Surviving Stromboli: 7hr hike up an active volcano

Stromboli: View from the Bottom

Gone With the Wind

Doggo at Sunset

Stromboli at Sunset

Sea at Sunset

All the Way Up

Tuesday July 24, 2018 my class and I took a hydroplane--which is a boat that runs smoothly or something like that--to Stromboli. It was my first time being on a boat in the ocean, so I thought it was an extremely bumpy ride. However, I love boat rides in general, so I still enjoyed it. We arrived to Stromboli at 7:20am. The entire island is the volcano, and a majority of the volcano is actually underwater. I've never been on an island. I've never been on a volcano. It was pretty freaking awesome. Everything about the landscape and the little villages was breathtaking. The people were friendly. The food was delicious and inexpensive. It was love at first sight for Stromboli and I. There were no cars because the streets were so cute and tiny. The people only drove golf cart type vehicles and electric scooters. At 5pm we started our long trek up Stromboli with two guides. A totally different guide's dog named Lulu decided to follow us the entire way up, which was a pleasant surprise. It was such a good cardio workout and Lulu showed us up at every step. I really thought I wasn't going to make the climb up, but the moment I saw that first Strombolian eruption I was increasingly motivated to reach the top. At one point we were practically rock climbing. It was ridiculously hot until we reached a higher elevation and then of course it was super windy and cold. We must have stayed up there for and hour or so watching and waiting for the volcano to erupt. Volcanic eruptions are nature's fireworks--better even. I can't begin to explain how beautiful of a sight it was. We still weren't at the top though, so after night fell completely we walked to the very top to get to the descent trail on the other side of the volcano. At this point in the hike we were walking up and down volcanic ash, sand, and rock in the dark with only our headlamps to shine the way, all the while hearing and feeling the volcano erupt and having mass amounts of sulfur/volcanic fumes blow at us. We had dust masks and were told to only breathe through our noses. Also, during the last two hours of the hike, I guess I had sprained the hamstring in my right leg by over-stretching it on the steep hike up. It was extremely painful, but with the help of one of our guides, Luca, I got down Stromboli safely and swiftly. The whole way down was basically just sand, so we had to plunge step/ski down, and it would've been very fun and enjoyable had it not put a lot of pressure on my legs. We ended up getting back to our hotel at around midnight. It was a 7 hour trip total. It was intense because the stakes felt very life or death, and honestly it felt pretty cool too. Everything I went through on Stromboli was completely worth it. To stand on an active volcano, watch it erupt, and live to tell the tale was just... it was the best experience of my life yet.

Dracarys

-Serina Estrada