Sixteen intrepid Tigers traveled to Antigua, Guatemala to savor the culture of this colonial city and to summit a nearby volcano, Acatenango. Participants were Gene Banman, Barry Boscoe, Steve Burns, Ken Deemer, Bruce Geeenspon, Greg Hargrave, Greg Hill, Richard Knowlton, Michael Moskowitz, Russ Skibsted, Chris Tesari, Cedric Tuck Sherman, Doug Tung, Tom Turney, Lee Weinberg, and Dave Witherow.

We landed in Guatemala City on Friday evening – 14 traveling together from LAX and two from the east coast – and were taken by shuttle directly to our Airbnb in Antigua. After settling in, we enjoyed a late dinner at Hector’s Bistro.

On Saturday, we set out to visit a local coffee plantation. There, we learned about the cultivation and care of coffee plants, as well as the grading and processing of beans. The growers are part of a collective supported by the nonprofit De la Gente, which provides loans and training, and purchases beans at fair prices. This support enables growers to afford housing, education, and healthcare.

In the afternoon we were led on a walking tour of Antigua. Meaning “Old Town”, Antigua was the original capital of Guatemala and is the oldest colonial city in the Americas. It suffered a couple of devasting earthquakes, and the capital was moved to Guatemala City in the 18th century. Much of the colonial charm remains; cobblestoned streets, Spanish architecture, and colorfully painted adobe shops, restaurants, and hotels. Surrounding volcanos are visible throughout.

Sunday, we boarded a bus for Chichicastenango, one of the oldest and largest indigenous markets in the Americas. Colorful textiles were on display everywhere. Unfortunately, Tom became acutely ill and stayed behind. We returned to Antigua for dinner and to prepare for our volcano adventure.

Monday early we piled onto the bus for the two-hour journey to Soledad, stopping to load up on water and last-minute items. We had hired porters to carry the water and some of our gear and we met them at the trailhead. The trail was hot, dusty, and steep!  Tom had rallied but, after a short distance, he decided to turn back. This was a great disappointment to him and all of us.

The trail led us through steep agricultural fields before reaching a dense tropical forest that blanketed the mountain. Breaks in the trees treated us to amazing views of the fields and villages below. By late afternoon, we reached our camp at 11,700’, a gain of almost 4,000’! Our two guides, Luis and ?, did a great job of keeping the group together. “Camp” was a row of six tents and a couple of corrugated huts for cooking and toilet. The tents opened to stunning views of the valleys below and the massive Vulcan Fuego a couple of miles away.

The rest of the day was spent resting and catching up with one another. As darkness fell, the temperatures dropped, and a welcome fire was made. After dinner, Dave brought out his guitar and we joined in on familiar tunes. The sky was clear and the stars brilliant. In the distance we could see bits of red from Fuego’s activity.

After breakfast the next morning, we set out for the summit of Acatenango at 13,000’. We soon climbed above the tree line and the views were spectacular. Since the other groups had summited the day before, we were completely alone at the summit. The crater was maybe a couple of thousand feet across and filled in nearly to the rim. And it was super windy. We circled the entire rim taking lots of photos. Unfortunately, clouds obscured the valley below. Dave had schlepped his guitar to the top and regaled us with some high-altitude tunes!

On the way down, Ken got separated from the group and lost. There is a spider’s web of trails back to the various camps, which are quite far apart and were deserted at the time. After wandering for a while he eventually found the group. Another afternoon and evening were filled with relaxing, eating, eating, drinking and listening to music!

Wednesday morning after breakfast, we packed up trudged back down and settled onto the bus for the drive back to Antigua. Here we met up with Tom and Barry. With a bad ankle, Barry had opted out of the climb and enjoyed some local mountain biking instead. The two of them had spent the day visiting Lake Atitlan, a high-altitude lake ringed by verdant volcano cones and Mayan villages.  

Our celebratory dinner was held at Meson Panza Verde, an open courtyard surrounded by lush plants, where toasts and stories abounded. This was Ken’s final trip as leader and the baton was passed to Dave Witherow and Richard Knowlton to plan our future adventures!