This weekend I went with a group to the top of Tajumulco. Its the highest point in Central America and what's ironic is you can see a taller mountain from the summit, only that mountain is in Mexico, and thus in North America. The hike would have been a nice 1-day workout, but to see the sunrise we hiked up, slept below the summit, and then woke up at 3:30 to climb the summit in the dark. This might sound easier, but remember that two days means you need: Tents gear, lots more water, food, sleeping bags, etc... All that means a lot more weight and a lot harder hike.
The hike was still awesome. So many cool people, great views (lots of clouds) really cool guides, and the whole fee for the trip (minus costs) was donated to a children's charity. We hit base camp right as the rain started, and the guides cooked us lunch and dinner while denying our help. At 330 they woke us up, we packed our sleeping bags and cold-weather clothes, and scrambled in the dark to the summit. Once there, we napped and huddled in our sleeping bags in the below-freezing temperatures and winds. As the sun rose, an interesting glow-effect took place in the valleys between the mountains, something about the water-vapor refracting the light? It looked awesome.
What was really interesting were all the different type of people who were on the trip. A couple of cool guys about to go to grad school for teaching and taking a summer trip. A french cabinet-maker who works in France long enough to re-qualify for unemployment benefits that he uses to fund his travels. An annoying polish man who nearly hit me in the face with his dumb trekking poles. An Aggie Grad-student with an impressive set of dreds who knew my old TCA friends (Kain, Lutz, Bell, Newman). A girl with all her own high quality gear but was overtly whiney for the actual difficulty of what we were doing. A pastor's son from Ohio. Girls from a co-op at Berkely. A Vanderbilt student who worked in a local medical clinic. A retired couple going on the adventures they'd always wanted.
The hike was still awesome. So many cool people, great views (lots of clouds) really cool guides, and the whole fee for the trip (minus costs) was donated to a children's charity. We hit base camp right as the rain started, and the guides cooked us lunch and dinner while denying our help. At 330 they woke us up, we packed our sleeping bags and cold-weather clothes, and scrambled in the dark to the summit. Once there, we napped and huddled in our sleeping bags in the below-freezing temperatures and winds. As the sun rose, an interesting glow-effect took place in the valleys between the mountains, something about the water-vapor refracting the light? It looked awesome.
What was really interesting were all the different type of people who were on the trip. A couple of cool guys about to go to grad school for teaching and taking a summer trip. A french cabinet-maker who works in France long enough to re-qualify for unemployment benefits that he uses to fund his travels. An annoying polish man who nearly hit me in the face with his dumb trekking poles. An Aggie Grad-student with an impressive set of dreds who knew my old TCA friends (Kain, Lutz, Bell, Newman). A girl with all her own high quality gear but was overtly whiney for the actual difficulty of what we were doing. A pastor's son from Ohio. Girls from a co-op at Berkely. A Vanderbilt student who worked in a local medical clinic. A retired couple going on the adventures they'd always wanted.
It was an awesome trip. I'm not sure if its true or not, but our most senior guide said we were his most enjoyable group. I had a blast, and it was good reinforcement that there are cool people everywhere and friendships aren't too hard to form.
See what I mean about the clouds here? This is near the bottom:
See what I mean about the clouds here? This is near the bottom:
Hiking the summit in the dark:
Trying to stay warm at 13,845 feet.
Sunrise of Central America:
For a brief time, I was the highest point / person in Central America:
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