On the second day of our trip, we woke up at 5am to get dressed for a 5:30 breakfast, before our 6:30 departure for Vulcan Fuego. Neither of us had slept all that well, but we were both surprised that we weren't really muscle sore from the previous day's hike, and sometime during the night we had both managed to start breathing easier. We packed what seemed like a featherweight pack with just two liters of water and an extra layer of clothes, and headed down to Oseas's campsite for a breakfast of hot granola with yogurt and chopped apple, as well as hot tea. We also got some great sunrise pictures of Vulcan Agua, which was due east of our campsite, with Vulcan Pacaya beyond.
As soon as we had brushed our teeth, Oseas sent us out on the trail with Santos, one of the porters, while he did the morning cleanup. We had to hike around Acatenango gradually descending into the saddle between the two volcanos.
Fuego was quite cooperative and put on a very impressive show as we went around the side of the mountain, repeatedly rumbling and spewing smoke and rock. From this side of the mountain, closer to Fuego, we could not only hear and feel the rumbling, but we could also hear the rock rolling down the side of the mountain after each eruption. It was a beautiful morning so we had a great view of the top of the volcano.
We hiked down into the saddle between the volcanos, which afforded us a view of Fuego to the south, Acatenango to the north, Vulcans San Pedro, Atitlan, and Toliman surrounding Lago Atitlan to the west, and Agua and Pacaya to the east. It was breathtaking!
We started the ascent of Fuego up through the pine forest, which gradually thinned to lava gravel and windflowers, and then just to gravel. Tom and I had learned from the day before that we needed to just take our time, so we would walk one short section of the switchback, and then rest before we started the next switchback. We both managed to stay on our two feet through the pines and the beginning of the scrub brush, but by the time we got to the part that was just gravel, I was on all fours climbing through the rocks. Tom managed to stay upright.
We topped the shoulder of the volcano and started along the knife-edge ridge towards the volcano at about 3600 meters, or 11,800 feet. By this time we were in thick fog, so it was quite eerie when the volcano erupted since we couldn't see it, but the rumble was like loud thunder, we could smell the sulfur, and hear the rocks falling. We came to a large rock on the trail, which Oseas said had been dropped there by the volcano in a previous big eruption, and he told us to stop since it was not safe to go any closer because of the sulfur fumes and the danger of being hit by falling rocks. We hunkered down behind the rock and added layers, then got up and went just a bit further along the knife-edge trail to pose for pictures.
We spent a few more minutes behind the rock listening to the eruptions, but then decided that the fog was not going to clear for our viewing pleasure, so we started back down the trail. I was worried that the descent would be hard on my knees, but it really wasn't bad, and the climb back up to our campsite on the side of Acatenango was much easier than we had expected. Before we left around 6:30, Oseas had estimated that we would be back around noon, so our return to the campsite around 10:15 convinced us that we were not as bad off as we had thought. We rested, then had lunch, then rested some more before our afternoon ascent of Acatenango for the sunset.
Oseas told us that it would take about two hours to reach the summit of Acatenango. We wanted to see some of the scenery surrounding the summit before the sun set, so we left camp around 3:30. The trail to the summit is directly behind the campsite, so we took off up the steep switchbacks through the pines.
Within a half hour, we were out it the pines and into the lava scree. That was VERY tough going. Think running on the beach in the deep sand, not the wet part, but about six inches deeper and up a very steep hill. Some of this part of the trail still did some switchbacks, but some of it just went straight up the hill. We would take about ten steps, which probably moved us fifteen feet, and then stop to huff and puff and rest, trying not to slide back down the hill as we were standing. After about a half hour of this, the trail flattened out as it went to the north around the volcano.
It was still loose gravel, but it was relatively flat for a while. As we got around to the north side of the volcano, where we could see the smaller second peak of Acatenango, we were above the clouds and were treated to the sight of the shadow of the two peaks on the clouds below us, created by the sun going down behind the volcano.
Oseas and Pierric had gone a bit ahead of us, but at this point we caught up to Oseas who had stopped to take a picture of this amazing sight. He hiked with us to where the trail again went straight up to the crater between the two peaks, and then he stayed below with our camera to get pictures of us making the ascent and climbing a large rock pile at the edge of the big crater. We waved for the picture, then turned around to look at the craters.
We had added layers on the way up, but when we topped the edge of the big crater it was cold and very windy. We didn't have a thermometer, but Tom estimated that it was in the mid 40s. I would have bet that it was more like the mid 30s, although I admit that I am a bit of a weenie about the cold. Either way, with the wind, it was cold enough to immediately freeze our hands, lips, and noses, and four days later I'm still frequently using chap stick and Oil of Olay on my dry chapped lips and face. I hadn't planned to ever see that kind of cold again after we left New York! We put on our ponchos to cut the wind and set out to walk around the too of the crater to fully appreciate the view.
I can't think of words to describe the experience of being over 13,000 feet on top of a volcano above the clouds at sunset. Beautiful, amazing, awesome, stunning, and all sorts of other superlatives all apply, but none quite capture the feeling. It was like being in a child's vision of heaven, standing on an island in the sky with the setting sun illuminating the tops of the clouds and the sides of the other island volcano peaks.
After the sunset, Pierric wanted to stay at the summit to see if he could get pictures of the red hot ash coming out of Fuego in the dark. I was cold, and we were both worried about the descent in the dark, so after getting reassurance from Oseas that the path we came up was the only way down, Tom and I left Pierric and Oseas at the top and started down. Once we were over the edge of the crater we were out of the wind, so we got rid of our ponchos and stepped into the deep scree...and then the fun started! We found that we could ski on our feet and just float down the hill. It wasn't quite like downhill skiing, but more like cross country or telemark skiing; we had to keep moving our legs to keep moving forward, but with a little push we would coast a long way, and we made it down the hill in a hurry. It was a disappointment to reach the flat part of the trail and have to really walk again, and a real disappointment for the last little bit of walking through the pines down the switchbacks to the camp. Henley, one of the porters who had remained in camp, had started the fire while we were out, so it was easy to follow the beacon and know we were not straying off the trail. We made it down the hill in about 45 minutes, dumped the gravel out of our boots, and settled down by the fire to wait for Oseas and Pierric, who came in about 45 minutes behind us. A thunderstorm had started to roll in and the clouds had obscured their view of Fuego, but the lightening and thunder alone provided quite a show for us as we watched Oseas make a delicious dinner of vegetables and fried tortillas grilled on the open fire, which we ate over couscous. Just like the night before, the rain started as we finished eating, so we headed for our tents. Tom and I slept much better than we had the night before. We were tired but not exhausted, and we had a little more faith in ourselves and our ability to make it down off the mountain the next day.
We hiked down into the saddle between the volcanos, which afforded us a view of Fuego to the south, Acatenango to the north, Vulcans San Pedro, Atitlan, and Toliman surrounding Lago Atitlan to the west, and Agua and Pacaya to the east. It was breathtaking!
We started the ascent of Fuego up through the pine forest, which gradually thinned to lava gravel and windflowers, and then just to gravel. Tom and I had learned from the day before that we needed to just take our time, so we would walk one short section of the switchback, and then rest before we started the next switchback. We both managed to stay on our two feet through the pines and the beginning of the scrub brush, but by the time we got to the part that was just gravel, I was on all fours climbing through the rocks. Tom managed to stay upright.
We topped the shoulder of the volcano and started along the knife-edge ridge towards the volcano at about 3600 meters, or 11,800 feet. By this time we were in thick fog, so it was quite eerie when the volcano erupted since we couldn't see it, but the rumble was like loud thunder, we could smell the sulfur, and hear the rocks falling. We came to a large rock on the trail, which Oseas said had been dropped there by the volcano in a previous big eruption, and he told us to stop since it was not safe to go any closer because of the sulfur fumes and the danger of being hit by falling rocks. We hunkered down behind the rock and added layers, then got up and went just a bit further along the knife-edge trail to pose for pictures.
We spent a few more minutes behind the rock listening to the eruptions, but then decided that the fog was not going to clear for our viewing pleasure, so we started back down the trail. I was worried that the descent would be hard on my knees, but it really wasn't bad, and the climb back up to our campsite on the side of Acatenango was much easier than we had expected. Before we left around 6:30, Oseas had estimated that we would be back around noon, so our return to the campsite around 10:15 convinced us that we were not as bad off as we had thought. We rested, then had lunch, then rested some more before our afternoon ascent of Acatenango for the sunset.
Oseas told us that it would take about two hours to reach the summit of Acatenango. We wanted to see some of the scenery surrounding the summit before the sun set, so we left camp around 3:30. The trail to the summit is directly behind the campsite, so we took off up the steep switchbacks through the pines.
Within a half hour, we were out it the pines and into the lava scree. That was VERY tough going. Think running on the beach in the deep sand, not the wet part, but about six inches deeper and up a very steep hill. Some of this part of the trail still did some switchbacks, but some of it just went straight up the hill. We would take about ten steps, which probably moved us fifteen feet, and then stop to huff and puff and rest, trying not to slide back down the hill as we were standing. After about a half hour of this, the trail flattened out as it went to the north around the volcano.
Oseas and Pierric had gone a bit ahead of us, but at this point we caught up to Oseas who had stopped to take a picture of this amazing sight. He hiked with us to where the trail again went straight up to the crater between the two peaks, and then he stayed below with our camera to get pictures of us making the ascent and climbing a large rock pile at the edge of the big crater. We waved for the picture, then turned around to look at the craters.
There are three main craters in Acatenango. The two that most recently erupted, about 30 years ago, are between the two peaks. One of these, the most recently active, is fairly small and you can still see the small craters within the crater where the lava came out. The other is big and deep, but just looks like a hole filled with large rocks.
We made the final ascent through the deep, heavy footing to the main peak, which is at 3,976 meters or 13,045 feet, and is at the edge of the very large main crater. The entire top of the mountain, including the main crater, is filled with black cinder, and fortunately for us, it is not too deep and fairly easy to walk on. We made it to the top at 5:15, a few minutes before the sunset and a few minutes under Oseas's two hour estimate for how long it would take us to get to the top.
We had added layers on the way up, but when we topped the edge of the big crater it was cold and very windy. We didn't have a thermometer, but Tom estimated that it was in the mid 40s. I would have bet that it was more like the mid 30s, although I admit that I am a bit of a weenie about the cold. Either way, with the wind, it was cold enough to immediately freeze our hands, lips, and noses, and four days later I'm still frequently using chap stick and Oil of Olay on my dry chapped lips and face. I hadn't planned to ever see that kind of cold again after we left New York! We put on our ponchos to cut the wind and set out to walk around the too of the crater to fully appreciate the view.
I can't think of words to describe the experience of being over 13,000 feet on top of a volcano above the clouds at sunset. Beautiful, amazing, awesome, stunning, and all sorts of other superlatives all apply, but none quite capture the feeling. It was like being in a child's vision of heaven, standing on an island in the sky with the setting sun illuminating the tops of the clouds and the sides of the other island volcano peaks.
Fuego would occasionally spew smoke, and the bottom of the dark smoke cloud would turn orange with the setting sun. We took bunches of photos, all of which are beautiful, but none of which truly capture the depth of the beauty.
After the sunset, Pierric wanted to stay at the summit to see if he could get pictures of the red hot ash coming out of Fuego in the dark. I was cold, and we were both worried about the descent in the dark, so after getting reassurance from Oseas that the path we came up was the only way down, Tom and I left Pierric and Oseas at the top and started down. Once we were over the edge of the crater we were out of the wind, so we got rid of our ponchos and stepped into the deep scree...and then the fun started! We found that we could ski on our feet and just float down the hill. It wasn't quite like downhill skiing, but more like cross country or telemark skiing; we had to keep moving our legs to keep moving forward, but with a little push we would coast a long way, and we made it down the hill in a hurry. It was a disappointment to reach the flat part of the trail and have to really walk again, and a real disappointment for the last little bit of walking through the pines down the switchbacks to the camp. Henley, one of the porters who had remained in camp, had started the fire while we were out, so it was easy to follow the beacon and know we were not straying off the trail. We made it down the hill in about 45 minutes, dumped the gravel out of our boots, and settled down by the fire to wait for Oseas and Pierric, who came in about 45 minutes behind us. A thunderstorm had started to roll in and the clouds had obscured their view of Fuego, but the lightening and thunder alone provided quite a show for us as we watched Oseas make a delicious dinner of vegetables and fried tortillas grilled on the open fire, which we ate over couscous. Just like the night before, the rain started as we finished eating, so we headed for our tents. Tom and I slept much better than we had the night before. We were tired but not exhausted, and we had a little more faith in ourselves and our ability to make it down off the mountain the next day.
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