How I tried to conquer the ethna volcano during eruption

The main goal of my trip to Sicily, and rather the choice as its deployment is the city of Skania was that it is at the foot of the ethna – the largest volcano in Europe. The most interesting thing is that it can be climbed that it seemed an excellent idea before the trip.

You can watch the video, as I did, or read further in text form.

Since my goal was pretty clear, I planned my trip with a loaf on her. The room took off near the train station, because it was from Square near him every day at 8:15 A bus departs to the volcano.

Before the trip, I read that the bus ticket must be purchased in the box office in advance, but at that moment they were closed. It is possible that they do not work on Sundays, because the next day, everything was open there. May come in handy to someone, it is necessary to look for this place with a low-challenge sign called AST:

There are cash regulations in the left building (in the photo) is quite close to bus stops, I think meters 150-200 (coordinates: 37.506938, 15.098154).

As a result, I just got a queue of people waiting for a bus. It turned out that the ticket can be bought directly from the driver today, my trip to one end cost 6.6 euros, time to drive about an hour 2 hours, but along the way the bus makes a small stop in Nikolosi, back rides without stopping.

The bus moved to his way, and I decided on the way to read on the Internet about Etna, so that it is better to navigate and not to lose too much time. But at the first, my search request for issuing began to mix the latter news related to. Here I was surprised a little, and began to suspect that my day I would be interesting today, because on the eve of the largest European volcano began to erupt.

Well, I thought that once the bus was not canceled, then, probably, everything is not so scary, as news resources write, and even accompanying the bus began to tell that we are very lucky that we got just on the eruption. Well, yes, well, yes, I thought, especially outside the window my houses were flashed "Lucky" Long before us.

2 hours later the bus brought me to the basic camp to a height of 2000 meters, from where people and start the rise. The reverse bus will be only at 16:35, so everything remains about 6.5 hours.

There are several options for further action, which differ in physical, temporal and financial costs. The first way – to overcome all the way on foot, as an adventure, perhaps, is the most interesting option. Only it is necessary to understand that the walk is not very easy, but over time, as I have read, walk back and forth just takes 6 hours, so you can walk is not very long. The second option – the fastest and most expensive. With a height of 2,000 meters to a height of 2300 meters can be reached by cable car, it costs 35 euros round trip, takes about 10-15 minutes. From 2300 up to the height of 2900 (more tourists are not allowed), you can not get special buses, off-road, it costs 30 euros.

Personally, for myself, I decided to choose a middle ground, completing the first ascent by cable car, and then set out on foot. The result is not so expensive, and less likely to die somewhere along the road, in zavyaznuv lava sand without trekking shoes.

If we focus on the issues of clothing, it is necessary to understand that the temperature on the coast of the Ionian Sea and at an altitude of 2000 meters is quite different. I knew about it, but was flying one of our well-known low-cost airlines, which for every extra centimeter of hand luggage is ready to tear off your money, but I am not alone, so the items of warm clothing are here rolled. I made a little silly, it turned out later successful, so rented a fleece in the base camp, paying for it is 2 times more than he could have after lifting a little higher.

Judging by the queue at the funicular past eruption of Etna nobody scared.

One flew over the heads of those who carry out the rise of self and evaluating the slope of a mountain with a length of route, I decided that 35 euros is quite adequate for the price rise is not on his own two feet.

At the top is no longer such a big camp, a small gift shop, cafe and item of clothing rental, all located in the same building, which in combination is the final station of the funicular. Clothes here cheaper than I got at the bottom that I was at that time very upset, especially offers a complete.

By the way, here are sold souvenirs made of lava, the best small magnet with Sicily and not think, I could not resist.

At the exit there are buses with high cross, where you can continue to rise, paying more money.

However, I remained true to his original plan, so easier to put on the backpack, put on the hood and went on foot, watching mist leaving for groups of tourists.

I wanted to Etna for her alien mind-blowing landscapes and species, but here everything is different now, almost nothing can be seen, under the feet of a mixture of lava and snow.

Only rose to the occasion and began to climb on foot up to 2300 meters, I was finally on itself felt around me no ordinary fog and volcanic ash. Once at the bottom I have not come to this realization, because in my view was smell of burning, or something similar, to no odor was not. Around was, at first glance, just fog, but in moving upstairs he made me cough up more and more, a very strange feeling, everything seems to be fine, but there is an understanding that the fresh air body lacks.

At an altitude of approximately 2700 meters suddenly appeared local rangers who blocked my way and said that it is impossible to move forward, a few moments ago it began a new eruption. Everyone who goes on foot caught and turns back.

Reaching somewhere 200 meters (this height, but I think that was only half of the last segment) to a final point, I’m disappointed went back and watched as the smoke around it becomes more dense and impenetrable, at some point had to just stop, do not knowing what is happening around.

By the time I reached the cable car, it only works on the descent, the volcano today officially closed to the public. The path down was much more picturesque, in full silence, slowly swaying, watching how to emerge empty counterbases.

I really hoped that because of such an unforeseen situation and a resumed eruption, an unscheduled bus to Skania would be allowed to take away all people stuck on Etna, but as you could guess, this did not happen. Here I was very happy that at the very beginning I was flooded and took the warm clothes at the bottom, even in it for almost 5 hours, that I had to strike at an altitude of 2000 meters, I am a pretty fruitry, did not even help the tea that I endlessly drank in one From cafe. It is necessary to understand that in the base camp it was so boring and nothing to take himself, that I really pretended to descend on foot to the city, but the navigator offered me to overcome this path about the same time, now I even regret that I did not go on foot, the day would turn out Much more interesting.