Expedition Impossible: Guatemala Version

     This summer I watched a reality series called Expedition Impossible. It was located in Morrocco. The teams would do these impossible missions competing against each other. They were from all different backgrounds, ages, and one guy was even blind (Erik Weihenmayer). I thought to myself, while eating cookies and potato chips on the couch, that these people are crazy. For me to do what they are doing, would require a really good prize. It looked emotionally and physically draining. I told myself I would never to something like that, forgetting that I was going to be gone for a year long missionary journey that was physically, emotionally, and spiritually draining with a prize too great to even dream about. 

     In Guatemala, the team decided that we wanted to climb a volcano and roast marshmallows at the top. Let me explain something about a few of the people on Iris's Latin America trip. They love adventure! One guy wants to wrestle a crocodile and was actively looking for one in a crocodile infested river in Belize. In Quatemala, some of the guys were driving to a crocodile infested pond in Tikal to wrestle them. I went just to be one of the guys but had no plans to get even close to one. Most of us have a heart for the unreached and will go anywhere to find them. So climbing up a volcano and roasting marshmallows seemed fun and adventurous. It never seems as hard to do something when you are on a couch eating cookies and potato chips. You never really no how out of shape you are until you challenge yourself. Two months of sleeping in a tent or the suburban and traveling in uncomfortable vehicles for 6-12 hours with little to no exercise doesn't help.

    There were a few Volcanos to choose from in the area we were travelling to. One was called Agua, another Fuego. We chose Pacaya after talking to a local. Pacaya is an active volcano, which first erupted approximately 23,000 year ago and has erupted at least 23 times since the Spanish conquest of Guatemala. Pacaya rises to an elevation of 8,373 ft. We started the climb at about 6,000 ft. The last eruption, according to wikipedia, was on May 27, 2010 causing ash to rain down on Guatemala City and Antigua. When we got back to the orphanage we were staying at, we could see smoke billowing out of Pacaya.

Inside Pacaya

The halfway point up Pacaya. The top of Pacaya in the background.

It looks like I'm smiling but it's really a wince in pain.

Same wince with something unusual happening to my chest. I might need a bra.

     So, that was our adventure in Guatemala. I would say half the team made it up Pacaya. A couple of my teammates rode a horse halfway up, they were the wise ones. It was a good test for us and especially me. I told myself that I deserved to feel they way I do for letting myself go. Halfway up the volcano, we decided we needed to workout more if we were ever going to reach the unreached in the jungles of who knows where. Climbing up it was interesting. There was a portion that was very treacherous that you could not get a foothold in. You would just slide down every time you took a step up. There were these kids selling hiking poles for 5 quetzales or about .75 cents at the base of the volcano. I didn't want one. For what I thought?!  Did they think I was some stupid tourist needing a stick, I mumbled to myself. Let me tell you something. The hiking stick would have come in handy. Guess I am a dumb tourist. :)