Team Fox – Trekking Upward

39. Climbing Acatenango Volcano

The morning of the second hike, breakfast was scheduled for 7:00 a.m. with a planned departure at 8:00 a.m. Since we would be spending the night on the mountain, we had to pack all our belongings and store them at the hotel. I had done most of the work of getting my daypack, the overnight gear pack for the porter and my stored luggage ready before I went to bed. After breakfast, we were provided sandwich items to pack our own lunch for the trek. I made a half sandwich of pesto, cheese and lettuce, added an orange and a snack size bag of nuts to complete the lunch meal and went to my room to brush my teeth. After everything for the group was stored, we boarded the bus and headed off for the day’s adventure. I knew this hike would be a big challenge and had mixed feelings of excitement yet apprehension.

It was a pleasant ride to the trailhead, and I was wowed by the beautiful mountain scenery we passed through. Our guides, Luisa and Vinnie introduced me to the porter who was to carry my overnight gear. They also met with porters who would be trekking along with us and carrying the gear the group would need. We took group pictures and the day’s journey began. It was a pleasant morning with a cool temperature and overcast sky. The trail started through what seemed to be farmland with a narrow path protected on either side with barbed wire. As we went up higher it changed to dense forest lush with tropical greenery and flowers. Right at the beginning, I felt my gait was off with my right leg requiring more strength to move it and mild pain in my sciatic area. I wasn’t worried as this is a frequent happening for me and it has always smoothed out after 20-30 minutes.

Ready to take on Acatenango. Group including porters and guides.

The trail soon became very steep with areas of large stairs carved out of the ground or areas of vertical trail that had a fine gravel over the dark soil. We were starting out at around 8,500 ft. elevation so the altitude contributed to my shortness of breath. We made a short stop at a place with benches and a pretty view of the valley. I was hoping my right leg would be easier to move but for some reason it did not get better for most of the way to our end destination. This made the climb even more difficult than I had expected. We were less than a mile up the trail and I was already out of breath and tired. Ugh!

The group spread out with those able to go faster at the head and the slower ones bringing up the rear. I stayed mostly in the middle of the group. I welcomed the breaks along the way and by about halfway to our destination was ready for a lunch break. I ate my sandwich and passed my orange off to my porter. I shared with him some of the energy snacks I had added to my pack as well.

After lunch, we pressed on to our destination. I was grateful for Lauren and Zoe, the two hikers in their 20’s who stayed with me for a lot of the trail to make sure I was doing okay. Lauren offered to sing or tell stories to distract my mind from the demands the climb was making on my body. I was struggling just to breathe. How did she have the energy and breath to talk and even sing! Oh, how I marveled at the energy of youth and wondered why I thought that at 70 years old I could take on this challenge. Not only was I struggling with the physical demands but the mental challenge was starting to wear me down.

If things were difficult already they only got worse. As we got higher in elevation and farther along on the trail the weather conditions really deteriorated. It shifted to being cold, damp, windy and at times it was raining. We stopped to put rain covers over our daypacks and I put on gloves and a wind breaker. As long as I was moving, I stayed warm except for my hands. They got so cold I could not move my fingers. It was all I could do to grip my hiking poles. My gait was still off. We were probably at 11,000 ft. elevation and I was exhausted and struggling to move upward. Vinnie offered to carry my pack, but when I resisted, he insisted. The independent warrior inside myself was struggling to accept help as I wanted to carry my own weight, but I knew it was the right thing to do.

As we continued our ascent, Vinnie offered words of encouragement, assuring us that the trail ahead would become less steep and more manageable. Up to this point, we had been climbing directly up the mountain, pushing ourselves with every step. Now, the path shifted direction, and we began to traverse across the cone of the mountain, maintaining an elevation roughly 1,000 to 1,500 feet below the summit.

Although the incline eased somewhat, the trail became no less demanding. The narrow path clung to the side of a rocky, treacherous slope, requiring complete focus and caution. Each step had to be deliberate, and I found myself concentrating intensely on where to place my feet and hiking poles to maintain my balance and ensure my safety. (If you zoom in on the second picture, I’m just behind Vinnie in the gray jacket with a hood and no pack.)

Luisa described our lodging for the night as cabins and there would be an outhouse with a toilet. She promised brand new sleeping bags on mattresses, and pillows for our heads. We were looking forward to hot chocolate and cookies before being served a hot supper. It was getting closer to sunset, and I was eager to arrive at our destination for the night. I wanted to step inside a cabin where I would be protected from the wind and rain. Perhaps I could crawl into a sleeping bag before supper and warm up. I could at least take off my wet wind breaker and put on the warm rain jacket I had packed in the overnight gear bag.

Finally, we were there. Yay! But to our dismay, the “cabins” were plywood shacks with corrugated metal roofs. There were upper and lower platforms where the mattresses were placed side by side. Wooden slats were nailed to the posts to create a ladder to access the upper level. The flooring was bare dirt, now wet from the rain. There was no outhouse. The visibility was poor through the dense clouds. To top it off, the shacks were locked and we would have to wait for Luisa to get the keys to unlock the doors. Someone found one of the shacks open, so we went inside and sat on a bench to wait for the rest of the group to arrive.

We had only been at the shacks for around 10 minutes when Luisa arrived with urgent news. She informed everyone that Devon, a forty-four-year-old woman who has been living with Parkinson’s Disease for nine years, was missing. The announcement prompted immediate concern among the group, and Luisa explained that we needed to find her.

Given my exhausted physical state after the strenuous day’s hike, I knew I would not be able to join the rescue mission. My mind raced through various possibilities, imagining different scenarios that might explain her disappearance. Fortunately, after about ten tense minutes, Devon was found safe and sound. The group was reunited at the overnight site, and there was a collective sense of relief. Devon explained that she had taken a “nature stop” and accidentally followed a divergent trail. Realizing her mistake, she retraced her steps and managed to find her way back to the correct path. What a trooper she was as she didn’t even seem winded after all the extra effort!

Once Luisa unlocked the shacks, we went inside to claim a sleeping spot and place our packs on the ground. Through the row of windows at the top of the front wall, we noticed some patches of blue sky and were relieved to have a break in the weather. There was an open-air pavilion with two walls and a metal roof strategically located with a perfect view of Fuego. We were able to see black smoke rising from it’s crater about every 15-20 minutes following it’s eruptions. I was still very cold and parked myself in the corner of the two walls looking for as much protection from the wind as possible.

The setting sun provided a beautiful view full of color and texture. My fingers were not working good enough to take my own pictures, so I hoped the others would share their pictures later. I sipped on hot chocolate as I watched my teammates posing in the brilliant glow of the setting sun. The porters brought firewood to start a fire, but it was damp thus making it hard for the wood to lite. Jay, a 59-year-old man with Parkinson’s Disease, took charge of fire making. He skillfully placed the kindling and the sustaining pieces of wood to get it going. Finally, Jay asked if anyone had hand sanitizer. He wanted to use it as an accelerant to get a blaze going. That worked and soon there was a nice campfire going that emitted welcome heat. However, it also produced a lot of smoke which seemed to follow me no matter where I was.

The sky on fire with Fuego in the background

While we were enjoying the sunset, Luisa and Vinnie and the porters were busy cooking our supper. They went to the extra effort to have a vegetarian meal for me consisting of rice and grilled vegetables. It was delicious and I ate til I was full. Once it was dark, we got to see Fuego’s red lava bursting forth from its peak in a fiery display of bright red illuminations. Unfortunately, there was still a lot of cloud that distorted the spectacular view. It was still a thrilling sight to behold.

Since we were tired and since we were planning to get up around 4:00 a.m. to hike to the summit to see the sunrise, we decided to go to bed. Most of us decided to forgo brushing our teeth or changing into sleepwear. The lack of a proper restroom meant we had no choice but to relieve ourselves on the ground beside the shack. Of course there was no privacy screen. LOL The cold, damp air made staying warm a priority, and fortunately, there were a few extra sleeping bags in the shack. We unzipped these and spread them out over ourselves as top blankets, grateful for the additional insulation they provided.

Michelle, a 56-year-old woman hiking in honor of her sister, lay right next to me. Throughout the night, we edged closer together, sharing body heat to stay as warm as possible. I kept on both layers of shirts and all three pair of pants I had worn during the hike, including my rain pants. My sleeping spot was at the end of the platform, so I placed my rain jacket beside me for easy access in case I needed it during the night. For a pillow, I used the packing cube that had held my change of clothes, making do with the limited comforts available which weren’t very comfortable. I felt especially thankful for the pair of slip-on shoes I had packed, as they made it much easier to step outside for the one time I needed to use the “bathroom” during the night.

It was a rough night. I must have dozed off right away and slept for a few hours. After I got up to go to the bathroom, I had trouble falling back to sleep. The wind rattled the roof such that it sounded like a pack of rats were scrambling around above us. Or maybe someone was throwing marbles on the roof making a loud racket. Fuego erupted frequently with loud explosions each time. Some of the women had to get up more than once during the night to go outside.

Luisa was checking the weather conditions during the night and finally decided it was too windy, cloudy, and cold to try and go to the summit. Not so secretly I was happy about her decesion. As the light of dawn shined through the windows of our shelter, we were already awake. Shortly thereafter, the guys paid us a visit, and we laughed at the tales each reported on their night’s experience. The guides and porters brought coffee and hot chocolate to us while we were still in the sleeping bags. We got up around 5:30 a.m. and made the decision to skip breakfast and get on the trail to descend the mountain. I needed a little something to eat to avoid getting sick from taking my medicine on an empty stomach. Luisa brought me a cup of potato salad that I managed to consume while I was packing my bag, putting on my boots, and finding warm gloves and a headband to wear. Once the group was ready, we took a picture and started our descent.

Ready to head down the mountain. All smiles from this group.

Going down a steep trail can often be harder than going up. Once again I had to watch every foothold and pole placement. The weather was much better than it had been on the trek up the mountain. It didn’t take nearly as long to get down the mountain than it had taken to get up the mountain. I was glad when we all were on board our bus and heading to a macadamia nut farm to have breakfast or by then it was lunch. I don’t know how long the drive was but was very happy when we got to the destination.

The restaurant was nestled among beautiful trees and shrubbery. Our group’s long table was in an open-air room, creating a sense of being in a garden. When I read the menu, I noted that breakfast items could be ordered all day. I spied macadamia nut waffles and instantly knew that my energy deprived body was craving the feel-good effect of carbs. When my stack of macadamia nut-butter drizzled waffles arrived, the group said there was no way I would eat all of them. They were wrong. I devoured every morsel and had room to snack on the French fries ordered for the table. My mood was buoyed as we traveled back to our hotel in Antigua.

Our garden lunch table. Glad to be off the mountain and getting food.

It felt so good to be back at the hotel. After reclaiming our luggage from the storage center, Jo, my tentmate from the Kilimanjaro climb and now hotel mate, and I sorted out the dirty clothes we had accumulated over the past few days and started a load of laundry in the washing machine in our suite. I found places around the room to hang the wet gear in hopes that it would dry out by the next morning. Jo and I took turns taking a much needed and refreshing shower. It is amazing how a shower can adjust one’s attitude.

Wrapped up in a blanket at the rooftop restaurant.

It was dark when we set out for the short walk to the rooftop bar and restaurant where the group was having dinner. The air was rather cold and despite wearing a fleece pullover, I was grateful to wrap up in a blanket supplied by the restaurant. From a corner of the rooftop, we could see Fuego’s fiery eruptions and hear the loud explosions. We laughed and giggled as we recalled the ordeal we had experienced on Acatenango. Some of the stories will remain on the mountain and in the hearts of the team. As we walked back to the hotel, I was grateful we would have a day off from hiking as we relocated to Lake Atilan, where we would take on the third volcano challenge.

38. The Guatemala Challenge Begins

After months of training, planning, getting gear and clothing together, and mentally preparing for this challenge, the day had come to actually fly to Guatemala. I had a mix of excitement yet apprehension. When I signed up for the challenge, I did so because some of the Kilimanjaro climbers were going and I wanted to participate in one more epic adventure. I still wanted to inspire hope, bring awareness, and raise funds for research. I am driven to have purpose and meaning in life and since PD chose me, I want to make a difference to those who live every day with PD. I believe with grit, determination, and courage, vibrant living is possible. When I read the trail descriptions of the volcanoes we would be taking on, I knew there was no way I could adequately prepare for such difficult treks. Although we would be day trekking except for one night on the mountain, two of the three hikes would demand steep elevation gains on narrow, scree scattered paths at elevations unlike anything east of the Rockies. I watched a few YouTube videos which gave me even more to worry about. I did gain some comfort in learning that I could hire a porter to carry my overnight gear on the night we would spend on the mountain. I sent a message to our hike coordinator in Guatemala requesting a porter for the Acatenango hike and possibly for the Atilan hike. I felt like this was giving me an advantange over the others, but did not think I could do it without the help. Now the day to leave Asheville was here. I woke up at 4:30 to make it to the Asheville airport for my 6:30 a.m. departure.

My flight connected through Atlanta where I would join Cathy Dugas and Michelle Marshall who were also going on the challenge. Our flight went smoothly to Guatemala City and I enjoyed the view of the volcanic mountains as we approached our arrival airport. We were met by Luisa Zea, the hike leader for our week of climbs. She accompanied us to Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a quaint city rich in Guatemalan history. After we settled into our hotel, we set off to find dinner. The next day, Luisa guided us on a walking tour of the city and showed us many interesting buildings, shops, parks and street vendors. Guatemala is a major source of jade and we visited a jade factory and museum. Our guide provided a lot of Guatemalan and Mayan history. We saw many interesting artifacts and even got to meet the newly crowned Mayan Princess.

That evening, the group gathered for the first time and shared our stories. There were four of us who have PD. The others were hiking in support of a friend or family member who has it. We ranged in age from 25 – 70 with three men and nine women. The collective energy was a wonder to behold especially the two in their 20’s. I was cautious about my ability to keep up with the group but I knew I would give it everything I had. We headed off to bed eager to greet the morning’s first challenge – Pacaya. There are 37 volcanoes in Guatemala with three of them active. Pacaya is one of the active ones and while we would not be going to the crater, we would hike as far up the mountain as the local agency that monitors volcanic activity deemed safe. It would be about 5 miles and about 1200 ft. elevation gain. My conficence was high that I could manage this one without difficulty.

We had breakfast outside in the courtyard of our hotel. It was very lovely with flowers and plants decorating the entry way to each suite. If one were to stand in a certain corner of the courtyard, Fuego the firespitting and frequently erupting volcano could be seen. Breakfast was eggs, black beans, an assortment of bread, hot dog chunks, and a variety of fresh fruit.

After breakfast, we boarded a bus and headed to Pacaya. Along the way we caught a view of Fuego erupting. Acatenango, our second volcano in the challenge, sits right beside Fuego and is dormant. The group was excited and enthusiastic and ready to take on this leg of the challenge. It was a beautiful day with blue sky, gentle breeze, perfect temperature, and no rain in sight. We took a group picture and started up the trail. The vegetation was lush and beautiful with lots of flowers. There were clearings along the way providing beautiful views of valleys, lakes, and nearby volcanic peaks. The path consisted of dark soil that was damp and not the dry, dusty gravel I expected. We came to a clearing where there were very pretty flowers decorating rocks sticking up from the ground. I was enchanted with this gorgeous place and thoroughly enjoying the day. We reached a point where we could see the peak of Pacaya above us. It was a black, desolate, stark and rugged peak in contrast to the rich vegetation we had been hiking through. We took time to take pictures and then continued on down the path. We were taking an arc trail so did not return on the path we had already traversed. Soon, we came to the famous pizza kitchen where pizza is roasted/baked over hot lava stones. I put in my order for vegetarian and it was delicious! What a treat!! After satisfying our hunger, we continued down the mountain to the bus waiting to take us back to our hotel. I was the last one to board just in time before rain drops fell from the sky. Back at the hotel we cleaned up and headed out as a group to find another great dinner at another local restaurant in Antigua. Now to get some sleep before our next leg.

35. What’s Driving Me to take on Guatemala

In three months, I will be in Guatemala already embarked on my quest to climb three volcanoes. This will be an effort in endurance, perseverance, strength and courage. I have been wondering lately what is driving me to do this. I think I just might be crazy! Let me assure you that it is not to bring attention to myself. I wish every day that I did not have a neurogenerative disorder, and certainly not one who’s symptoms are very visible and disabling. I have been considering the answer lies party in the foundation of my upbringing.

I was the only girl with four brothers raised by the two most hard-working parents I have ever known. That was the kind of hardworking where they were up before dawn and worked till way past sundown. Mom was raised on a dairy farm in Ohio where the cows had to be milked twice a day every day of the year. In-between the milking sessions the farmer has lots of chores to do and feed to grow for the cows. My dad was a surgeon at a small mountain hospital where he was literally on call 24/7 all year long. Mom wrote a chore list for each child every day except Saturday which in our household was the Sabbath. Sometimes, she would tell us to get all our chores done and she would take us swimming for an hour of so at the neighborhood pond. The core family value was to be industrious and do your best at whatever you set out to do. They were purpose driven parents that instilled that feature into the very fabric of their five children. We learned how to work hard, play hard, and to be servants to others.

I lived a full and rich life traveling to destinations near and far, taking up sports like backpacking, scuba diving, snow skiing, hiking and racquetball. I’ve also gone on several humanitarian trips to third world countries to provide medical care where the needs are overwhelming. When I diagnosed myself with PD at the age of 61, I wasn’t about to lay down and roll over. I wanted to do everything I could to slow down or end the progression of what it was doing to my body. I was already very physically active but now I made it a necessary part of weekly life. I never smoked, ate a mostly plant-based diet with much of the produce homegrown in our organic garden, drank alcohol very sparingly, and did other things pertinent to a healthy lifestyle.

When I retired at 65 from my postgraduate healthcare career, there was no question what my new mission and purpose would be. I decided to go public about my diagnosis by undertaking a grand journey to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro. I had and still have the goal of bringing awareness about PD, inspiring others, and raising funds for research to end this dreaded disease. After I survived climbing to 19,341 ft. elevation what next?

Sometimes, I think I project how well a person can live with this disabling disease that I may be camouflaging what daily life is really like. It is a movement disorder so everything that involves movement is affected. From blinking my eyes, chewing food, putting on clothes, swinging my arms when I walk, the adaption my pupil makes to accommodate to changes in light, the activity of my GI tract, turning over in bed, and cooking are some of the things I deal with. My speech has become softer, I choke at times, my gait can be off when I walk, and standing in one place for any length of time is difficult. I can’t seem to get my smile right anymore. There are numerous chores around the house and yard, and so much more that affect my everyday life. But it is not just movement that is affected. There are many nonmovement symptoms that make life difficult and unpleasant. My sense of smell was diminished many years before my diagnosis. Imagine not being able to smell bread baking in the oven, the fragrance of fresh flowers, newly mown grass, or evergreens at Christmas. I can’t enjoy the aroma of fresh brewed coffee or the scent of a new baby. And in our house, I can’t smell the fresh aroma of Sunday tomato sauce. I also can’t smell soured milk or spoiled food and other odors that alert me to potential dangers. My nose will start dripping for no reason and without warning. REM sleep disorder is very common for people with PD. I have vivid dreams and at times, wake myself and my husband up with screams of terror. I sweat more profusely than before PD. But the worst nonmovement concern is difficulty with mood regulation. Anything stressful is more difficult to manage and anger outbursts are another characteristic of it. Depression goes hand in hand with PD. I fear I am losing my personality and friends will not understand my need to keep things on a level field emotionally.

At my first appointment with my Movement Disorder Specialist, he told me the good news is that PD doesn’t cause death nor shortchange life expectancy. But it does chip away at what makes one who they are. It robs so much from daily life. People are more prone to falls and other health risks which can cause life changing injury. It robs one of their sense of identity and their ability to be active and social. It’s like watching your life evanesce, as steam from a slowly simmering pot of tea disseminates into the air.

So, what’s next for me? I want to continue to live a full and vibrant life. I still want to inspire others with what can be accomplished with determination. And I want to raise funds for research. The Michael J Fox Foundation has the number one goal of finding a cure or way to end PD. Watchdog rating groups that score foundations give the Michael J Fox Foundation an A+ rating. Their research department is doing amazing work, and this has resulted in greater understanding of PD and breakthroughs that are already helping those of us with the disease. PD is surpassing Alzheimer’s as the leading neurogenerative disorder. If PD hasn’t already touched you, a loved one, or an acquaintance, you likely will be touched personally by it in your lifetime. If you would like to be part of the cure, I invite you to contribute to my fundraising campaign. ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of the donations go directly to research. As for me, I will continue to fight the fight.

https://give.michaeljfox.org/fundraiser/6315010