Climbing Acatenango

What a nightmare. Basically the mistake i made was climbing at the wrong time of year. If you climb during rainy season you are guaranteed to have rain clouds on the top swirling around with their cold air making it impossible to see anything, let alone a Volcano Fuego, and freezing your ass off!

It was the hardest climb i have ever done. At one point in the ascent the path was so steep, plus the fact the volcanic soil slides you back with every step you take, i was literally crawling up at a snails pace, one step after the other. The path felt like it would never end and went up and onwards into the blackness of the swirling fog howling in the trees. The fact that i couldn't see and had had no sleep (we woke up at 11.30pm to start hiking to reach the summit before sunrise) took any enjoyment of if it. If the guide had told me about the seasons for climbing (rain clouds descend on volcano peaks at this time of year, it usually rains in the afternoon you see, being rainy season) i would not have climbed. Or i would have climbed later in the morning because it was impossible to see anything at night, i could barely see my feet the clouds were so thick. When we attempted the summit the wind picked up till i felt we were actually running a risk of getting blown off into the pitch blackness of the side of the volcano. It was quite scary not really being able to see what's around you. We stopped behind a rock for shelter and rest at one point, but the freezing wind got to us so we couldn't stay still else i felt like we were going to get hypothermia.

At one point on the descent i had to really watch my step as i couldn't see where i was going, and my guide kept disappearing off into the blackness so i felt almost totally alone up there (what a shit guide he didn't deserve 200qs!). Occasionally he would stop though so i could just make it the headlight of his lamp so i knew where to head without falling down the black volcanic slopes!

It wasn't the experience i wanted. I didn't to see Fuego, i wouldn't do it again but it was a bit of an adventure i guess.