This isn't about hype.  This is about fear.  How steep is this thing going to be?  Am I going to have to do some rock scrambling (being on all fours)?  Will I be walking along edges of cliffs?  How easily is it going to be for me to fall?  I had heard from hostelmates that they saw 7 year olds do this thing.  I had read from others that it was incredibly dangerous and rocks fall and can hit you on the head and then you have to be helicoptered to the hospital (credits to Party K from Tulum).   The hike is 19 km.  What I encountered was a challenging day where I felt like I was walking along the landscape of Mars, without needing a breathing apparatus.  There were moments where I was scared and trembling a bit.  Thankfully, it was not really as scary as I had envisioned and it required no actual rock climbing or scrambling.

The best part of the journey were the two incredibly special people I met.  I present to you Matt and Becca.  Matt just finished medical school in the UK.  Becca is taking a break from her job in Auckland.  I sat next to Becca on the 5am shuttle bus to the hiking site.  Matt saw me walking alone in the beginning of the hike and asked if I wanted to join him. 

What a genuine way to make friends.  I had a lot of anxiety about "being stuck" with people for 7-8 hours of hiking.  Well, even if I was technically stuck with these guys, I can't imagine wanting be stuck with anyone else.  We battled a lot together.  It was really incredible.  There were some frozen kneecaps that needed a little friendly help getting uphill.  There were anxieties and frustrations and lots of other hikers passing us by being incredibly passive aggressive and just hovering behind us.  It seems that this is the only hiking trail I've experienced where other hikers do not say "excuse me" when they want to pass.  Just hovering.  We got through it together.  Here they are:

At the end of the hike, we realized we were actually all staying in the same hostel.  Our hostel also had a hot tub.  So, naturally, we went immediately to the hot tub upon our return.  Our feet were pulsating in pain.  We were covered in dust.  We opened up some beers and took a deep breath and basked in the glory of this major accomplishment.  We went around discussing why this was such a major accomplishment for each of us.  I guess it was all personal, so I won't share much here.

The scariest part of the hike for me was the beginning of the decent.  It's a steep walk down a volcanic ash hill.  People were falling on their asses left and right and it was only a matter of time before I fell on my ass.  Some crazy dudes were running down the hill and did not slip.   I wondered if that would actually make it easier but I was not willing to try and take the risk.

Below are photos I took of the hike.  The photo of me posing on a rock was taken by Matt on his fancy camera: