Nov
30
2009
Climbing a Lava Field
Author: Kyle
On Mayan sacred ground, only a few miles from Xela city is some great rock climbing opportunities ranging from 5.8 to 5.13 climbs in an area called La Muela up passed the Almolonga Valley. At the peek is a strange but beautiful landscape of cooled lava with amazing views of the city.
I went with a group called Quetzaltrekkers which is a non-profit volunteer organization that is designed to be a self-sustaining fund-raising program for Escuela de la Calle, a school for street children in Quetzaltenango(Xela), Guatemala. They are also now supporting the clinic Primeros Pasos, a medical clinic located in the outskirts of Xela which provides vital health care and educational programs to the local community as well as schools and organizations in Xela.
Being a beginner climber and not having climbed in a while really showed as I worked on the accent. My hands were shaking as I reached the peak, and was unable to do a second climb. The view was magnificent and we all had a great time.
When we had all had some good attempts at the cliff face and enjoyed lunch we headed down to the natural steam saunas of Los Vahos where we enjoyed a couple hours alternating between relaxing natural saunas and cool afternoon air. I’ll be working on my strength so I can do better next time.