As a part of my travels through the Aeolian islands I had the opportunity to hike Stromboli and see volcanic activity up close.
I can only describe hiking an active volcano as feeling like you’re playing russian roulette in summer, and walking in snow at the same time.
The meeting point to begin our hike
Appreciating the climb we’re about to embark on
Those behind us look like tiny little ants
From the peak
Took the obligatory selfie at the peak!
The top of the peak felt like a different planet. The ground changed to volcanic sand, and smoke was coming out of vents from the ground. The hikers were all respectful not to be too rowdy or loud, and you could hear the sounds of the Earth bubbling away with rumbles and a small sputter every few minutes.
We sat along the ridge to watch the sunset and active hotspot
Mostly steam while we were there, and a couple of heart-attack inducing rumbles
The descent
The descent was rad. We went down a different side of the volcano than where we hiked up. While the way up was more solid with grass and dirt, the way down was all volcanic sand.
The consistency was so much like walking downhill in snow – it gave a little under each step so I felt like I was skiing down the whole way.
Hard work after the sun set
All of our helmets – safety first
I feel very lucky to have been able to climb Stromboli, and to have felt a tiny bit of the wrath of mother nature (at a safe distance of course)!
