#31 Volcán Tajumulco, Guatemala High Point

At 13,845 feet tall, Tajumulco is not only the highest mountain in Guatemala but also the highest in all of Central America. Because if its remote location near the the country's western border with Mexico, lack of tourist infrastructure, and perhaps State Department advisories warning against travel to the San Marcos District of Guatemala due to crime, relatively few people climb Tajumulco. On the contrary we felt very safe and welcomed by every local we crossed paths with on our journey and experienced a level of courtesy and outwardly warm and friendly greetings on streets unlike in most places in the U.S. This was true of our entire time spent in both Guatemala and short time earlier in El Salvador. Nonetheless we prearranged a local guide for the hike to have some extra reassurance and to eliminate any need for route finding along the way. Wilman De Leòn Pèrez came recommended to us and his lack of English gave us a good opportunity to practice our Spanish during our seven-hour round trip hike from the trailhead to the summit and back. 

After a not-so-much fun hour-long drive on dark winding mountain roads from the town of San Marcos to our meeting point with Wilman (we love Google Maps but don't enjoy yet again being re-routed onto barely navigable and closed roads) we safely parked at the trailhead at 6 AM. Here at an elevation of ~10,000 feet, strong winds attempted to rip the doors off our rental car as we greeted the cold, cloudy and wet conditions we were about to subject ourselves to. The beginning part of the trail is a steep mountain road leading to a handful of ramshackle farmers' dwellings where a pack of aggressive dogs charged us, snarled and showed their teeth but we kept them at bay with our trekking poles until we exited their territory. 

 

Not long thereafter we entered a protected reserve and enjoyed lots of greenery as the vegetation changed from tropical to alpine forest as we ascended higher. Above the tree line the foggy cloud cover remained as we encountered a series of Catholic monuments depicting Jesus bearing the weight of a cross. They were emblematic of the arduous pilgrimage to the top and also served nicely as trail markers.

As we climbed higher nearing the crater rim around 9:30 AM, as if by divine intervention, the clouds parted and blue skies and bright sunshine emerged. The wind was powerful but we were happy to have a clear view atop Tajumulco the highest point in Central America. 

Tajumulco Summit 13,845' Nov. 12 ~10AM