Our next leg took us into northern Chiapas to hike an active volcano called El Chichonal. This was definitely the highlight of the trip for both of us. I learned about it when my brother asked me prior to his visit about hiking volcanoes in Mexico. This is the only active one I found that’s currently hikeable and it looked interesting, so it’s been on my todo list ever since. A previously inactive small mountain, it erupted in 1982 with a series of explosions that obliterated a big area of inhabited forest killing about 2000 people. I’ve seen 2 names for this volcano: El Chichón and El Chichonal. I wonder if the government modified the name when the eruption made the news. Having international press report, “El Chichón in Chiapas, whose name means ‘the big tit’, erupted without warning…” may have caused some embarrassment.
We reached the quiet town of Chapultenango and asked around for a hiking guide and a place to stay. There are two reasons for the guide. First, the trail is not marked. But even with a GPS track log to follow, you still need permission because it is all private ranch land or communal (ejidal) property rather than a government-managed park or reserve. A man offered us a very rustic spare apartment and his godson as a guide. So we were set and could enjoy a stroll through town. Chapultenango is the kind of non-touristy small Mexican town that is a joy to visit. It has a very friendly and laid-back atmosphere, but we were happy to have earplugs for the night. The roosters didn’t sleep and the ranchers on horseback headed for the hills even earlier in the morning than we did.
The hike started after a pre-dawn drive from Chapultenango to La Colonia Volcán, a set of concrete buildings built by the government for the people who evacuated early enough from the volcano’s impact area. We were treated to a great sunrise view of the valley as we hiked through the pasture land.
On the ascent, I was mostly taking in the sunrise and views of the foggy valleys with anticipation of the summit. It awed me to think that all the pastures we climbed through for 2 hours was previously thick forest like the surrounding hills. But since the eruption, only grasses and a few opportunistic trees have grown.
Our guide, Juan, is a high school student in Chapultenango planning to study industrial engineering. I was glad to help him out with some Christmas money for taking us, but he was extremely quiet – only speaking if we asked questions and even then it was a bit like playing handball against the drapes. His immediate family (before he was born) evacuated their house near the volcano. Some of his extended family stayed with their homes and perished in sudden flows of rock & ash a la Pompeii.
The approach to the rim of the crater from the east is a gradual slope and you wouldn’t know you were close to the top if not for the sulfur smell wafting out of it. At the rim, the sudden view into the crater (0.6 miles wide and about 700 feet deep) is spectacular with its bright green toxic-looking lake. There’s a sound of a big gas vent that reverberates in the crater like a distant jet engine.
At the bottom of the steep descent into the crater, we passed some smaller vents with sulfur crystal formations.
With our guides approval, we tested the water. He said that locals swim in the crater sometimes and there was no danger from the minerals that color it green nor the gases – in fact there was less odor of sulfur in the crater than up around the rim since its heat carries it up and away. Most of the clear greenish water was lukewarm or even cool, but in the corner of the lake with the vents and a few small geysers, the water was balmy. After stirring up the silty mud, the water wasn’t quite as pretty but it felt great. It was hot at a few of the vents and we had to be careful to avoid scalding our feet. I mostly succeeded at that. In the right spots, this was a fantastic natural jacuzzi.
On the descent, I thought less about what this volcano had produced and more about what it had taken away. The entire previous forest, houses, animals, and some 2000 people were buried under 10-15 meters of pyroclastic flow. I was humbled at the thought of that power and the devastation it wrought. As we hiked down through deeply eroded creek beds I wondered if it’s possible to see the layer from the previous surface.
We took out the trash while we were there. We filled 2 small trash bags with empty bottles and other junk we found near the rim of the crater. I learned this habit from some other volunteers – clean up the nice areas you visit and set a good example. I was pleasantly surprised how little trash there was along the trail – 2 small bags for a 4-5 hour hike isn’t bad at all … an indication of how few people hike it, maybe. Many trails in Mexico are unmarked and the only way to follow some of them is by the steady stream of trash. This on the other hand is a really clean and beautiful place.
Looking back up the trail at the volcano…
Finding information about this hike beforehand was difficult, so I want to post a couple tips. First, rain would make this hike muddy and maybe impossible since some of it is up a stream channel – avoid the rainy season altogether. When looking for a room and a guide in Chapultenango, you could ask for Gilberto Gómez. We met him after we’d arranged for Juan to take us. Gilberto speaks English, has a room for rent, and knows the history of the area well. But, I don’t know if he’d take you down the steep trail into the crater. I’ve read that it’s also possible to start from a town on the north side called Nicapa – a longer hike which goes through some beautiful forest before reaching the grassland. There’s a clearing just below the rim of the crater that has been used for camping. It would be a great place if you can carry all your gear. Oh, and the super-fine silt in the lake will stay in your clothes for more than one washing. Wash separately – anything else you wash with them will smell a bit like sulfur too.
