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Day 10: Highest summit in Central America

The night was cold and I lay wrapped up, cacooned in the warm haven of my sleeping bag, attempting to get as many hours sleep as possible before the early start. Unfortunately, the effects of the excess hydration had caught up with me and come midnight I was scurrying around for my headtorch to illuminate the way to my toilet bush. The frost coating my tent glistened with the light of my headtorch, the ground was crunchy underfoot and my breath was visible. I crept past the tents, feeling a shiver run through my body as the contrast of the sub zero temperatures compared with the heat of the day shocked my body. I took a moment to appreciate the night's sky, stunningly clear with a perfect crescent moon. Once I'd located a suitable bush the light of my headtorch extended in front of me revealing a pair of eyes flickering in the not so distant trees, staring intensely back at me. My heart rate rocketed. I turned my torch to a dimmer setting as to not aggravate whatever wild animal awaited, but to still allow me to navigate safely back to my tent. In my tired state my imagination ran wild; could it be a coyote, ocelot, a jaguar even? I heard the gentle padding of footprints heading towards me and light panting growing louder and louder as I headed to the safety of my tent. My curiosity got the better of me and I turned to look back only to be greeted by another friendly feral volcano dog! He gently rubbed against my leg and licked the dust off my boots. I was delighted that the intimating eyes belonged to a gentle dog and nothing more, although a midnight encounter with one of Guetemala's elusive cats would have made for a far better story. I ruffled the fur on his head and climbed back into my tent, feeling the adrenaline slowly dissipate. It wasn't long before I heard the soft voice of Diego as he tapped my tent, "Morning Amy, time for volcano number 5!"


It was 4am and everyone shuffled sleepily around the camp, mumbling "morning" and desperately clutching a mug of tea for warmth. By 4.30am everyone bundled up in their layers and crunched through the frost, heading slowly upwards towards the summit. There was 300m elevation to climb but the route was a technical scramble, large boulders to clamber over interjected by patches of loose scree. Despite yesterday's complaints of altitude related symptoms, everyone had joined this morning under strict instruction to go slowly. The route required a lot of concentration and I was grateful that I had replaced the batteries in my headtorch so the route was clear in front of me. Once my clumsy sleepy state subsided, I got into a rhythm and really enjoyed the final push, luckily not feeling any effects from the altitude.


After an hour or so of scrambling the route flattened out and I stepped onto the summit ridge, a narrow section running adjacent to the volcanoes crater. The horizon was a deep shade of orange, a sea of fluffy clouds formed a blanket that distant peaks protruded through. The scenery was remarkable and I was ecstatic to be standing on the highest peak in Central America for the sunrise. This feeling of elation when standing above the clouds is like nothing else for me. If having this feeling means I have to experience burning legs, uncomfortable nights, extreme temperatures, midnight trips to toilet bushes - then I'll take it all.


The sun began to rise and the horizon glowed bright orange as the sun illuminated the sky, rising above the sea of clouds. I sat on a rock, in all my layers, cuddling my legs to stay warm while admiring the view. Beanie joined me after he ensured everyone had made it up safely, there were a few unnerving coughs and the occasional vomiting episode but everyone had made it up! Diego and Beanie chanted "Lava, lava, lava - volcan numero cinco!!" I explored the summit as the sun began to increase the temperature and then we began the descent, the guides keen to get everyone to a lower altitude.


The descent was quick and relatively easy, although in parts the gradient was steep for a descent, the increased oxygen levels made the pace faster. The first section took a great deal of concentration to ensure the correcting footing to prevent slipping, but the route was not exposed so I felt safe. "Confidence not complacency" is the best mantra when heading down. Sometimes if you are nervous or hesitant you slip more and if you are complacent and don't concentrate the same outcome occurs. We arrived back at the base by lunchtime, by then the temperature had rocketed and I had removed several layers. Diego congratulated everyone and I got the feeling that everyone was relieved to be down safely.


On our way back to town we visited some volcanic hot springs which were the perfect way to relax and ease the muscle pain. Patches of the spring were significantly warmer than others, so I swam around finding the perfect spot, eventually resting with my back and shoulders on a warm rock. I closed my eyes, feeling the heat soothe my muscles, listening to the birds chirping above and the gentle trickle of water from the rocks. I felt contented and couldn't be more satisfied with the challenges and adventures I'd experienced so far in this wonderful country.







5 Comments


barton.sam93
Jan 16, 2024

Sounds like an amazing experience, I was really hoping you'd seen a Jaguar though!

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Nick Evans
Nick Evans
Jan 16, 2024

Spectacular - probably the best pics of the whole adventure. A pity you didn't get pictures of the feral volcano beast! Thank goodness it wasn't as terrifying as this ...



Edited
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Lynn Sturtivant
Lynn Sturtivant
Jan 16, 2024

This is an amazing adventure and so worth all the effort for the jaw dropping rewards.xx

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Gabrielle Hadley
Gabrielle Hadley
Jan 16, 2024

Funny how I had commented to Nick about the moon last night. It was almost picture-book perfect. A stunning end to a perfect day and a great opportunity to rest though aching muscles. Gx

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Kev Doughty
Jan 16, 2024

What a journey! Everyone did very well to make it to the summit and glad you made a new doggo friend! Hope he wasn't cold. Only 2 more to go!

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