Santa Maria Volcano

Today was one of the most physically challenging days of my life. A couple of us in the group along with about 20 other students from the language school I'll start attending on monday hiked up to the top of Santa Maria volcano. 3800 m above see level which is about 10,000 ft. A van picked us up from school about 5am and we road the 20min drive to the base and began hiking about 5:30 still under cover of darkness. We were lead by two guides who work at the school and are former guerrilla soldiers from the time of the armed conflict. We were told many times that this was going to be an extremely demanding trek both physically and mentally because of the rapid change in altitude as we climbed and i have to say i was worried from the very beginning. I could feel myself short of break as we walked in silence, holding flash light or using head lamps for the first hour and 1/2-2 hours, and this was only taking us to the base of the volcano. The ground was uneven and pretty steep. The trail was basically a washed out gully, probably a product of the annual rainy season. at about a quarter to 7 we arrived a a flat plane set at the base of the volcano were we stopped for a while to have a little snack. I had already consumed almost two bottles of water and was really feeling the burn in my legs as i looked up at this giant peak in front of me and i almost wanted to cry because i realized that after two hours of hard hiking...we had only just begun. The trek up the volcano itself was an outrageous, have no mercy, practically vertical at points, climb that took me and my friend Eva almost 3 hours to complete. It was probably the 3 most physically demanding hours of my life to date...and at the same time on of the most amazing experiences I have ever had and was worth every single exhausting, painful second. As we climbed through the jungle of Guatemala, at times trying hoisting ourselves up and over huge black boulders (if anyone has seen the shawshank redemption they looked like that rock used to cover the box Tim Robins left for morgan freeman) and at other trying to get tracking in black volcanic soil. But as we climbed higher and higher the view of the valley below and the mountains all around brought a deep sense of meaning to our struggle. Every time we stopped ( which was very often) we would have a completely different view then before. As we rose above the clouds and mountains in our immediate sight line, new mountain ranges appeared behind and our panoramic view extended. As we neared the top we began to run into indigenous mayans (by this time the whole group had separated into small pairs or single hikers) making the same trek. as we were feeling the burn and sucking wind,thinking we were the masters of the universe for almost conquering this giant, we suddenly found ourselves sharing the trail with large families with small children and elderly men and women. they were dressed not in expert hiking gear and loaded up with water and power bars, but in traditional indigenous dress and most of the women were wearing little flat slip on shoes or flip flops!! we even saw quite a few women carrying infants on their backs. they were taking their time, and had obviously gotten up far before we did to tackle this climb and i was suddenly humbled like i have never been before. When we finally reached the top the summit was covered with people. there were many foreigners, but the majority of the people were indigenous mayans clearly there for religious purposes. many were chanting in a native language and literally crying out their prayers. There was also a large group that seemed to be holding a more modern religious service using the bible but still incorporating more traditional practices. We ate lunch and made some friends with small children that really enjoyed that fact that we were sharing our food with them. (although i understand that craze and appeal of adopting children from africa i am not jumping on that bandwagon because indigenous mayan children are the cutest little faces on the face of this planet:) one of them came up to each and every one of us before we left making sure he said his little "muchas gracias" to us all) some families were also camping up there and one woman told me that she had been up there for 3 days. The view from the summit was unlike anything my eyes have every seen before. At times we were above the clouds and at others we were literally inside the clouds. Mountains all around, the city of Xela far far below to the north east, another volcano to the west and we could even see the pacific ocean far in the distance when the clouds parted. The Santa maria volcano hasn't been active in over 100 years but the volcano directly the the west of us is continuously active and we could see down into the gray crater below. Our guide talked to us about how, during the time of the civil war, he and his fellow guerrillas lived in these mountains and would carry up to 100lbs on their backs as they climbed their way through the jungle. He spoke of villages in on the mountain side which are still predominately female in population to this day as a result of the armies tactics of slaughtering all the men in order to prevent rebellion. He is truly a remarkable man for who i have the utmost respect.

All in all this was a testing yet completely rewarding experience. I was able to see a part of nature which i have never before experienced. As we climb, my friend Eva and I discussed (when we had the breath to talk) our own experiences of hiking out west in the states. ( she is from oregon and spends a lot of time on Mt. Hood) But this terrain and vegetation was unlike anything i've climbed through before. Even as we rose through the disappearing tree line beautiful plants with flowers colored bright purple, red and magenta gave me strength to continue. Multiple times i found myself stopping to catch my breath, drink some water, or give my muscles a change to recover a bit and i would see these beautiful plants that seems to encourage me and keep me going. Seeing the indigenous families making this hike,not because they wanted some exercise or for a killer view,but because it was part of their spiritual beliefs brought a whole new meaning to the idea of religious or spiritual dedication. To ascend this volcano to express their faith shows personal resolve and strength that i don't know if i could ever understand. watching this produced a feeling in me that i have still not been able to fully understand.

As we descended the volcano and then below the finale trek down its base i notice in the day light that mountain side is filled with small farms. A man carrying wood on his back and leading a horse with the same load passed us and we finished our decent. i realized that we were hiking through people's lives. this was not a designated national park, preserved by the government. much as the summit was not a place for the daring tourist to capture the best landscape picture. this was simply a mountain in guatemala were people lived and worked the land and a volcano that held deep religious meaning to its natives. again and again on this trip i am humbled in ways i didn't know were possible and this experience continues this trend.

pictures to come i promise!!

A special shout out to my grandmother. Clay my new hiking boots are the best christmas present ever and i would most certainly never have been able to complete this journey with out them. THANK YOU!!!:)