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Published: September 15th 2010
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Awe. Terror. Excitement. Fear. Amazement. Disbelief. Never before have I experience all these emotions coursing through me simultaneously. But then, never before have I stood on the craters edge of an erupting volcano. Every time the bubbling lava pool let out an ear deafening blast followed by a fountain of bright orange lava shooting 300 feet into the air, my body would want to run but my mind couldn’t get enough of this natural firework show. In response to each eruption, my conflicting emotions would burst to the surface in the form of uncontrollable giggles. Giggles of terror!
When we set sail from Fiji to Vanuatu, we planned to arrive on the island of Tanna where we could check into the country and see Mt Yasur, an easily accessible active volcano. We heard from other cruisers it was a pretty amazing site to see, so on the day we found ourselves piled into the back of a truck driving along the base of the volcano hearing loud explosions from above, I wasn’t too sure if it was such a good idea. It seemed to me that any minute the whole volcano would violently erupt burying the truck in a massive
landslide. I think my mind was running wild with the images of Mt St Helens, by far the most devastating volcano I’ve ever seen. And this is what I was feeling at the base of the volcano!
On the drive up, Jeff, Kathi and I kept asking our guide if it was safe and if those loud booming noises were normal. In my mind I was going through the worst case scenarios: if it erupted would I run downhill or look for an outcropping of high ground, knowing that in reality it probably wouldn’t make much of a difference. Eventually the truck made it 2/3 up the volcano to the makeshift parking lot where we got out and began the ten minute walk to the top. Much to my surprise there was a mail box at the head of the trail, perhaps your last chance to send your farewell to people back home. On the walk up, the booming explosions continued and giant ash clouds kept billowing near the summit. At this point my excitement won over my fear and I ran the last few hundred feet to the craters edge where I was stopped dead in my tracks
as another explosive boom shook through the air and lava flew. I couldn’t believe it! Why in the world did they allow people up here? This was crazy!!
Once Jeff and Kathi caught up to me, we walked further along the crater edge to a higher point where we could see part of the lava pool only 200 meters away. We joined the group of other spectators and eagerly awaited the eruptions that came every couple minutes. Sometimes you could see the force of the blast ripple through the air a few seconds before the sound hit you and the lava flew. It was beautiful to see the large lava chunks slowly changing shape as they were hurled through the air before splattering back onto the volcano still glowing red hot. We continued to watch in awe and terror as the sun set and night slowly crept in making the show even more spectacular. With each booming explosion and fiery spray I’d involuntarily take a step back and giggle with terror as adrenaline pumped through my body and my mind convinced me the next blast would be The One. We all agreed it was somewhat stupid to b standing
this close to an erupting volcano but at the same time we couldn’t get enough. Only later did we find out that a few years prior six Japanese tourists were killed when a large rock chunk flew out and landed on them. Yikes! If we had known that beforehand, I think my instinct to flee would have overpowered everything else. I would have been running down the mountain after each eruption, hair streaming behind me, giggling like a maniac!
Once the eruptions began spewing lava even higher in the air and lasting longer we decided to not push our luck and stumbled down the mountain in the dark back to the truck. As we drove away, the fiery glow and rumbling explosions were luring me back, but I knew that if I did return I would be terrified all over again only to leave then have the urge to go back, repeating in an endless cycle. Such an up-close spectacular view of nature like that draws you in like a moth to a candle, even knowing you could easily get burned. Sometimes you just have to resist that urge simply to stay alive.
The next morning I was ready to go back and risk it all again, just to have that explosion rumble through my body, see the lava shoot through the air and giggle with terror one last time!!!
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Aunt Mary
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Awesome!
Awesome Anna! Thanks for sharing this thru your eyes. I don't think I would have been brave enough to stand there during those explosions! I'm glad you made it back without being sacrificed to the gods!