Day 5: Volcan Toliman

After breakfast we headed to the trailhead of Volcan Toliman which stands at 3200m above sea level. We rode in the back of open trucks, stood up holding on tightly to the sides as the driver seemed to not slow down for corners or speed bumps. The towns that surround Lake Atitlan are colourful and vibrant, women wear traditional Mayan dress and sell fresh fruit or local crafts. It was a hot humid morning which would make the climb ahead increasingly difficult. The route began with a steady climb out of a town through cornfields, avocado trees and coffee plantations where locals called out "Buenos Dias" as they harvested the produce. The sun beat down and there was little shelter from the heat as the incline began to increase.

After a couple of hours we entered the cloud forest where we took a break to make the most of the first shade of the day. Everyone was coated in a combination of sweat and dust from the dry soil. My pack was heavier today, carrying 3 litres of water in preparation for the heat and the altitude. Today we were accompanied by our regular guides Diego and Beanie in addition to our local guide Domingo. As I rested on a rock Beanie called over "Senorita vamos!!" followed by his infectious laugh, prompting me to continue pushing forward. The next part of the climb was a series of natural steps formed from large boulders and tree roots. The humidity of the cloud forest, the steepness of the trail and the increasing altitude made for tough going but I continued to put one foot in front of the other. We stopped for lunch and it was clear everyone was tired. Normally when reaching a summit you have the occasional brief respite where the incline relents, but this had been persistent steep uphill for 4 hours. It felt good to refuel before the next section as I could feel my energy levels depleting. From here we had 2 more hours of climbing steps before reaching the summit.

For the final section the clouds began to descend, which cooled the temperature down. By the final hour my calves were burning but I let my stubbornness carry me forward, knowing the summit was not too far in the distance. Beanie was far behind me in the middle of the group but the wind carried his voice as he sang "Vamos el volcan!" to keep morale up and Diego who I walked with at the front told me "Just a few more steps Amy". Eventually we reached a clearing where the forest suddenly opened up and below was a carpet of thick white cloud with other volcanoes emerging in distance. The view was simply breathtaking and easily worth the relentless 6 hours of step climbing. Diego gave me a high five and a hug, saying "congratulations Senorita!" and we sat admiring the view as we waited for the others to join. Our group was significantly strung out on the mountain which is why having 3 guides is essential as it's very easy to become disoriented and lost in the dense cloud forest as everywhere looks the same.

The fluffy clouds gently drifted across the valley as darker clouds of ash and gas emerged from the volcanoes on the horizon. After admiring the view, taking photos and congratulating each other we walked the short distance to camp which was easy to locate by following the smoke rising from the fire. We pitched our tents and I dived in, sprawled out, feeling the burning sensation in my calves gradually reduce. Diego pointed to two areas covered in dense bushes, each on opposite sides of the camp, he told us these would be the male and female toilets, as he placed a spade next to each and hung toilet roll over a branch. Beanie called over to me with his huge grin "only the finest luxury for you Senorita, you have a private bathroom!"

Being the only female did mean I didn't have to share a tent or in this case a toilet bush, so I was happy. We ate dinner around a roaring fire and all went to sleep exhausted but happy, satisfied to have achieve another summit. I spent some time observing the night sky which due to the absence of light pollution was spectacular. I could see the milky way clearly along with the few constellations I know and was lucky enough to catch a shooting star. My eyes were heavy as I crawled into my tent and nestled down into my sleeping bag to protect against the cold. Sleep came easy and I was happy to have achieved the third summit of my adventure.