The Floor is Lava

My latest piece examines a decision at 4,000 metres on Guatemala’s Acatenango: climb the active Fuego volcano or stay at base camp?

I explore the ethical complexities of adventure tourism and those moments where institutional warnings clash with local expertise and personal ambition.

The context:

• Guatemala’s seismology institute (INSIVUMEH) advises against it
• The guides who summit daily say it’s safe
• Nearly 200 people died in Fuego’s 2018 eruption
• Half my group paid to climb anyway
• I stayed because my body was done, not because I was cautious

This piece explores whom we trust in high-stakes travel decisions, the economics driving risky tourism, and what happens when our bodies make choices our egos are still debating.

https://www.twine.net/signin