Hi I’m Heather and I am doing a guest post on my Dad and Kelly’s blog.

As soon as my flight was booked to visit my dad and Kelly in Guatemala, I began researching the highlights and attractions of what to do there. The volcano hikes captured my attention immediately. Since I’m currently in the middle of a huge life transition – moving from Chicago to Denver – and I don’t have a so-called ‘home’, meeting up with them for 10 days was perfect timing. The opportunity to experience a monumental physical challenge was also a challenge I was ready for.

When I arrived, the three of us took a couple of days to explore Antigua, and then early on Saturday morning I packed my 35-pound backpack and hopped on a shuttle to the base of Volcan de Acatenango.

Ready to tackling the mountain (and life)!

There were 25 people in my group; I was one of the only solo travelers, which made me a bit anxious. Luckily, I instantly connected with most of the group (this bond happens quickly when everyone is huffing and puffing up the steep trails).

The base of the volcano is approximately 8,000 feet in elevation. We started our ascent — hiking for six hours (with some necessary breath-catching stops) to our cliffside basecamp at 13,000 feet! We dropped our packs and took a well earned break. Each hiker then had to decide if they were capable of hiking another four-hours to the ‘Knife Ridge’ of one of the most active volcanos in the world - Volcan de Fuego.

So at 3:30 pm, I loaded my daypack with three jackets, a pair of gloves, a winter hat, and a headlamp, and started our hike. A steep decent followed by an exhausting ascend brought us to our sunset goal. I could barely breathe as I reached the top, but I quickly forgot all about my burning lungs and muscles when I stopped to look around.

Twenty of my fellow hikers actually made it to the top that afternoon - an unprecedented number compared to other recent trips (per our guides).

There I was, above the clouds, on a thin ridge of volcanic ash, with the most spectacular panoramic view of four volcanos and a setting sun. On top of that, Fuego was erupting directly in front of me! It was truly an out-of-body experience that brought instantaneous tears to my eyes. All I could do was stand there with my mouth wide open and say “Oh My God!” about 50 times. I didn’t even notice I was crying until I started shivering.

After watching the sunset, sipping some wine, and witnessing Fuego’s frequent eruptions - a few times in complete darkness with fiery lava streaming from the top - we strapped on our headlamps and retraced our footsteps back to basecamp.

Our downward – and then upward - hike lasted another two and a half hours (we took many breaks to watch Fuego’s fire; the eruptions sending us warnings signs with a violent BOOM! each time it spewed).

The combination of complete exhaustion, heavy legs, and hungry tummies didn’t make this the most glorious trek, however, we managed to laugh and squeal continuously about our extraordinary experience together.

Over bowls of pasta that evening we continued to watch the red-hot lava erupt on the black ridge where we had been just hours before. After dinner, we achingly moved towards our four-person tents to get some much-needed rest. Unfortunately, the evening didn’t prove to be at all restful, with a snoring neighbor on one side and an erupting volcano on the other.

But it wasn’t over.

At 3:30 am we were awakened by our leader to start yet another, even higher, ascent with the promise of an unforgettable sunrise. Most of us accepted their invitation without hesitation. I bundled up, put on my headlamp, and mentally prepared myself for another two-hour, 1,000-foot climb up the slippery volcanic ash to Acatenango crater. This was by far the most difficult hike. Our pace was three steps up, and then two steps sliding backwards. When we finally reached the top, I was numb, exhausted, and again, speechless.

The crater was significantly more crowded than Fuego’s Knife Ridge but we perched ourselves on the ledge to watch the sunrise over Guatemala.

I, again, was completely taken by the view.

What took us two-hours to climb up, only took us 30-minutes to descend. We literally ran down the side of the volcano, sliding through the soft, powdery lava gravel. I personally loved every minute of it. We ate breakfast, packed up, and headed back down to civilization.

This hiking experience, known as the ‘Double Whammy’, was the most difficult hike I have ever completed, but one I would do again and again if it meant that I could replicate the spiritual feeling at the top. It’s as if my internal slate was wiped clean; as all that mattered was putting one foot in front of the other and controlling my breath; along with experiencing unequivocal beauty and the feeling of being on top of the world.

This was a moment that I will remember the rest of my life.