Trek to Lake Atitlan

Hiking to the lake has been one of the highlights of my time here. Ethan and I (and 12 others) went with the company Quetzaltrekers, a non-profit organization who donates all money to a school and clinic in the area. The volunteer guides, Rachael from Colorado, Humphrey from England and Andy from Scotland were so much fun and really made the trip. We began in the small village Xecam just outside of Xela. The first section was quite steep, switchbacking through cloud forests with beautiful views of Xela, the Santa Maria Volcano and Tajumulco. By the sixth hour, we were tramping through cornfields and along a dirt road that led us to the village Santa Catarina, situated high in the mountains. After nearly eight hours of hiking, it felt glorious to take off the backpacks and sip on a Gallo in the quaint plaza. The municipal building served as our shelter and 1/64 of an inch sleeping pads served as our bed.

The next morning we rose early, ate at a local comedor and began another 8 hour day of hiking. We made our way through valleys of farmland and gazed upon the impossibly steep cornfields with awe. We eventually reached a river valley which is also the base of "Record Hill". In an attempt to diminish whining from trekkers, the guides have turned the climbing of this steep hill into a game, "See How Fast You Can Climb This Hill". Ethan finished 1.5 minutes shy of the record 9 minutes 45 seconds!
(I guess it helps when your legs are half the length of the mountain). The last part of the hike consisted of crossing a beautiful river for a couple miles. That evening we stayed in a village above the lake Santa Clara La Laguna with a local family. We were greeted with delicious licuados of fresh strawberries, a delicious dinner and marshmallows around a campfire. In an attempt to win the affection of the children, I kept feeding them roasted "Nebulitos" or "Little Clouds".

Before the crack of dawn, at 3:30 am, we woke up to hike to La Mirador in time for sunrise. We cozied up in our sleeping bags and watched shooting stars above the breathtaking Lake Atitlan, the birthplace of creation according to Mayan Legend. As we sipped on a Guatemalan mocha (instant coffee, powered milked, cocoa and lots of sugar) we silently watched the sun gift us with another day as Fuego erupted in the distance.