La Muela, Cerro Quemado
I considered leaving Quetzaltenango for a while, as I wasn’t sure how well I’ll be able to handle hikes at higher altitudes, but along the path to Santiaguito Viewpoint, I found myself at a higher altitude than I expected, and it didn’t feel like a problem. Adding to that the stunning views from that viewpoint, and I decided to stay, in hope to overcome some challenges and set my eyes on more incredible sights.
In order to be more prepared, I went over to do the short hike of La Muela, at Almolonga Volcano. I was told this part of the mountain was a religious site sacred to the local people, which I was intrigued by. Once again, I opted to take an Uber, as it was easier and at a similar price to the indirect public transport I would have had to take otherwise.
I was dropped off right by the starting point of the trail, which was a random looking narrow alley with stairs going up. It took me a couple of minutes to get to the end of the staircase, and I was right at the heart of the site. There were groups of people praying, as well as individuals, carrying flowers and food. Seeing and hearing all those different groups was somewhat surprising to me (and I was told on Sundays it can get quite extreme).
It wasn’t the end though, as the peaks of La Muela were higher up. However, on the volcanic mountain there wasn’t a clear, singular path. There were a few arrows at a few points, but for the most part it was a matter of make-your-own-path among the rocks, trying to go up. It wasn’t too much of a challenge for the most part, but on occasion I had to look around me for a little while before deciding on which direction to go next.
After climbing up for a while, I found myself close to a cliff with no clear idea on how to proceed. I got as close as I could, and noticed a path going to the right. Along that path was a place to climb a rope, which led to a dead-end, and a couple minutes down the path I saw another rope, with people using it to climb down. There was also a further trail, which seemed longer, but easier.
I decided to climb up the rope, which was a bit challenging, but got me up faster. Navigating the rocky terrain, I climbed for a few more minutes before I got to the top of the cliff, and the view from there was amazing. I could see the town, next to farms and lots of green areas, which was quite enjoyable.
From there, I moved around the top for a while, getting as high as I could, and sat down to enjoy the view for a while, until the clouds started to form and I had to go back down. Initially, I wanted to move from there to another peak, Cerro Quemado, but the clouds (and the worry about rain) terminated that idea pretty much instantly.
When I tried to figure out how to get to Cerro Quemado, I ran into some issues. I wasn’t able to figure out if there is a difference between Cerro Quemado and Almolonga, if one was the name of the peak and the other the name of the mountain, or if they were used interchangeably. Then there was the matter of finding the starting point, and how to get there, as it seemed there were several options. And lastly, there was the matter of trying to find the right peak. The mountain, as far as I could understand, was a part of a mountain range, with several different peaks, and the names could change between different apps and different people.
After asking around, and getting a bit confused, I decided I didn’t want to deal with any headaches and just took an Uber to one spot that I could recognize, saving me the need to walk through the town. Once again, as was advised to me I consulted Maps.Me as I made my way to the peak. From where I was dropped off I went up a cobblestone street for a little while before I got to a dirt road that I could see on the navigation app. That was the starting point of my hike to the peak of Cerro Quemado.
That section of the trail was a twisty dirt road, and right by the first corner I saw a couple of dogs. I’ve seen some warnings about dogs along that trail, and adding to that my unfortunate experience in Panajachel, I didn’t want to take any chances. I broke a large branch of wood from a nearby tree, picked a large stone, and made my way forward. Getting closer to the dogs, I waved the stone in my hand and they ran away. Still cautious, I held onto the stone for a while longer, taking a couple more turns along the twisty road, until I was sure they weren’t coming after me. I dropped the stone, but held on to the branch, which I used for the remainder of the day as a walking stick.
I kept going up, and started following a road going by some crop fields with a few people working them. I also started seeing signs to a resort of some kind called La Alameda, which was the direction I needed to follow anyway, according to Maps.Me. Soon enough I got a split in the road where there was a turn to the resort, but I needed to go straight.
The road changed a little bit, with some grass and cobblestones, and I had a nice view of the fields and the city as I made my way along the path. Occasionally I’d spot some workers, but for the most part I was there by myself. Then it started to look like I had reached a dead-end, but the app was sure it was the right way to go. When I actually got to the end, I managed to notice a narrow, easy to miss trail that got up the mountain into a forest.
A bit suspicious of the road, I held my smartphone with the app open for several minutes, as I made my way up. It was another twisty path, although it was steeper and more difficult to cross, as there were rocks and tree branches in the way. When I felt safe enough, I put the smartphone in my pocket, and focused on the trail. The views I had walking along the crop fields quickly disappeared as I made my way up.
However, only a few minutes in and I took the smartphone out of my pocket. There was a split in the road, and I had to consult with the map to make sure I’m not getting lost. That more or less set the tone for the rest of the hike up to the peak. I’d make sure I’m going in the right way, put the smartphone away, and a few minutes later pull it out again, even if there was no split in the road. Some parts of the trail could be missed so easily, which made me question the validity of it, but I kept following the smartphone.
At a few spots I also noticed some arrows, which were reassuring, but something about it felt a bit weird. There were also some “danger” signs, ribbons wrapped around trees, and I wondered if it was the right trail, or if I should’ve picked another one.
It wasn’t a very challenging route, especially in parts when the road wasn’t steep, and I felt like I’m making good progress, up until the point that I didn’t. Physically, I felt okay, fully ready to keep going, but it was as if my energy was simply drained. I thought to myself that at least part of it was due to altitude, but I wasn’t sure how big that part was. There was also the matter going up, and perhaps I was going a bit too fast.
In any case, I started to slow down. It wasn’t so much an attempt to pace myself, but rather my body and mind were in constant struggle. I would stop often, just for a couple of moments, and then keep going for a few minutes. Sometimes it was due to heavy breathing, but other times it was more of a mental block. As I climbed, I could feel myself getting depressed, and hoping the view from the top would be justified. While it was a higher and more difficult hike, which I wanted to do in order to see how I might handle the really difficult hikes, I was also really interested in seeing the view. And then I wondered if the view was even worth it. At some point, it was a simple matter of just getting it over with. Get to the top, rest for a bit, and get back down.
I kept noticing the danger signs and the arrows, which helped me feel a bit more at ease, but for the most part I relied more on the smartphone. Deed in the forest, I stuck to the strategy of checking Maps.Me, until the road ended. Looking at the map on my smartphone, I could see some points of interest, seemingly not far from where I was, but the app had no trail that goes all the way over there. From that point onward, I had to rely on the arrows and the signs. Somewhat ironically, the danger signs were keeping me safe and on the right path.
On top of that, the physical challenge was greater. The rocks were bigger, and the path was not always clear. Since there was no road on the app, I couldn’t even get a good estimation as for how long it would take (I was already slower than expected, so an estimation might not have been useful anyway).
After quite some time had passed, I came across a big rock with women’s names written on it, informing me that they were hiking there at some point. I looked behind me, and could start to see the view below, although it was still obstructed by trees. I sighed and kept climbing. It didn’t get any more difficult, which was a good thing, and eventually the trees started to thin out. A little while later, I could see what appeared to be a cliff wall, and wondered if the top of it was the peak of the mountain.
It took more time and effort climbing the rest of the way, but there was a large gap in the tree, and the view in front of me was absolutely beautiful. I could see the city below, and so much more. Behind that high up, over three thousand meters (supposedly, according to the internet and an app with questionable reliability), everything looked small and condensed. And since the weather was clear that day, there was great visibility and a lot to see.
However, it was only in that area. The trees still covered parts of the view, so it wasn’t clear all the way around. Adding to that the fact the trail kept going, and I wasn’t convinced I’m actually at the top. A couple minutes later I saw a view of the other side, looking toward the town of Almolonga and the sacred site of La Muela, which I was not able to see.
The road seemed to have ended, and I stayed there for a while, relaxing, enjoying the view, and trying to see if I could notice any negative effects from the altitude. Thankfully, I didn’t. I also didn’t enjoy the view as much as I thought I would. Previous hikes in the area really wowed, and they were also easier. I wasn’t quite sure the view was worth the mental struggle I dealt with, although on the physical side, it was not bad.
I was getting ready to leave when I noticed a nook in the cliff, with a pile of logs which didn’t seem all that natural. Unsure if it was just in my head or not, I headed over there to see if from there I could get even higher and reach the top of the cliff. The answer to that, seemingly, was yes. The logs served as improvised stairs, but only to reach a rope. It looks like the rope went all the way up, however, my upper body strength, in combination with being alone in there, made me feel like it would not be safe to try it.
And so, without really knowing what I could’ve seen, I turned around and made my way back down. I felt more confident going down than I did going up, knowing the danger signs will keep me in the clear until I get to the road marked on Maps.Me. I quickly descended into the forest, leaving the view behind me. Going from one rock to the other, down the dirt paths, and into a few grassy sections. I still needed to consult the smartphone every now and then, but it was far less frequent on the way down. I had a couple of breaks, but other than that I didn’t want to stay up on the mountain any longer than I had to, especially without any views to look at.
Eventually I cleared the forest and got back to the crop fields. From there it was pretty clear where to go. While I didn’t see any workers at that hour, I did see some families, and a few vehicles drove past me as I kept going down. When I got to the starting point of the trail, I took the easy options again and got on an Uber back to the hostel.