On Tuesday I was up early to meet my guide, Hector, a gentle 51 year old who spoke softly and smiled to reveal toothless gums. The two of us set off under the pink sky to first wind along paths through farm land and then through the jungle. The hike was tough but enjoyable. We reached the cabin just before the rain and I was still feeling energetic. I cooked us some spaghetti and then sat on the porch staring at a beautiful green lake nestled at the top of the mountain we had ascended.
That evening, a group of 20 school kids with a couple of teachers and their guide appeared and immediately filled the tiny wooden cabin with bodies, dripping clothes, noise and warmth. They were incredibly friendly towards me. I was asked so many questions by inquisitive faces, brought mugs of piping hot chocolate, dragged from stool to floor to play cards, moved back again to be presented with a bowl of steaming rice, had sweets stuffed into my hands, and I drifted off to the sound of giggles, clattering and banging. It was all rather endearing.
On Wednesday, Hector and I were up at sunrise, tiptoeing over bodies and blankets, to set of to the Sumaco Galeras volcano summit. This was a long and incredibly difficult day. The rain had turned the ground to mud and I fell countless times. Every ten steps I would come to a ledge at my hip height and have to grab a tree branch or root to haul myself up. It was hard work for my whole body.
After about five hours, we surfaced out of the jungle, to terrain of grass and shrubs, which left us exposed to the rain and biting wind. By this point, we were nearing the 3813m high summit and I was panting at an almost comical rate. Two hours later we made it to the crater edge, marked by a fallen flag pole adorned with some shredded rags. I was impressed but totally exhausted.
The decent was just as long and just as difficult, but I fell over five times more frequently. Meanwhile, Hector was unbelievably nimble, energetic and totally unaffected by the altitude. Every now and then the path would be blocked by fallen trees or overgrown vegetation and he would bushwhack with his machete to clear the way.
We arrived back at the cabin after dark. I washed my mud covered legs in the cold water from the tanker outside and was so relieved to sit down with a mug of hot chocolate that the teacher had made me. She had stayed behind while the rest had hiked up to camp in the volcano crater. She also presented me with an absolute mountain of rice and noodles. I couldn't even finish it (which is incredibly rare for me) and collapsed into bed.
The final decent was pleasant and I was able to forgot the horrors of the day before. It was a truly wonderful experience, if it did kill me a little bit.
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| Birds flying overhead at sunset |
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