Antigua & A Volcano Trek

Our next stop would be Antigua, Guatemala. I was really looking forward to this time, as my BFF Teresita Davis was coming to visit us for a week!  Yay!  We had a wonderful time catching up on all the news, exploring the city and just hanging out by our pool.  It was such a relaxing time for us. 

Antigua, Guatemala, is a captivating city located in the central highlands of Guatemala. Antigua is renowned for its well-preserved Spanish colonial architecture and stunning natural surroundings.  It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Surrounding Antigua are 4 towering volcanoes, including Volcán de Agua, which provides a stunning backdrop to the cityscape.

Did someone say Volcano?

Volcano Acatenango climb

Early on our first morning in Antigua Rick left for a giant physical test – climbing a dormant volcano overlooking an active volcano.  The ascent up Volcan Acatenango is known to be extremely challenging, but Rick had run and lifted for nearly 2 months in Guatemala City to prepare.  Rick declined to have a porter carry his backpack, in spite of the guide’s recommendation, and he set out on the initial 4000′ ascent to base camp at 12,000 feet.  It went well, through 4 biomes, including a few beautiful miles through a cloud forest.  The views of the surrounding volcanoes and countryside were amazing.  From base camp in the daylight the group could see adjacent Volcan Fuego spewing great clouds of ash intermittently. 

Rick felt good enough to add on a climb to a ridge on Volcan Fuego, much closer to the erupting vent. That meant climbing down the side of Acatenango 1000 vertical feet and back up an equal height of the live volcano.  Up close the rumble of the eruptions was much more dramatic.  The sun set and Volcan Fuego started erupting with brilliant red sprays of lava, which then landed on the slopes and rolled down two sides of the mountain (but not down Rick’s ridge), setting fires in the forest below.  Incredible – how rare an opportunity.  Back down and up to base camp with headlamps in the dark, the group watched over their shoulders as Fuego erupted several more times. 

At 3:30 am the group crawled out of sleeping bags to summit Acatenango’s 13,000′ for sunrise, climbing through the loose ash up the conical peak.  That was amazing too, looking down on Volcan Fuego’s vent as ash was pumped out.  The descent was not his favorite, but Rick made it back down, a little tired and sore after 7000′ total vertical feet climbed and descended in 22 miles, and unlikely to ever see the likes of that again.