In early 2022, I came across a viral TikTok of a woman completing a hike to come eye level with one of the most active volcanos in Central America, Volcan Fuego. Instantly, this experience was moved to the summit (haha) of my bucket list and as soon as I could, I booked a flight from Detroit to Guatemala City. Fast forward to April of 2023, and you'd find me, out of breath and struggling to put one foot in front of the other as I made my way up Volcan Acatenango, Fuego's dormant neighbor.
We had started the day by meeting our guides and group at OX Expeditions in Antigua where we packed and loaded up before stopping for breakfast at Rainbow Cafe. From there we made the drive to the trailhead where we rented our hiking sticks and met with porters. A porter is optional, and for a small fee of about $20 USD they will carry your 40-pound backpack up to basecamp for you. Unfortunately, I felt compelled to take the road less travelled and did not request a porter. I made it about ten minutes into the five-hour hike before I was regretting this decision.
I truly don't remember much about the scenery on the way up as I was focusing on motivating myself with every step. After we passed through the Guatemalan farmlands, cloud forest, and alpine tree forest, we finally reached the volcanic zone. Here, we stopped to rest and eat lunch provided by our tour group. After lunch, the hike was much easier as we just had to loop around Volcan Acatenango until we reached basecamp and the much-awaited view of Volcan Fuego.
Once we reached basecamp, we were able to pick out our cabins and sit around the fire while we waited for Fuego to erupt. We weren't waiting long until puffs of smoke started shooting into the air while the ground rumbled beneath us. We finished off the day with a home cooked meal of pasta and wine, prepared by a local woman that hiked up with us. After sunset, the clouds started to surround camp, signaling it was a good time to try and get some sleep. Just a warning, you don't end up getting much sleep.
Throughout the night we'd wake each other up with excitement each time we'd see lava shoot into the air while the city slept thousands of feet below and a storm brewed in the background. Eventually the sun lit up the sky with colors of purple and pink giving us a beautiful sunrise to enjoy during breakfast. After we refueled, we started the trek back down to the trailhead. Before we knew it, the excursion was over, and I found myself wondering "what now".
