e!
There´s always something else to learn...

I went hiking yesterday with Andres, one of my best friends and a person that I appreciate a lot, I would love to say that I took him to the volcano (because he’s from Guatemala and he came to visit) but to be honest, HE took ME hiking, he’s the expert (he’s been to the Kilimanjaro and going to Mont Blanc soon).

Yes, this post starts exactly the same as the previous one, but this post is about something different, this post is about how I consider that life is exactly as climbing a volcano... ok, maybe my life is like climbing this volcano.

We arrived at Parque Los Volcanes at 11:10, the guard told us that the group (that leaves every day at 11 am) left 10 minutes ago and that we should hurry to catch up. While I was putting all our stuff together, Andres was putting on all his hiking gear: shoes, waistcoat, something for his knees, a thing that controlled his heart bit, sticks and a backpack with a very cool water bag incorporated that allows you to drink water through a straw without stopping.

Now, why is climbing this volcano similar to life: Many reasons:

First off all, even though when he’s the expert, he let me lead the way, because he knew that if he was in front of me, we would have go too fast and I would have been tired. He stayed behind me most of the time, so that I would learn. He had our food and water in his backpack, I only had my camera in my pocket, and a stick in my hand, so that I would focus on walking.

Before actually climbing the volcano, you have to go down on the Cerro Verde hillside, and because you are going through a forest and focused on walking, you rarely see the volcano.
Once you are down, you see it, you see your objective and in that moment, you decide whether going after it... or chicken out.

As I started climbing (and after we took the fist pictures) that’s when I started thinking about my life and how similar it was to climbing the volcano: the road is VERY difficult, but also very easy sometimes. There are some points in which you cannot see the rest of the road, but if you walk few steps forward and pass a stone, you will see that you are still on the right way. There are other spots in which you have to choose whether taking a difficult shortcut or staying in the not-so-difficult long way. There are moments when you fall. There are many moments in which you have to stop just a little bit and drink water just to be able to keep going. There are moments when you see other people half way through and they cannot continue because they are too tired, but at the same time, there are others who already made it to the top, and you decide to stay with the first or go after the second group. And there are moments when you definitely need to rest.

Half way, my legs were shaking, my heart beat was very fast and the worst part is that (because Andres was wearing the thingy around his vest) I could hear his heart bit so normal! Damn it! I was almost dying and he was breathing normally. But he encourages me to finish what I’ve started.

So I walked and walked and drank water and walked and walked and walked. At some point I was desperate and inpatient so I was going as fast as I could and then... We were at the top: I WAS AT THE TOP OF THE VOLCANO!!!!! IT FELT SO GOOD!!! I was so proud of myself! It was so rewarding!

Again similar to life: it’s so good enjoying your success and when you are at the top, you have to go around it! (I mean around the crater). But then, it was time to come back down. This time Andrew leaded the way, apparently it was safer this way. I felt many times and then, the most difficult part: climbing the Cerro Verde... sh!t, I was so hard! But I made it through (I had to) and once we were done, Andres finished his life lesson stretching up our muscles.
My whole body hurts today, but I know it was worth it.

The good news is that climbing it wasn’t so bad, even for a person who is not in a good physical shape like me.

Next stop: El Camino del Inca. But I have to be in shape!

Labels: El Salvador, friends, Trips

Posted by Ethel : 1:10 PM :