Hiking nearly to the peak of an active volcano is definitely one of the highlights of my “hiking” career. I guess the climb was about 1300 vertical feet. Some of it was steep and dusty, some of it was concrete steps and the last couple hundred feet was over jagged cooled lava beds. Local guides with horsed accompanied us most of the way- often offering us “taxi” service for about $7.00 US. No- I didn’t take the taxi! I did step in the exhaust though.
We were close enough to molten lava that Josh and Annie roasted marshmallows over the red hot rocks.
The highlight of highlights was climbing beyond the point where our guide intended us to climb- right to the very edge of the river of molten lava oozing past us. Even where we were standing, we could see molten red lava between the cracks in the ground below us.
I made some video but haven’t had time to edit yet- maybe in a week or so.
