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A Cold Night in the Crater
What I would have paid for a sweater.
It was 103 degrees the day our friend Larry told us to pack warm sweaters and long pants. “You’ll need them,” he said.
Joey and I nodded politely, but we had no intention of bringing warm clothes.
We were in Chiquimula, Guatemala. Larry had lived in Central America for decades. He was well-intentioned and likely knew best. But there’s only so much room in our backpacks. So, a little cold weather never hurt anyone, right?
Our destination was Laguna de Ipala, a beautiful lake atop an ancient inactive volcano. The lake rests in a deep crater, surrounded by trees and rolling hills on all sides. We were told that getting to the top would require multiple hours in a bus, followed by a long hike to the top of the volcano. Any additional weight in our backpacks would just add to the pain of our hike.
We opted for minimal clothes: board shorts and tank tops. Our bags would be used for food, water, and hammocks.
We woke early the next morning and caught our chicken bus. The commute was a series of frequent starts and stops as new people boarded and unloaded from the bus. We sat in the back and watched the Guatemalan landscape from our open windows. The early day was already warm.
