With my backpack loaded with my camera, four liters of water, a
half liter of whiskey, and every piece of warm clothing I had, we
endured the brutal hike up Acatenango. After 5 hours of steep terrain,
loose rock, and through three different climates- fucking hot, warm, and
fucking cold, we made it to basecamp. At nightfall, the infamous
Volcano Fuego put on a spectacular display for us. Huge explosions
shooting hot lava into the air and then sliding down the mountainside.
We made a fire, a few whiskey hot chocolates and attempted to get a few
hours sleep before the 4am wake up call for the hike to the summit.
Unable to sleep due to the freezing temperatures and a malfunctioning
sleeping bag, I grabbed my camera and set up to capture Fuego's
performance. After about an hour and a half sitting alone 4000 meters up
on a dark mountainside, Fuego began to speak to me
Acatenango Base Camp
3:45 a.m. -4°C/23°F
3400 meters/11,300 feet
Without even leaving the tent I could tell that the weather was not ideal for the dark and steep hike up to the summit of Volcano Acatenango. The cold wind was howling and the tents were damn close to being ripped out of the ground and turned into kites. It was only an hour and a half to the summit and the guides were noticably hesitant. We were inside of a dark cloud. The piercing winds, low visibility, altitude sickness, and a steep climb on loose volcanic rock is what we were up against. The guides told us to keep close and the only time to turn back was within the first ten minutes, after that if you wanted to turn back, the whole group would have to turn back as well. We grabbed our hiking sticks and torches and started up the volcano. After about 15 minutes the guides stopped and asked if we wanted to continue, explaining that conditions would worsen as we climbed. We all agreed to continue. It began to sleet and I began regretting not spending the 20Q/$2.50 on a pair of gloves. The thought of the six hikers that got lost and perished due to hypothermia was in the back of my mind. Nevertheless we were so close and we were all determined to reach the summit for sunrise. We hiked up for another forty minutes. The conditions worsened and the guide stopped the group. We huddled around and we all knew what was to be said by the guides. We wouldn't be reaching the summit. With only about a half an hour to go the hike was called off. All of us were really bummed out but understanding that it was the right call, we slipped and slided back down the mountain towards base camp. We came across three hikers who got lost and they joined us all around the campfire for coffee. Although we didn't summit, this was definitely an unforgettable experience and unlike any other adventure I've undertaken. Just to witness Volcano Fuego in all of it's glory, exploding hot lava into the air, and camping on the mountainside with great people, made it all worth it. Please check out The Doozy Koala Hostel in Antigua!
Acatenango Base Camp
3:45 a.m. -4°C/23°F
3400 meters/11,300 feet
Without even leaving the tent I could tell that the weather was not ideal for the dark and steep hike up to the summit of Volcano Acatenango. The cold wind was howling and the tents were damn close to being ripped out of the ground and turned into kites. It was only an hour and a half to the summit and the guides were noticably hesitant. We were inside of a dark cloud. The piercing winds, low visibility, altitude sickness, and a steep climb on loose volcanic rock is what we were up against. The guides told us to keep close and the only time to turn back was within the first ten minutes, after that if you wanted to turn back, the whole group would have to turn back as well. We grabbed our hiking sticks and torches and started up the volcano. After about 15 minutes the guides stopped and asked if we wanted to continue, explaining that conditions would worsen as we climbed. We all agreed to continue. It began to sleet and I began regretting not spending the 20Q/$2.50 on a pair of gloves. The thought of the six hikers that got lost and perished due to hypothermia was in the back of my mind. Nevertheless we were so close and we were all determined to reach the summit for sunrise. We hiked up for another forty minutes. The conditions worsened and the guide stopped the group. We huddled around and we all knew what was to be said by the guides. We wouldn't be reaching the summit. With only about a half an hour to go the hike was called off. All of us were really bummed out but understanding that it was the right call, we slipped and slided back down the mountain towards base camp. We came across three hikers who got lost and they joined us all around the campfire for coffee. Although we didn't summit, this was definitely an unforgettable experience and unlike any other adventure I've undertaken. Just to witness Volcano Fuego in all of it's glory, exploding hot lava into the air, and camping on the mountainside with great people, made it all worth it. Please check out The Doozy Koala Hostel in Antigua!
