In 2019 my wife and I took our 4 kids to Guatemala for nearly 3 months. In the first week I was talking with an ex-pat while we were near Lake Atitlan. He stopped what he was saying and pointed to a distant peak. Smoke was billowing out of it. He said, "Oh, it looks like Fuego is erupting." I had no idea what he was talking about but followed by telling me that I must take the hike to the top. He recommended renting a donkey for my then 9 year old. 

A month later we decided to go. I include it in this series because this Volcano is one of the 4000 National Parks or reserves that have been set aside. worldwide, since the first was established near my home, in Yellowstone. What a domino effect!                                                                                                  We took a gamble and decided to psyche up our 9 year old with a promised ice cream cone. It worked amazingly. The hike is one of the most spectacular in all the world but has little recognition. A mandatory guide takes you up 4000 feet to a base camp above the clouds. The volcano erupts about every 20 minutes. At 4:00 am you are awoken to ascend another 1000 feet to the summit. How to describe a night in which a volcano blows with such force that it shakes the ground? It can't be described.