Volcan Acatenango
Date: September 12th, 2022
Antigua, Guatemala
Years before I got to do this hike, I saw a fellow traveler’s post online with the view of a beautiful erupting volcano, and I told myself that I was DEFINITELY going to do this hike one day. A little over a year later, I got the opportunity to do just that. This was my second ever hike in Guatemala and I was told by several locals that this would be a tough one. I was quite relieved when I found that, while quite long, it was a relatively easy hike. In total, it took my crew and I about 7 hours to reach our camp for the night and we were all pretty drained once we arrived. From our camp, I got my first sight of an erupting volcano, and it did not disappoint.
However, the hike was not complete. We were given two options for our hike the following morning. The first option was to continue hiking up Acatenango to get the view of the erupting Volcan de Fuego from a distance. The second option was to hike down from Acatenango and up Volcan de Fuego to see the eruptions up close. Many guides told our crew that the hike to the summit was very steep for approximately 1,000 feet. We were already trying to recover from the 4,000-foot elevation change in the hike we’d just completed and were collectively in no mood to basically crawl to the summit. So, we elected to hike down and over to Volcan de Fuego, as we were told that it was considerably easier. I don’t see how that could’ve been anywhere near the truth.
At 11,000 feet, those were the toughest 3 hours of hiking I've ever been on. Out of the 10 of us who started the hike, only 3 of us chose to get up early that morning and hike over to the active volcano. I am so glad we did.
The marvelous view, once we reached our destination just as the sun rose was incomparable. A small part of me felt bad for the others in our group who chose not to complete the hike. To travel so far from their home countries and make it within a mile of the final destination, only to choose not to continue had to have been a difficult choice. But for me, no matter how tough the hike was, quitting was not an option.
Above the clouds
When you are this high, most of clouds are below you. We thought that they would obstruct our view but luckily, we were still able to see, hear and feel the eruptions of this wonderful volcano.
The first volcanic eruption I’ve ever seen.
