newspaper-volcano.jpg (16495 bytes)  

We were quite surprised when the government agency in charge of safety in the area of Volcano Pacaya said it was safe to climb.  A week previous this volcano was erupting in a most spectacular way, oozing its way onto the front pages of many Central American newspapers.
And so we began our journey with a one & a half hr. bus ride, half of it riding up some fairly breathtaking mountain roads seemingly unsuitable to a bus such as ours.  (That would be understatement.)
The group picture below shows us in high spirits and energy as we began the climb. However the altitude and steep rate of climb soon took care of that. Several dropped back and decided to enjoy the view from the base while the rest kept on hiking. 
Hit Counter


Hit Counter

Volcano montage1.jpg (165332 bytes)

The half-way rest above was followed by the final push and ultimate success as inappropriately displayed in the "victory flex" below. (We were not sure wether to attribute this to the altitude or the attitude.)  It should probably be noted here that the large Volcano you see in the pictures above and below is called Agua...and our home town is located at the base on the far side.  Fumes at the very summit were hot, overpowering and offensive, searing the lungs. This day, the actual lava was not visible from the top, however, 3 days later the volcano was again spewing lava high into the air and flowing down its sides.  Stunning was its beauty and natural splendor.    (Note to parents: We climbed under the supervision of 2 local guides and  stayed on the less affected side of the volcano.)

volcano montage2.jpg (98485 bytes)

As you can see from Steve Dick above, coming down the top cone was about 20 times faster than going up. We also wore through some footwear ( legs, hands etc.) on the sharp lava stones and rocks.   But what a ride!
Altogether, an unforgettable day.

volcano15.jpg (26244 bytes)