By Amy Holly
Guatemala January 2010
So I´m back in Antigua, at the School, with aching thighs and sore toes and painful sunburn. Everything is pretty much as it was before- except something incredibly special took place over the weekend.
Saturday, January 23rd 2010.
We nervously packed up our backpacks and headed to the O.X. office in Antigua Guatemala, where our tour guides awaited us. I was struck by last minute fear. The sheer physical challenge was going to be huge- but also the danger seemed immense- we´d been joking about banditos and eruptions for months- but these dangers were suddenly very real and very close.
The banter had begun before we even reached the foot of Volcan Pacaya, the first and easiest leg of the challenge. We were a fantastically diverse group. Aged between 23 and 60; 7 guys and four girls; some jokers, some business men, some travelers, some fitness freaks, some big drinkers. We were English, Scottish and Welsh. We were everyone and no-one.
We hiked up wooded terrain for an hour and a half and quite quickly reached our campsite for the night- this first section of the trek had been a slight challenge but we were all on good form as we put up the tents and stared up at the smoking crater of Volcan Pacaya. We ditched our bags and grabbed our head-torches, ready for the night trek over to the lava fields. We’d planned to spend around an hour and half trekking to see the lava flow… five and a half hours later we returned to camp, aching and exhausted but feeling alive.
We had to climb to the far side of the Volcano- powering up hot white rocks with glowing red lava shining through the cracks. At times the heat was too much to bear. At the top we stood at the edge of molten lava- a giant glowing mass that pumped out immense heat. As our feet burned and we stripped off layers, our guide, Steve, hopped over to the final ledge. I nervously followed. This was seriously scary- the solidified ledges where we stood could have broken off at any time, but the chance to be rewarded with a view of a lifetime was too much of a draw. David and some of the others were shrieking with delight and they waved us over. Claire and I nervously took the final few steps. In front of us swirled molten lava. Oozing straight from the ground and gushing past us in slow, powerful and beautiful waves.
I stared at the river of molten rock and tears just flowed down my face- it´s hard to explain why, but we were faced with such an amazing force of nature, it felt as though we barely deserved to see it. This wasn´t just a once in a lifetime experience- most people NEVER see anything like this- most people don´t get to see anything remotely as magical as this.
So we spent maybe 20 minutes staring at lumps of golden red lava flowing from atop the volcano´s rim. As it tumbled over the edge and down onto the slopes below we toasted marshmallows and some of us cried and others just stood in awe and wondered how we would ever put that experience into words. And we already knew the trek was going to be special- life changing and challenging and frightening.
Most of the group slept rather badly through the night. Tired and groggy, we managed a quick breakfast and a rapid pack up and we were off back down the volcano to meet our pick up van.
The journey to Volcano number 2 took some two hours. We arrived at the foot of Volcan Acatenango to be met by our guiding team; OX. We were also met by Julie Chappell, the British Ambassador to Guatemala who had started supporting us during the summer of last year. Jules and Pete had decided to come along for the day and joined us along with the O.X. manager Victor.
Our team set off, each adding an extra 6 litres of water to our already heavy loads. Acatenango was a challenge from the word go. The path took us up a dusty farmland path through fields of white Calla Lilies.
The upward path moved from farmland to cloud forest and hour after hour passed. Some of the group began to struggle and the gear was redistributed between those who were still feeling strong.
Claire struggled on this stretch of the trek. The team took her water from her bag and kept a close eye on her as she struggled to keep up with the group. Laura also began struggling and Pete swapped his day pack for her 60 litre backpack to help her keep up with the pace.
We all noticed how much of a mental battle this was becoming- I tried to clear my mind of the challenge ahead and had to simply focus on one foot after the other and nothing else. Before we reached our lunch stop I was close to the edge. I knew how many hours still had to pass before we reached the end of the day and I began to doubt myself. Every step started to hurt and each twist in the path seemed to lead to more pain and more problems. I suffered in silence- I didn’t want to admit out loud that this was becoming agony. The last hundred metres before our lunch stop nearly broke me- but I had made it that far and I wasn’t about to turn back. Lunch passed and we said goodbye to Julie, Pete, John and Victor. The remaining 10 challengers were left along with our four guides.
I think after lunch we all felt stronger. Both the guys and the girls were back in action.
Several hours later the trees were growing fewer as we reached altitudes of some 3500 metres. We crossed the first brow of the hill and hit the first crater. I think that despite the struggle so far we mostly felt strong. Only the joker of the group, Fitzy, was seriously struggling- battling with the effects of high altitude.
With the summit within reach and the sun starting to go down, we hit the section known as purgatory. A steep hill made up of scree where every single step forward causes you to slide right back. A couple of the others let me head to the front of the group to have the honour of reaching the summit first. I´d been cursed and blamed throughout the day- the challenge had been my idea so naturally everybody´s frustrations had been poured out on me. Now the group showed a softer side and I was told I had to have the honour of summiting first.
One by one we reached the top of Acatenango- and once again tears streamed down my face. The four girls were all in tears- we´d suffered and that final section had nearly proven to be too much. We all screamed and jumped for joy and cheered each other on as we all eventually made it up that painful stretch. Last to reach the top was Fitzy. Despite being the largest and strongest in appearance, it had been Fitzy who had struggled most that day. Altitude sickness had hit hard. The two most senior members of the group hit the summit with pride. ‘Loon’ and ‘Humph’ knew that they had age against them- and at 58 and 60 they were respected by each and every member of the team.
With our last ounces of energy we left our bags at camp and ran up to the rim of the crater to watch the sun set. The team was elated. We were singing and dancing and shrieking with laughter; the feeling was fantastic. We’d beaten Acatenango- a 3976 metre volcano that had hurt us bad. Our hardest day was over… we’d conquered 2 out of 3 volcanoes.
That night, we didn’t really sleep. Despite drinking cartons of red wine, the below freezing temperatures kept us awake. Icicles formed on the side of the tents and our water bottles turned to ice.
Grumpy and exhausted we knew that day 3 would be a challenge. We packed up our gear and once again threw our backpacks on our backs. A huge rumble started the day for us as our third volcano; Fuego, erupted on the horizon. It seemed crazy to be climbing a volcano that active- but we wanted to achieve nothing more. Fuego was our third and final goal. Both Fitzy and Taylor had said that they weren’t going to climb the third volcano; that one last volcano was just too much. But as we set off they knew they had to try.
We trekked for some three hours; back down through forest and down scree paths before heading back up the slopes of Volcan Fuego. We were way above the cloud line when we reached Fuego’s knife edge. A path around 6 foot wide dramatically fell away on both sides. The path led towards Fuego’s summit.
The scene was a nightmare for anyone with vertigo- but a dream for those of us who were getting high on the views of distant peaks above the clouds. We sat and ate lunch in awe. Only one thing could top this- an eruption.
And off Fuego went, shaking the ground beneath us and shooting enormous clouds of ash into the air. It was unbelievable- a huge eruption right in front of us. The volcanoes had delivered their promises and it was time to head back.
The journey back was hard. We had ran out of water and there were several hours of downward slopes to contend with. I slipped over so many times as my legs turned to jelly.
As we crossed a break in the path by edging along a fallen tree trunk, Sian suddenly collapsed in pain. Her already damaged knee had popped out of place and she couldn’t put any weight on it.
The team redistributed her bag between the other members and Sian struggled on, supporting her weight with her sticks and hopping down the difficult path. Sian did this for some 3 or 4 hours, and eventually slid down the mud tracks on her bum. She was incredibly brave and we were thankful when the guides finally managed to carry her down the wider final section of the path.
We reached the road and our truck at sunset. We were broken. I felt numb; but relieved. I think each and every one of the team agreed that it was the hardest thing we had ever done. It hurt us beyond belief and it took a huge amount of physical and mental strength to reach that point. It was hard to believe it was over.
The Big Volcano Challenge raised in the region of £30,000.
10 out of 11 group members completed the challenge.
We were greeted at rainbow café by a crowd of some 40 teachers, staff, volunteers and supporters of the project.
The next day most of us couldn’t stop crying. The children at school performed a heartfelt welcoming back ceremony. The challenge had made a group of no-hopers into heroes.
Foundation staff are now planning a similar challenge for 2011. David and I swear that we won’t take part but I have a horrible feeling that we might. Time will tell.
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