Journal Entries

Hiked up the side of Volcan Pacaya today. Mostly through the woods to a huge lava field.

Our guide, Mono, put “Mayan makeup” on the kids. You are required to hire a guide to hike in the National Park.

Family photo with Volcan Agua on our first Guatemalan walk.

After a very long travel day, we arrived in Antigua, Guatemala this morning (12:30 am). After sleep and breakfast at the hostel we hopped in a taxi to visit Cerro de la Cruz and walk back into Antigua. Volcan Agua dominates the background.

Adios, Montana. Goodbye snow and cold. I love, love, love winter, but it’s time to move on to warmer climes. Two months in Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and Mexico should be enough to warm us up. But, I always miss the mountains...

A wet and icy walk in the Bohinj Basin, Slovenia, brought us here: Slap Savica. Not everyone was happy to be walking in the rain/sleet, but I thought it was lovely. More about our short trip to Bohinj: http://travelingmel.com/things-to-do-in-bohinj/

!0-year-old Anders and I went snowshoeing on the Pokljuka plateau in Triglav National Park. We couldn't see the famed Julian Alps because of the fog, but what we could see was quite pretty. More about our two days in Lake Bled: http://travelingmel.com/winter-lake-bled-slovenia/

While in Slovenia, we spent a few days at Lake Bled and in the Bohinj Valley. We got lucky and were able to ice skate on Lake Bled. The lake only freezes every 5-8 years and this was the last day of 2017 with safe ice. More about our two days in Lake Bled: http://travelingmel.com/winter-lake-bled-slovenia/

A serious winter ascent of 3,580 snow-covered feet with @andersabroad to welcome in the new year. So proud of this kid! And then we took the gondola down. Predigtstuhl above Bad Reichenhall and Bayerisch-Gmain in Germany.

Closed out 2016 with a hike to the Ice Chapel (Eiskapelle) above Königssee in Berchtesgaden National Park - just what I wanted for my birthday :). The year round snow field is carved into a cave by a little stream running through. Happy New Year!