March 2009

Up the Nose Without a Guide

The Mayan Nose, a peak that resembles the profile of a person reclining, looms over Lake Atitlan.  When you’re in San Pedro the Nose is a more attractive peak than the volcano because, whereas the volcano always lurks behind you, this nasal peak stares you in the face, challenging you to go up the Nose.

I went up the Nose with a couple from New York.  “Should we get a guide?” I asked them.  “Fuck no!” They replied.  “We’re from New York.  We don’t take directions from nobody.”

I will never let a New Yorker lead me hiking again.

I wanted to find the road that climbs the back of the mountain from the road between San Juan and San Marcos, but Jesse was impatient.  “Here’s a trail,” he said and bounded off.  Soon we were climbing steep barren slopes.  After one particularly steep pitch of loose dirt and rock we began to fear for our safety.  The bushes were too thick to for us to go up.  We couldn’t safely go back down.

I can’t believe that Guatemalans farm this land.  They’re insane.

Luckily, a farmer came along and guided us safely to the road to Santa Clara.  From there we made it to the top easily.

If you want to go up the Nose without a guide, it’s easiest to:

1. Ditch the New Yorkers.

2. Walk (20 min), or a take a pickup (5 min), to San Juan.

3. Continue past San Juan towards San Marcos.  Turn left onto the first, and only, intersecting paved road to Santa Clara.

4. Follow the road to Santa Clara.  Take your first left at the edge of the village and follow the road to the end.  Go right.  The path to the Nose will be about thirty meters down, on the left, marked by a sign.

5. Shout a big ‘ol yodelee-hee-hoo from the peak.

PAST TRIPS....

DECEMBER 2007

Ziplining in Pana

Unless you’re an avid naturalist, hiking and kayaking can get a little old after the fourth volcano (another eruption - yawn) and yet another trip across the lake (yep, still a good view). And if you’re in the minority of Atitlán backpackers who don’t smoke pot, you’re bound to run out of interesting things to do  at the lake after a week or so. Fear not, dear readers, for once again we’re here to get your alcohol-saturated blood pumping.

To get to the zipline, head over to Calle Santander in Panajachel. At the top of the street, proceed left towards Solala. In five minutes or so, you’ll come to a sign marking the Reserva Atitlán. Follow this path straight past Hotel Atitlán until you see the entrance to Reserva Atitlán. For Q120, you get 6 zipline rides, the longest of which is almost 1,000 feet across and thousands of feet high. The entrance fee also includes access to a monkey reserve and a butterfly farm. I’m not sure how many of you will take advantage of this, but there’s always  at least one in the crowd.

We began our afternoon by putting on our gear: a crotch harness that made me wonder if they had a deal with male fertility pharmaceutical companies and a helmet that got me thinking: if I were to fall the blank feet to the bottom of the gorge, what in the hell is a helmet going to do?! Deep breaths.

The views of the lake from the zipline were breathtaking and the ride exhilarating. Taking off the harness alone make me happy to be alive. Be sure to wait until the wind dies down; one of my compañeras was hit with a big gust and got stuck in the middle of the zipline for a few heart-stopping minutes. Needless to say, a change in pants was in order. Brown stains notwithstanding, ziplining was a welcome change of pace from the idle tranquillity of the lake.

OCTOBER 2007

Exploring San Marcos

More so even than other tourist destinations in Guatemala, San Marcos la Laguna exists as two separate realities imposed on top of each other. Virtually all tourists pass their time in the many restaurants and hotels near the water, while most residents live higher up in the valley. No guide will mention it, but by hiking up through the residential section of town, which is beautiful in its own right, you will come to a series of trials that climb for miles up the surrounding mountainside and end in a series of shallow caves.

To reach these trails, head straight up the main road that leads into town from the left side of the docks. After 5 minutes you will come to the town square. You can walk up through the square, or turn left and take your next right, where the road becomes thoroughly steep. Walking up this road, you will pass the houses of Cakchiquel residents, cooking on open fires, weaving on hand looms, and appearing pleasantly surprised that a gringo has made it up this high, or maybe gotten lost.

This road turns directly into a footpath that starts the journey into the forest. Continue hiking and you will come across hillsides of coffee plants, avocado trees, orange trees, and a host of other fruits and vegetables which I could not begin to name. The hike is particularly rewarding for birders; in my brief adventure I encountered about a dozen different species. About twenty minutes up the trail, you will come to a huge rock outcrop on your left hand side, facing cliffs upwards of 150 feet high. These cliffs slant inwards at the bottom, forming a series of shallow caves. Some of the Cakchiquel from San Marcos come here to perform religious and healing rites. Needless to say, such ceremonies should not be interrupted, and the trail is far enough away from the caves that this should not be a problem.

I made a three hour trip out of this hike, and did not come close to the end of the trails. To get back down, you can simply turn around, follow the crystal clear river that leads to the center of town, or improvise. You’re sure to come across something interesting.