, turning the sky into...