The Highlands

(Finally some photos!) A few days ago, Kristi and I had a fantastic morning at the Ranchito de Quetzal (next door to the Biotopo Quetzal just south of Coban). We arose at 5am to begin our vigil in hopes of seeing the famous Resplendent Quetzals. We had a young male and female (photo below) fly in and feed on the fruits of Cercropia alongside Emerald Toucanets. I could hear another quetzal calling below us and then one of the owners, Flori, called us down to the parking area. There quietly perched was the male with its long tail feather sweeping below (see photo above). All three stayed in the area, fed, called, and barked. The adult male cruised around undulating the tail in flight. What a treat! During breakfast we perched right above us again. The birding from the table was nice. A bit of eggs, there's a spectacled foliage-gleaner, some frijoles, there's a chestnut-capped warbler...nice.


After breakfast we drove through the insane two lane highway funneling tons of traffic into Ciudad Guatemala. It was nuts and nerve-wracking. Maneuvering through Guatemala City on the way to Lago Atitzlan was quite an experience!...especially during rush hour. It was a relief to get out of the city and back onto the secondary highway through Patzun and San Andres before descending to Panajchel. The photo below was taken above the lago before we headed down the windy road. There are several volcanoes surrounding the lake; San Pedro, Toliman, and Atitzlan to name three. What a sight to step out of your room and seeing a whisp of cloud topping a volcano on the edge of this lake sitting in an ancient caldera.

After we arrived in town we needed a place to stay. Without any reference materials we weren't sure where to start. Our primary concern is secure parking. A local runner took us to a nearby hotel off the calle principal. It was nice and affordable with a good view on the edge of town. After checking in we paid a tuk-tuk (motorized rikshaw) driver to take us on a 30 minute tour around Panajchel to get us oriented. He dropped us off at the market and we slowly made our way back, stopping at a chocolate shop (the cacao is locally grown! mmmmm!) for a treat. We called it a night. We set our sights on climbing Volcano San Pedro the next morning. In the photo above with Kristi, it's the middle peak, just to the left of her.

After breakfast we took a launcha across the lake to San Pedro, the lakeside town at the base of this particular volcano. After a ten minute taxi ride to the national park entrance we were hoofing it up the volcano closely behind our local guide (part of the required entrance fee). I need to digress at this point to talk about the trail up this volcano. Now back in the 'states, our mountain trails tend to utilize switchbacks as a way to counter the steep ascents/descents. Not here! this windy trail goes straight up! The guide and I left Kristi to relax at the 'Mirador' stop. We then continued up in what was the most intense day hike I have ever attempted; I'm still hurting 2 days later. Part of the problem might have been a lack of acclimation, having spent the last 3 months near sea level. I was gasping for air, taking continuous breaks, and stopping right before the leg cramps began (this was about 10-12 times). About three hours after the start, we reached the top where a spectacular view unfolded before my eyes. There was Volcano Atitzlan and to my left as I turned was the full vista of Lago Atitzlan! (Photo above). The guide, Juan, and I chilled on some boulders and enjoyed a quiet lunch, joking from time to time in broken Spanish.

Well, at least we're heading down now. Well, that was not much easier. Wrong! While going up strained the muscles, the jarring trip down 4km of straight down trail impacted my knees and quads in ways that just aren't right! But we made it down and I hopped into a taxi and met Kristi near the launcha for a cold beer...ahhhhh.