Visit an active volcano

“I let my bit of worry get lost in the back of my mind as I peered out the window. We passed huge chunks of rock that was once hot, flowing lava. All the way up to the mouth of the Volcano, these volcanic rocks mixed with the vegetation, creating a sea of green and black. As we reached the top, we could see thick steam rising from the crater. Peering over the rock, all you could see was a giant hole in the earth, and so. much. steam. I stared into the volcano as long as I could, but my throat was getting more and more irritated.”

“Up close, it became something else entirely: slick lava rock under our hands, wind and rain in our faces, and a crater that actively breathed steam into the clouds. It was my first active volcano. And it felt surreal from the very first step. The ascent started out like a normal hike—until the ground changed. Suddenly, we were moving across an old lava field that looked less like “rocks” and more like something that had grown into place. The shapes were twisted, knuckled, and layered, as if the landscape had hardened mid-motion and decided to keep that pose forever. Rain was forecast, and pretty much everything we’d read beforehand came with the same warning: once water runs over old lava rock, it can get insanely slippery. Not “watch your step” slippery—more like “one bad foot placement and you’re sliding” slippery.”

“Never before had I been so close to a force of nature! A look at the Casio watch tells me that my pulse is at 120bpm. [...] The biggest difference however is that here, on an active volcano, there is the additional threat of catapulted glowing rocks. It feels like they could hit me at any moment, though no boulder lands closer than 50m away from the line. With every roar of the volcano my pulse stops for a short time, only to beat faster afterwards. The second and third times on the line the pure feeling of fear I had towards this elemental force gave way to respect and admiration. The erupting red-hot lava fountains and the mighty ash clouds almost put me under a spell. Sometimes I can't help but stand still and watch the spectacle. It feels unreal to experience this, almost like a dream.”