Guatemala 7: Volcano

There are several volcanoes in Guatemala, and a few of them are active. We had the amazing opportunity to hike one of the active volcanoes, Pacaya.




We rode horses part of the way up:Here's a shot of the volcano erupting as we rode towards it. So cool!Then we had to leave the horses and hike/scramble the rest of the way Here we are at the base of the very top cone. They don't really let hikers climb to the crater because there have been too many accidents. At this point we left the trail (with our guide's assistance) and hiked over some recently formed volcanic rock And then, bam! There it was! Here were are with our guide. Can you believe how close they let us get to the lava? Only in a developing country, people. And we thought we were being pyros when we were setting off all those fireworks. Holy cow!

It was really, really hot. As in, you could only be this close for a few seconds: long enough to stick the stick in the lava, take a picture, and then get out of there! I have no idea what the actual air temperature was, but it felt like you were standing inside a 500 degree oven if you got within a few feet of it. And then if the wind picked up your immediate gut instinct was to hit the ground. I'm not kidding, it would get so hot with that wind that it felt as though the air itself would burn you. Chase got really brave and did it standing up, without the shelter of the rocks. Can you see the expression on his face? That is not feigned.I think Rich is pointing at the lava or something, but doesn't it look like he's about to whack Chase? ha! Our guide pulled out a hunk of the lava (it was about the consistency of thick taffy), stuck a coin in it, and then poured water over it to create this unique souvenir:

Chase and TylerThe gorgeous view. That's another volcano behind the clouds.

On the way down we came across these armed guards and they were actually willing to take a picture with us! Apparently they hike the trail to ward off robbers who prey on hikers.



On the way down we also saw people running/falling/practically skiing down this steep gravel hill. So Chase had to give it a go, and said it was probably the second most fun thing about the volcano, but that he wished it was longer. Ü

Here's a shot of the running lava


And here's a quick clip of Chase putting his stick in the lava. Notice the brevity of the experience. Seriously, I don't think any of us had ever experienced heat in quite that intensity before.