This post was written for you to enjoy and as a journal entry for us to remember the experience. Thus it is a little long and detailed. But this was quite an adventure - a big challenge and a special time for Ben and me.
At 5:30 a.m., Saturday December 9, Ben and I left to meet at
X.O. (a rugged outdoor adventure company) with 5 others including a guide to climb Volcano Acatenango. Acatenango is 13,041 feet high and is the third largest volcano in Guatemala. Morgan, our guide, was from the United States and the rest of the group was composed of 2 from Germany, 1 from Hungry and 1 from England.
After finishing packing, we got a quick snack and boarded a van for the trailhead. It was a beautiful ride up to the trailhead. Antigua's altitude is about 5000 feet. Our trailhead was at about 7000 feet. The guide had shared the basics of the trip the night before, but now we were to experience it. His description made me nervous about whether I could make it. I felt pretty confident that Ben could do it and Morgan felt the same. The other 4, may have seemed surprised/concerned when they walked in and heard Ben would be with us. But Morgan reassured them that Ben will do very well.
Starting off, the trail climbs through some farm fields. The challenge in this part is that the trail is very sandy (it actually was a mixture of volcanic gravel and dirt). The trail was merciless. It had no level spots...only up, up and up. Very quickly, I was panting and falling from the front of the group to the back. Ben, on the other hand was right behind Morgan. After about an half an hour, we stopped for a break. At this point, I had fallen behind a bit. After a short break, we continued and eventually left the fields entering forest. Once again, I was falling behind and having lots of trouble. Of course, Ben was right there in the front. We took a break again and then...I started to give into the battle inside my head. "Maybe I had signed up for the wrong trip? Did we really have enough clothes for this trip? Can I really make it? If I turn back, how will I get back to Antigua?" The money I had paid for the trip didn't matter...I was in pain and feeling I couldn't do it. At this point, Ben had drifted back to where I was. It was obvious that he wasn't struggling, but was concerned about how I was doing. At one point, I said to Ben "What do you think about going down?" Ben quickly said "no" and turned and headed up the hill. The message was obvious - Ben really wanted to climb the volcano and I was left with a predicament. Of course, Ben and I had to stay together and yet, I was feeling like I wasn't going to make it.
I continued on and after the next break, I felt that if I were to go down, it had better be soon. The trail was pretty easy to follow, but there were a few turn offs that might be a problem. So I yelled ahead for Morgan to come down and shared with him that I thought I could not make it. In our meeting the day before, Morgan told us that all of us could do it. He said he had taken people in much worse physical condition than anyone in the room and they had done it. The challenge we would face would be a mental one. Morgan was right. I had decided that it was too hard. Morgan looked me in the eye and shared confidently that he knew I could do it. There was something in this conversation that helped me tremendously. Having an experienced climber and guide share his belief that I can do it...helped me believe the same. The other thing he said was to not worry about falling behind. They wouldn't let me fall too far behind. I was concerned that I was holding back the whole group. I didn't want to slow them down. But Morgan assured me that it was okay to climb at my own pace.
My pace was slow. I continued to feel bad for the others, as they seemed to be moving with ease. But my mental state was completely changed. Rather then thinking about how I couldn't do it, I kept saying to myself..."I will do this. I can do this." Morgan continued to encourage me but what was even more awesome was the encouragement that came from Ben. My 7 year old son was talking me up an mountain. He kept saying "Dad - I know you can do it" and asked how I was doing. He would wait with me as I took many, many short (ok, maybe not even short) standing breaks on the mountainside. Ben's continual presence was a huge encourage.
Finally we made it to the lunch break. We took a break in a small hut (elevation 10,500) on the mountainside. It was cold and we all laid down for a good hour break. At one point, some Guatemalans hiked up the trail. Unfortunately, in Guatemala, there are many stories of hikers being robbed. As a result, whenever we saw Guatemalans on the trail there was concern. I really struggled with this - wanting safety but also wanting to love these people and not label them. It doesn't help that Guatemalans always hike with machetes. These Guatemalans were fine though and pretty much kept to themselves. A few were staring at Ben wondering if he is really going to climb this mountain.
After lunch, we started up a really steep section. It was really tough. The trees began to thin out and soon we were winding back and forth on short switchbacks up the mountain. I continued at my pace. It seemed harder to breathe and my heart was pounding. But Ben encouraged me on and I continued to vocally and mentally talk about how I could do it. The higher we climbed the thinner the trees were and soon we were climbing among high altitude grasses. The trail was cut through the grasses. This was good because at times it protected us from the wind. But it was also muddy and challenging.
We took breaks about every 20-30 minutes. Each time, Morgan would share a little about what we could expect in the next section. Unfortunately we weren't having the best weather. Almost the whole day we were climbing in the clouds and as a result, there were no views to help take the focus off of the trail. We did see some really need mountain plants and flowers.
There did come a time when I noticed that Ben was beginning to struggle as he was tired and cold. It was cold and the higher we got, the more exposed we were and when we were in the wind, it was really cold. Ben had some good warm clothing that I had found at the second hand market the day before. But most of our trip we were climbing through misty clouds and the moisture was having an impact. For those who have not hiked much, keeping dry is very important. Ben put on his warmest coat and gloves and we talked about how we were going to do this...and do it together. It wasn't too long before our guide, Morgan came down to us to see how we were doing. Seeing we were okay, he also encouraged us on and we joined the group for what would be our last break.
After this break, the grasses fell away and it seemed like we were walking on the moon. It wasn't long before Morgan turned to me (I was actually in the front!) and said this is the top of Yepocapa (the smaller peak of
Acatenango). I was very surprise...I had done it!
We now needed to make a decision as to whether we would climb onward up to the higher peak or stay the night in the safe camp. This decision is made based on the wind. The safe camp is very protected from the wind while sleeping on top in the crater offers only a little wind protection. We were still in the clouds (unfortunately) and the while the wind was borderline, we talked about how there would be no views from the top and so it would be best to stay the night in the safe camp. For those who are able to stay up in the crater, they get to sit and watch nearby
Volcan Fuego spit lava into the sky. This can happen every 40 minutes, but we are in Latin American where time isn't really that important! While in safe camp, we heard these eruptions. They sound like explosions or thunder.
In safe camp, we all worked hard for a few hours to build a fire. Ben was real involved with this. We did manage to get a small fire going, but nothing too large. The safe camp did have some trees around but wood was limited and most of it wet. Morgan cooked a great dinner and by 7:30, we were all in bed. Ben and I shared a sleeping bag and while Ben got a good night sleep, I struggled to fall asleep. Naturally, I was concerned for Ben. He was doing great on the trip, but I knew that his getting a good night's sleep was really important. In the morning, I learned that Ben was the only one who really slept well. The effects of the altitude (est. 12,400) were hitting people in different ways. For me, my stomach wasn't feeling quite right. Breathing deeply and drinking water seemed to help. Also during the night it rained a few times. Nothing too long, but it made us all feel good that Morgan had decided to stay in safe camp.
In the morning, it was still cloudy but we decided we had climbed too far not to reach the summit. I prayed through the night for Ben and that the sky would open up for some views. As we resumed the climb, we were back on the moon-like surface. At first, it was pretty flat and we were being hit by strong winds. It was cold and somewhat discouraging but we knew it would only take about an hour to get to the top. We climbed up a steep hill, eventually onto a ridge. On either side of the ridge was a huge steep drop. The climb was tough and then all of a sudden, the sky opened up for about 4 seconds, and we could see the top! Wow, we were almost there! To reach the top we needed to finish climbing a ridge and climb a steep hill which was basically a field of loose lava pebbles and dirt. It was difficult to get footing. Sometimes it seemed we would slip back and lose elevation with each step. As we worked our way up, God continued to answer my prayers and give us views in different directions. Finally, we all made it to the top!
The top seemed like the moon. The crater was large, about the size of a football field. There were a few tents pitched. We walked around the rim of the crater to look at Vocan Fuego. The sky wasn't perfectly clear as clouds were rolling right over us, but every once in a while we had great views. At one point, we were walking away from Volcan Fuego and we heard it explode. Unfortunately, we missed seeing the actual explosion, a billow of smoke rising from it. I tried my best to see it and actually ran! Surprisingly, the temperature on top didn't seem cold (when out of the wind).
At the highest point is a cross. While I don't know what the others in our group felt, certainly God was a part of this trip. He controls the weather; He made this world and certainly He opened the clouds for us as an answer to my prayers. It seems very appropriate that God have the highest point on Acatenango and other places.
There were about 10 Guatemalans on top. Most of them kept staring at Ben. They seemed pretty impressed with Ben and I was too. I will share more about this at the end.
Our descent was fun and then painful. Morgan shared that we would be taking a different route. It is a lesser used route, though a good trail. It began with some traversing below the crater and then almost skiing down a "sandy" slope to the trail. Ben and I both really enjoyed this. We would jump and slide. This is the same material that was so hard to climb earlier and now we were descending through it.
After a while, we left the "sandy" field and began to descend on the trail. Of course, the lower we descended, the greater the amount of vegetation. This trail was quite beautiful. Even though we were hiking through the clouds, beauty was all around us. It wasn't too long before we were hiking through what seemed like jungle. The trail was pretty narrow (quite different from the trail on the way up). For those who have hiked, you know that going down can be really hard. Some people run, some
slide, others try to walk. Ben pretty much ran and had no problems. He was having fun jumping down the trail. I moved along pretty well, but pretty soon, my legs started feeling unstable. The most comfortable way to go down was actually to walk backwards and when the trail allowed for this, I would. Possibly I looked funny at times but it worked.
Finally, we reached the bottom. I basically collapsed on the ground. Down the hill I saw a soccer field and asked Ben if he wanted to go and play soccer while we waited to be picked up. You guessed it...Ben was ready to go!
In closing, I am so thankful to have a son like Ben! It doesn't matter to me that he is able to hike like crazy but it is more about his character. Not only did he encourage me, I think he impressed the whole group. Little things, like sharing chocolate and other snacks, following the guidelines that our guide gave us and helping in so many ways. It was fun to watch him interact with the other adults on the trip. Morgan actually offered Ben an assistant guide job (wanted to record this somewhere so
that it is not forgotten)! Ben brought so much joy to the group. He was so much fun. He worked hard, carried a pack (like all of us) and never complained. I looked forward to having this time with Ben and didn't have any idea that it would go as it did. I love you Ben! Thanks so much.
It was a really hard trip for me but so rewarding. I doubt I will ever have the opportunity to climb a 13,000 foot peak again. And if I do have that opportunity...I will probably take it. Yes it was tough, but I am so glad I did it. It was an awesome experience. God is so good. He created a beautiful world - let's get out and enjoy it!
Notice the links throughout the story.
Becky calls it the land of giant carrots and shrimpy tomatoes. We think you can buy almost anything in the Antigua market, including gameboys, Xbox games, movies (pirated), music, clothing, medicine, food, furniture, toilet paper, TVs, dog food, indigenous costumes, Christmas decorations, more food, fabric, plants, live poultry, candles, meat, spices...oh the list is endless. But the trick is to actually find it and pay a reasonable price.
The market is quite large. Particually on "'market days" it is quite crowded. You have to be careful in the market. Just a few weeks ago a family of 4 was walking and admist the crowd, one of our friends had her purse cut and her camera was taken. Stuff like this can happen so quick that we go to the market with only empty bags to bring back what we purchase. And while we take these precautions, we try to keep in mind that not everyone wants to steal from you. People in the market are trying to making a living. They bring whatever they can and sell it. And while we do have to barter for a "better" price, we try to keep in mind that for us paying a few quetzals less is fun...for them it may mean they aren't able to feed their families.
While typically we do not carry our camera into the market, the pictures we share represent the market on a "less" crowded day. In Guatemala, it is very important to ask permission before taking pictures. People can get very upset if you just start taking pictures. Particualarly when taking pictures of children, you NEED to ask permission. There is a reason. Unfortunatly, there is a fear of children being kidnapped. We don't know how common kidnapping is but it is thought the that the first thing kidnappers do it take pictures of children they wish to target. Understanding a little about why someone might be saying "no" to a photo, keeps us as foreigners from making judgements.
Do we buy our meat from the market? No. We have a small supermarket that we feel a little more comfortable with. But many Guatemalans and seasoned missionaries do buy their meat in the market. The meat is very fresh (butchered that day). The meat market is quite clean and I am most surprised that I don't see any flies. But we usually don't stand around in the meat market. The reason? The smell. I guess you could get used to that smell...but we don't want to and tend to avoid that area.
