Pacaya - Volcana Adventure of a Lifetime

Today was one of the best days of my life. Today, I climbed 1,000 meters to end up 2500 meters above sea level on a lava flowing crater of Mount Pacaya about 1 hour from Antigua.

It was extra special because every step of the way, my family was with me. I couldn't have done it without them! They are my rock.

I woke up and all I could think was "It's a great day to climb a mountain." a phrase inspired by Darryl and the IBEX Herd. While Darryl and I often use this phrase figuratively, today, it was 100% literal. It was a clear sunny, warm (23 degrees) day - a great day to climb a mountain. I thought of Darryl every step of the way.

Aidan, my 8 year old son was with me every step of the way as well. I know how much he loves nature and how much he would have loved seeing the plumes of smoke coming out of Pacaya and the volcano Feugo off in the distance, which also sent regular plumes of smoke into the air. I know he also would have loved the gigantic grub/caterpillar we saw. It was yellow with a black head and a transparent rear end. It was as thick as my thumb and at least 4 inches long. Can't wait to show you the pictures. And, I thought of Aidan's recommendation not to go to the smoking vent at the top and look over the edge. So, I didn't.

Melanie, my 6 year old daughter was with me too. When the going got tough, and it got pretty tough, I thought of Melanie.

It was a tough climb. I was wheezing like crazy and stopped frequently to catch my breath. I swear we went up a 60 degree angle, as Darlene put it, it was worse than a level 12 on a Stairmaster in the gym! The terrain consisted of loose, sliding rock which made it difficult to get a good footing. The path was tricky with people above and below and people going up and coming down. There were hot air vents to avoid and heat cracks with white coals to jump over. The rock itself was like pummice further down but towards the top it was incredibly sharp edges that cut my hands any time I had to steady myself. It was hard. But Melanie saw me through it - I kept thinking of the song she sings whenever she encounters something difficult - "Keep on going, keep, keep going, keep on going every day."

I also remembered Melanie distinctly telling me not to slip and hurt my knee. So I didn't. Although, we did see some nasty cuts as people came down the mountain. There were a few scratches and scrapes that we had to disinfect on our team too.

It was a surreal experience. I felt connected to the power of Mother Nature and to my family like never before. I can't wait to see them, hug them and share my stories with them in person.