Thunder, Lightning, and Lava. It doesn’t get much better! In case you lose interest before finishing the review, the trip was fantastic and well worth the price. We... read moreIn case you lose interest before finishing the review, the trip was fantastic and well worth the price. We had a group of four that backpacked Acatenango on September 10th and 11th. 2018. The reason our trip was fantastic was the weather was perfect, the group was well prepared, and Trek Guatemala was was also well prepared. The only things you can’t control on the trip are the weather, your response to high altitude, and the other hikers on the trail. This is not an easy hike but the reward is well worth it for those who are prepared. Preparation. First you should be in good physical hiking shape. Our group was three guys in their late 50’s and a women in her early 20’s. All of us live near sea level and hike 3-5 miles a few times a week and at least 5-10 miles once per week. You’ll need to pack the right clothing. Sturdy high hiking boots that you’ve already broken in are the best. Descending from the top through decomposing lava scree tends to get lava rock in low hiking boots. Hiking pants with zip off pant legs is beneficial. Pant legs off for ascending and on for early morning ascent and around base camp. A second layer of light rain pants is also recommended for the early morning ascent or rain. Top layers like two wick dry t shirts (one to change into at camp), light fleece, thin down jacket, and rain jacket give you flexibility during the hike. A warm hat and gloves complete your clothing. All of us took Advil at the trial head, at base camp before bed, and in the morning as a precaution for altitude sickness. You may want to google more on altitude sickness if you are not familiar. For sleeping you may want to bring a sleeping bag liner and small blow up pillow. I’m not a big fan of sleeping in someone else’s bag so the liner solves that. However, the sleeping bags provided were new and clean so no problem.Trek Guatemala was prepared with a great guide who spoke Spanish, English, and French. The provided equipment, and rental gear if needed, was all new and of very good quality. The food was very good and our guide prepared lunch, dinner, and breakfast that other hiking groups were jealous of. Our guide made guacamole with tomatoes and onions at the stop. There were tortillas, chips, pastries, apples, bread, and refried beans. Dinner was sliced bread with tomato topping and a bottle of wine to start with. The entree was bow tie pasta, tomatoes, salad. Top off with S’mores at the end. Breakfast the next morning was after the ascent and included strawberries, granola, yogurt, apples, coffee and tea. The food was excellent and I may have missed a few items, but you won’t go hungry.The trail. It’s mostly a single track straight up. Very few switch backs and the ones that are there are steep. Did I mention it’s steep. To put it in perspective. The hike up Mt Whitney starts at 8800 feet and finishes at 14,500 feet. This hike starts at 7800 feet and finishes at 13000 feet. Basically the same elevation gain but in half the distance. Mt. Whitney is 11 miles up and this hike is just less than 6 miles one way. Base camp is at 11,700 feet which took us 4.5 hours. The next day is another 1300 feet up decomposed lava. If you’ve even seen movies about hiking Mt Everest, this is close to it. We had about 100 people on the trial trying to get up to the top before sunrise. It was a traffic jam but everyone was calm. Coming down the trail is hard on the quads and it’s best to take it slow although we did it in under 2.5 hours from the top. The weather. Unpredictable but for our trip is was overcast during the hike up which was welcomed because it would have been really hot even though there is cover most of the way. At camp the clouds covered Fuego while we settled in and then dispersed to show Fuego right in front of us spewing smoke, rock, and lava. Once it was dark, the lava and thunder and lightning show was amazing. Fuego erupted all night long. Up at 4:00am to make it to the top to see the sunrise at 5:40am. The weather was cool but not cold. We didn’t need all our cold weather gear but this was not usual the guide said. No wind at the top and clear skies to see all the volcanoes, the lake, and city lights. Miscellaneous. There are stray dogs on the trails and a few followed us all the way to base camp. Ours weren’t aggressive and one slept in the vestibule of our tent with his body next to mine separated by the tent wall. He benefitted more from the body heat than I did. Porters. I highly recommend getting a porter or two. We hired two. This was the first time for me. I felt guilty at first but it helps the locals. These guys are strong and with a mule they carried our water and sleeping gear. Our tents were set up when we arrived and a nice touch was the thermarest chair made out of the sleeping pad. The only improvement I would suggest at camp would be to have a few log benches at least to sit on because it’s all lava rock. You carry your own clothing and water you’ll need that day, about 3 liters depending on your level hydration.I know it’s a long review but hopefully it’s helps. Be prepared and have fun. It’s a trip you’ll long remember. read less
