I felt like Frodo today! We had the brilliant idea to take a hike up Pacaya, one of Guatemala's several active volcanoes, at 6:00 am. I'm not sure what got over me when I agreed to this ummm, adventure. Perhaps I envisioned the driver taking us close enough that I would have to only stroll up oh I don't know 20-30 mins max. It was upon arrival I discovered (to my horror): the trek would be more than 2 hours; it was 2500+ m in elevation to our destination; over the years the path had experienced many armed robberies; and there were frequent eruptions, the most recent being earlier this year. Grrrr!!! Looking up towards the apex of this Mount Doom I was reminded of my trip to Bali last year. How we once again had the brilliant idea to watch the sunrise on the island's tallest mountain. Needless to say, I never watched the sunrise at the apex of that mountain. It was safe to assume that I wouldn't be swimming in the lava today either.

I had some real eye opening realizations occur during this expedition.

1. I AM OUT OF SHAPE!!!! It was quite humbling actually.. watching senior citizens passing me on the path. There was this one American lady in her 60s slightly ahead of me. I was certain she would stop and turn back but even she perservered to the end without the assistance of the "taxi", which leads me to my second realization.

2. I NEED TO BE IN SHAPE!! The tour guide's starkly remarks still taunt me: "Princesas no bueno". I was called a princess for utilizing the services of the taxi (aka sweet horse named Santanas) okay.. it was pretty hard for me to raise my head proudly as I passed by the senior citizens on foot. But I had to put my pride on hold for today was the day I would conquer Mount Doom!!

3. EVERY FRODO NEEDS A SAMMY. I was blessed to have a Sammy on my trip. Actually, I had two - Sons and Rudolpho... without them I would have never made it to the end. I was greatly disappointed to discover that my horse would not be joining me at the last leg of the trek. This meant that if I wanted to see some lava action I would have to walk the last 30 minutes past 3 peaks and burning scoria. I swear I wasn't going to make it if not for the encouragement of my Sammys! Rudolpho kept chanting "think positivo" while Sons kept guilting me "why quit now? you're almost there." Yes, I was almost there and I saw the apex this time closer than ever. But why is it that the thought of quitting is always more prevalent when the prize is closer in reach?!

Arriving at the flowing lava all happened in a blur... literally since the scorching heat blurred my vision.. we must have stayed for a total of 5 minutes at the apex before running for our rubber soles..

Thinking back as I write this entry I realize that getting the prize didn't mean much. Yes, the lava was amazing but it will most likely fade in aweness in my memories some day. What I will surely remember will be the journey I had getting there. There were many moments when I wondered if the sight of lava was even worth the agony. The answer was really a definite NO but I realized this was not about lava but about perserverence. Following through until the end and not giving up when things get unpleasant... something I often struggle with in my life.

Today was good. I am pleased. I will download Lord of The Rings tonight and pay a little homage I think.