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above Lago de Coatepeque and we caught glimpses of the deep blue lake before steep twisties took us through coffee plantations to the trailhead of the volcano . The quiet grassy field behind the car park was perfect for wild camping and in the misty early morning a man carrying a big cooler box greeted us as he passed by towards the trail . After breakfast we left the bikes under the watchful eye of the car park attendant and followed .
The hike started in a damp forest with giant mushrooms and popped out on rocky terrain speckled with agave , affording hazy views of the neighbouring volcano and the lake below . Anticipation grew as we reached the top , where the man from the morning sold refreshing ice creams from his cooler box . The inflated price was justified by his having to heave the heavy container up to the summit .
Settling on the rim we lapped up our melting coconut ice cream and soaked up the views . The sunlit yellow , brown , and red rocks of the crater artfully contrasted the milky turquoise lake at the bottom , and wispy clouds of sulphur cast faint shadows over the water , adding a
TRAVERSE 90