Backpack Mack

The volcano hike up Volcán de Acatenango and Volcán de Fuego was one of the adventures I was looking forward to the most. I booked through a well known company called Ox Expeditions and the excursion included a trip to the top of Volcan Acatenango (13,044ft / 3,976m) as well as the active Volcan Fuego (12,345ft / 3,763m). It is an overnight hike where you are expected to carry up your own supplies and water and only for those in good physical shape. The warning about good physical shape should not be taken lightly! This hike might have been the single most challenging hike I’ve ever done. 

The first day started at 6:30am where we arrived at the Ox Expeditions office to grab our packs, eat some breakfast and take off. (Note – Ox provided much of the necessary equipment like rain ponchos, gloves and extra layers. Not having to bring these along was reason enough for their slightly higher price point and made it well worth it for me especially). 

We began the hike at about 9:30 am, and what a start it was… There was absolutely no easing your way into it, or warming up your muscles. This was a dive in head first situation. The initial segment, innocently labeled “the farmland”, was unlike anything you’d see in the midwest. It was a steady drumbeat of uphill between 30-45 degree grade. With every step upward the air became thinner and breathing heavier. The guides did insist on frequent stops along the way to eliminate the possibility of altitude sickness. 

After the farmland came the switchbacks which were hardly any easier, and then the “cloud forest” (again an innocuous name for an incredibly strenuous hike). Finally after about 6 hours of hiking including a stop for lunch we made it to base camp. Base camp was a series of wooden cabins on the side of Acatenango about ⅔ of the way to the summit. At this point we repacked our bags for the sunset trek over to Fuego, the volcano we could now see from our camp, spitting out massive black clouds of smoke and ash every 5-15 minutes. 

To get to Fuego we had to hike down the side of Acatnenango about an hour and a half in order to scale the side of the second mountain. This endeavor proved to be quite wet and misty and doubts started creeping in regarding our ability to actually view the explosion. But the power of positive thought kept us going and it was absolutely worth it. We were able to watch the sun set over a span of mountains and valleys and distant towns. From up close you could actually see the lava shooting into the air and the accompanying sound was indescribable. 

When the sun actually set, the shock of bright lava was even more noticeable against the dark night sky. The photos I took could hardly come close to experiencing this in person. 

After many striking explosions the cold and mist started creeping in and we began our return to base camp down Fuego and up Acatenango headlamp and poncho clad in the dark. Given the inherent danger to hiking the side of a mountain in the pitch black this was slow going. About 4 hours later we returned to camp starving and dreading the 3am wakeup call the next morning. 

When the knock on the cabin came seemingly seconds after I closed my eyes, we quickly changed and began to trudge up a somehow even steeper portion of the mountain, again in the dark. After about an hour and a half of stomping through volcanic sand and rocks we made it to the summit and the view above the clouds was absolutely breathtaking. 

Unfortunately soon after these pictures were taken, the fog swallowed us and the sunrise was not viewable. And so began our trek down, first to base camp for breakfast and then back to the parking lot. We ended around 11am and took our bus back to Antigua. 

Back in town my legs were wobbly but my heart was full. This was such a test of physical strength and mental fortitude and was rewarded with one of the most spectacular experiences.