El Salvador, Part 9: Santa Ana and Volcano Hike

Just Xander and Axel for this one. Started out with a view over Lago de Coatepeque that made the whole drive up worth it before we’d even started walking. Both boys picked up walking sticks from an old man along the way and turned half the hike into a stick-fighting match; something about who had the “high ground” (if you know you know) was destined to win.

The last stretch to the summit was all loose volcanic rock, with fog rolling in so thick you couldn’t see more than a few people ahead of you. Then it just opens up and there’s the crater — a bright, almost neon green lake sitting at the bottom, steam pouring off it, looking like something that shouldn’t exist in real life. Worth every rocky step and the fog clearing at just the right moment for photos.

Naturally, the boys celebrated summiting an active volcano with Oreos. Priorities.

Afterwards we all went back down to the lake and celebrated with a late lunch and a short stint on a jet-ski. It was beautiful and fun!

We finished up with a late-night visit to the Santa Ana main plaza, which was quite stunning at night.

#unpavedparenting