Followers of my blog may remember the hike up Volcan Tajamulco that I posted about on Dec. 8th, 2009. Last weekend I had the opportunity to conquer the sleeping volcano again.
Nic and I at the trailhead.
A view of the summit and the road that leads to the trail. This round it was hot and very very dusty, a big change from our trip in December which was cold and cloudy.
Houses dot the first half mile of the road to the trail. Kids have become unashamed panhandlers, approaching hikers with snot-noses and smiles asking first for a quetzal (the Guatemalan currency) and if that fails, a cookie or some candy. But I have learned the secret weapon against kids like these; they run for cover when the camera comes out.
It might not protect one's exposed skin to the wind, but look at that view! An old outhouse and Volcan Tacaná in Mexico.
Our lunch spot had a fantastic view of the valleys and communities around Tajamulco. It is really amazing how remote some of these communities are.
As we lunched we watched huge, fluffy clouds fill in those valleys and communities below.
The crew: Jerami and Zane, Cara and David, Rachel and Jose, Nic and myself. We arrived at base camp after taking a leisurely pace up the trail. Nic brought his GPS and to our astonishment the trail to base camp was only two miles (it felt like four)! However, in those two miles we gained 3,000 feet putting base camp at 13,000 feet.
We woke at 4 a.m. the next morning and climbed in the dark another 850 feet to the summit.
Unfortunately the camera fails to capture the beauty. If you look closely, the small whitish dot in the sky, left of center, is a crescent moon.
Although still windy and chilly at the summit, the night was mild (40 degrees) and we enjoyed being outside every minute.
Clouds blanketed the valleys all the way around the mountain. We were on an island in the sky.
Volcanoes on the horizon.
The shadow of Tajamulco and the peak of Tacaná.
Even as the morning progressed and as we packed up and began down the trail the clouds lingered between ridges and peaks.
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