June 2, 2019

This past weekend, most of our group decided to climb Volcán Tajumulco. At 13,845 feet, TJ is the tallest peak in Central America.

We left bright and early Saturday morning and drove for a few hours to get to the base of the mountain. When we got there, it was incredibly cloudy and windy, and the guides informed us that it was the worst weather they had so far experienced on TJ but that we would climb nonetheless. I had checked the weather several times before we set out on the trip and new the weather wouldn’t be in our favor but s we climbed things started to clear up. When we finally got to basecamp, only 200 meters below the peak, after three and half hours, the clouds had started to come back but it wasn’t until immediately after the tents were set up that the weather really started to turn.

It rained hard and the wind roared by for hours before there was finally a break long enough for us to have a comfortable dinner. It didn’t long though for the weather to come back with a vengeance and it did not let up until the morning. Unfortunately, this caused us to miss our window to summit for the sunrise, but we found an opportunity to finish the climb a few hours later. Standing on top of Central America, I was a little disappointed to be shrouded in mist but we all had a feeling of accomplishment that made it worth it.

On the way down, the weather started out fine enough, but we found ourselves back in the clouds and the wind. Not too long into the descent, it began to rain. Then it began to rain harder. Then there was a flash of light and a crack of thunder. Then we were slipping down the mountain in rivers of mud as lightning flashed overhead and rain soaked through our waterproof jackets and hail bit at our exposed areas of skin. When we finally made it back to the base of the mountain, we went to a nearby comedor. I felt bad when, after we had finished eating, I looked down and noticed that we were all sitting in puddles of our own making from our drenched clothes.

It was a three hour bus ride in sopping clothes and a heater on too high before we made it back to Xela. We were tired, smelly, and miserable. But we were happy all the same. Afterall, misery loves company.