Early morning, 5:30 AM, waiting in a windy pitch black surrounding for the government agency hut to open doors, in order to register, and enter into the Volcan Baru park.

Truly an unexpected event for the 24/7 agency not to be open for the public, probably a sign of tougher challenges ahead. The secret to a good hike all the way to the top of the volcano consists of an early start. We waisted about an hour and a half waiting for the office to open so then to start the 10 hour climb. Unfair.

I had many plans regarding photography. I carried my carbon fiber Oben tripod, the very old Pentax K5 with the Rokinon 14mm 2.8 lens and the O-GPS for some astrophotography (‘cause night skies are just beautiful), a Nikon FE-2 with a 50mm 1.8 analogue camera with a roll of Fujichrome Provia 100 for some film photography, and last the dependable Fujifilm X-T1 and the XF 18-55mm lens, which came hooked up to my bag with my Peak Design belt clip. Yeap, I was ready for lots of photos.

Having a medical lumbar condition, and having both my knees injured in the past, I trained for the last 60 days to prepare for the conditions coming ahead. In addition, I had hired a Guide and Sherpa to help me and my friends with some of the bags, though I carried a couple of lighter bags to have with me my ration of electrolytes and meals for the way up. Training paid off, I felt physically better than previous trips uphill, and we were making good time. My friends and I joined other groups of people along the way, and had plenty of fun all through the major part of the hike, through the forest, to the top of "Filo del Machete", until the clearing the rest of the forest and the start of the long climb.

The long climb is a hike of around 2-3km in direction to the crater of the volcano, not exactly the top, but a destination for camping in case there is not enough light to climb the last kilometer, or maybe in case getting rest for the next day makes more sense. The hike forward is in very uneven terrain, slippery due to a thick layer of dust resulting from the erosion of rocks along the way. In addition, the higher altitude demands a lot on your physical condition, plus the lack of oxygen are just a few reasons this long climb becomes a workout of endurance . Every step upward is slow, a pause to breathe, and a pike on the ground of walking sticks to push yourself forward. The view from above improves, the view forward becomes a test of mental fortitude and patience. Somewhere in the middle of this climb I felt it, a painful pinch in my lumbar forced me to stop, the bag I was carrying was good for photography gear, but not orthopedic enough for my back, not for this long hike. The bag started feeling uncomfortable, the pain was becoming unbearable. So I took the remnants of snacks, electrolytes and an extra jacket along with my last rescue bag (one attached to my waist and leg) and gave the photography gear bag to one of our helpers. Not an easy decision, but very important to help ameliorate my back injury.

I kept on shooting with the X-T1 what I could, but half way through this climb a change of weather conditions arose unexpectedly, a front cold of strong winds from the top of the volcano, washed down over all climbers making the hike even more difficult, even slower, a probably a bit riskier than usual.

We reached the crater of the volcano. With increasingly less light remaining, tired bodies, and strong winds, we realized the safe choice, the smart decision was to find protection from the cold front and start camping, it was going to be a long, difficult night. Making this decision was not easy, not because of all factors considered, more because mental clarity coupled with physical drainage makes thinking and deciding a lot harder. I was also saddened after accepting the fact the whole photography trip changed drastically into an episode of Survivor. I was heart broken, if anything I could just take glimpse of pictures.

Then, the long night. The ferocious wind blasted both our tents without mercy. To make it through the night, we realized we all had to work together, secure the tents as best to the ground as we can, and find warm shelter inside. We all lost the appetite, some of us were getting headaches, and all started feeling chill cold inside: we had all to move under one tent and pray for the best. Indeed, we prayed too.

A few times during the cold, windy night, I got out of the tent to stretch and check on things around us, and man, the night sky couldn't look more beautiful, filled with stars as if you can grab them with your hands. Oh, the pictures I could have taken, I just can't describe in words how small I felt in the face of God's grand creation. After 8 - 10 hours of intense drafts, the winds slowly started to give in. Around 4AM I went to my tent and finally had some sleep. I felt grateful.

A new sunrise brought a new sense of purpose, we packed up, and climbed to the top of the volcano, about a kilometer long steep hike to meet the white cross, the symbol of both achievement and surrender. We got there together, we celebrated together, and we realized we made it through together. God had mercy.

And now, let me share with everyone the pictures taken with the X-T1. The camera passed the test. Feel free to share this blog.