San Pedro: Extinct Volcano Almost Made Me Extinct

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Day 73 – Thursday 1st December 2005

Volcano San Pedro reaches a height of 3,020m Above Sea Level (ASL) at its summit. Lake Atitlan lies at 1,860m ASL. Therefore to climb Volcano San Pedro this meant making a vertical ascent of 1,160m. Of course I didn’t go straight up, I gradually ascended. In order to escape the heat of the day it was an early start. Up before sunrise, for a 6am meet ready for the climb.

The volcano is extinct so I knew I wouldn’t see any lava, but I hoped for a clear day and some good views. Despite it being an easy path to follow there had been warnings not to attempt to climb it alone or in a group without a guide, due to a few armed robberies and one rape that have taken place on the trail in the last few years. However armed with packed lunch, tennis shoes, t-shirt & shorts I felt ready for anything the volcano could throw at me. Bleary eyed, we began the walking just as the sun rose over the lake. It took a while to get out of the village, mainly due to the stop for banana bread.

We reached the entrance to the park trail and began the walk in earnest. I had been lucky with the weather, the morning was exceptionally clear, and spirits were high. The trail began with a gentle ascent, meandering back and forth along the base of the volcano. During this time the people in the group were chatting away happily, seemingly enjoying the early morning walk. As time wore on the trail got a little steeper and it was harder work. I noticed the conversations were becoming increasingly sparse. About an hour into the climb all conversation had stopped and people were concentrating on where they were putting their feet. For me personally this was the best way of blocking the dull ache in my calves from my mind.

After an hour and a half walking we reached the first lookout point. This was at about 2,200m ASL. Looking out over the villages of San Pedro and San Juan gave me a perspective of where I had ridden my bike the previous day. It also gave me some decent photo opportunities of the same villages, as well as showing how much I was sweating! After a ten minute break we set back off along the trail, not quite fully rejuvenated but glad we’d had the chance to stretch out our muscles.

It took about another hour to reach the halfway point along the trail (in terms of altitude at least). We’d been walking two and a half hours and had only reached halfway. My calves and quads were on fire! The guide said it was only an hour to the top – which was great – but it also meant that the next hour would involve a climb of about 500m.

I won’t lie. That hour wasn’t very fun. I tried my hardest to concentrate on anything but what I was actually doing. I tried remembering my Spanish classes, I planned my lunch, anything to get my mind off where I actually was and what I was doing. At the start of the day, I had decided I was going to be among the first of the group to reach the top. This helped me a lot as it gave me a target to aim for, as well as making it competitive.

The arrival at the summit was very welcome! After catching my breath and eating some of my packed lunch, I began to appreciate the incredible view of the lake, as well as the other volcanoes and villages below. It was just possible to make out the white water churned up by the boats crossing the lake. As I mentioned before the day was incredibly clear and Panajachel was clearly visible on the other side of the lake, some 20km away.

After sitting and admiring the scenery for about 45 minutes, the time came to make the decent. If anything this was more painful than the ascent, especially the jarring on the knees. The end was always in sight though, which made it easier. After an hour and a half descending I reached my hotel. This was only about one thirty but my legs were quivering from the exersion, so after a long shower and some lunch, I decided that I was finished for the day. Thus I slept most of the afternoon, only waking in the evening to get some dinner.