Posted by fum on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 in 2017 Blog post.

I love hiking, but I’ve never experienced super challenging terrain until the day we hiked Mount Etna. It was an early morning for us, and the long, messy lines at the crowded rest stop that we stopped combined with a lack of sleep didn’t make me excited for the day. However, when we reached Mount Etna I was immediately rejuvenated by the amazing views and the exciting challenge ahead of us. To say that it wasn’t the ideal day for a long hike is an understatement; the winds were some of the strongest that I’ve ever experienced, and it was hailing on and off on the mountaintop. But when the guide asked if we wanted to hike the longer trail, my answer was immediately yes.

The terrain that we were walking on was the most difficult part, compounded by the weather. We walked over two different kinds of lava. One was loose and gravelly, similar to hiking up a mountain of sand, and the other was dried in large, irregular masses that I almost twisted an ankle on many times. When we reached the edge of the crater we were hiking to, I was convinced I was going to be blown off the side. The winds were at least 70 km/hour, and we all had to sit down and huddle on the ground just to stay stable. Despite all the challenges, it was one of my favorite experiences on the trip. The rush of adrenaline as I tried to stand my ground against the strong winds is a feeling that I’ll never forget.

Coming down from the crater was another challenge; we basically slid down the sandy lava until we reached a path. As we walked, we came across a wreckage that was once a hotel. In 2002, there were some massive explosions that ruined many homes and businesses in the area and left only wreckage. It was comparable to the ruins left from huge hurricanes in the United States; the roof of the hotel was upside down and fifty feet from its original position. Mount Etna is an active volcano, and has been exploding frequently for quite some time now. It was fascinating to see where exactly the lava flowed, and how the tree line ended abruptly due to it. It surprised me to see the different climate zones as we climbed further up the mountain, especially the zone used for agriculture since the ash from the volcano is beneficial for growing certain crops, such as grapes, that are unique to Mount Etna. There aren’t many active volcanoes in the United States, and the only one I’ve hiked has been in Hawaii, where the change in climate as you go up the volcano is not as pronounced as it is at Mount Etna.

While the hike was challenging and it was hard to see the ruins of people’s livelihoods from so many years ago, the experience is one that I will never forget.

One of the many craters on Mount Etna, which we hiked to: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0f8fj2A_7mqY05yMEJJX2Z5dm8/view?usp=sharing

The trees that were killed by the flow of lava: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0f8fj2A_7mqNlRucDBNUC1XR1k/view?usp=sharing

A view of the rolling hills of Mount Etna: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0f8fj2A_7mqS0VGa0VBa3o4MDQ/view?usp=sharing