A friend just asked me where’s a good place for adventure. I told this story before and now I’ll tell it again because if it’s adventure what you’re looking for, this should be on the top of your bucket list.
First, catch a 3pm flight from Hawaii to Los Angeles. Then transit straight to a red eye flight and arrive in Guatemala the next morning at 8am. Get a taxi to your hostel, get talked into doing a short hike, then get into another taxi and get dropped off right here at the base of this mountain. This is where the adventure really started.
I took my backpack with everything I took to Guatemala because I didn’t want to leave it at the hostel. So yes, it was heavy. I bought water, and borrowed a yoga mat and sleeping bag. Little did I know my journey was going to be a 7 hour steep hike to the very top of that mountain. 
Straight off the airplane, wearing my sneakers, and walking in dirt, gravel, rocks, and snakes. After the 5th hour, the blisters, dehydration, and jet lag kicked in. 
I had no idea where I was going, no idea how long to get there, and no idea that we were going to sleep in a little tent on the top of the mountain. There were no bathrooms, no toilets, and no stores. So what ever you had with you was it. 
There was a Guatemalan local guide. He kept on laughing at me every time the ground started to shake, the sounds gotten louder, and the top of the volcano started to explode. That happened every 20 minutes so he got to laugh at me the whole way as we were trying to get to the top of that active volcano. I’ve never experienced anything close to that so yes, I was freaking scared. 
But once I reached the top, I felt so good accomplishing something I’d never dreamt of. Altitude sickness didn’t prevent me from jumping for joy! The volcano exploding didn’t scare me anymore, as nothing did. I felt so content! I was in Guatemala for less than a day and experienced something I’d never did before. Would I do it again? No. Do I still recommend it? Yes. BUT, you have to know the risks as that volcano has erupted a few times killing everybody on the mountain and nearby towns. But life goes on in Guatemala and so will the high risk adventures. Hike at your own risk…
