Climbing Mt. Etna--spectacular day

lava flow from 2002-3 eruption

Today we climbed Mt. Etna, facing a ferocious wind all the way to the top that nearly blew me over several times.  Yesterday, the winds were too strong to climb and they were close to that today.
But, once at the crater, no one cared about the howling wind because the crater is unbelievable.

Mt. Etna's main crater

There are at least a dozen holes and cracks spouting smoke and steam deep in the cavernous center and all around the sides of the crater.  It is a fantastic sight.  Mt. Etna is an active volcano, with a small eruption only 2 weeks ago.  It's most recent sizable eruption was last December, but that came from a different crater, below the top.

The volcano first erupted 500,000 years ago, out in the Mediterranean.  Since then, it has continually moved inland, erupting from slits and gashes ever farther from the coast and creating 200 craters that periodically blow, gushing lava and gasses.  The mountain grew over time and is now a major vineyard and winery area in addition to being a huge volcano.  But, the threat of another large eruption is ever-present, made obvious by the enormous lava fields that cover the mountain, some very recent.

Don at crater rim

For those, like us, who want to climb to the top of Etna, there are several options.  You can walk all the way up from the Refugio and its parking lot, about 4500 feet, on a dusty road used by large 4 wheel drive vehicles ferrying passengers higher up the mountain.  Or, you can take the gondola as far as it goes and walk from there, but you must have a guide for the last 1200 feet of elevation gain (understandable, given the volatile nature of the volcano) to the summit at about 11,000 feet--about 1 1/2 hours to the top.

4 of Mt. Etna's 200 craters (including the one on the side)

                                                                       We decided to go with a guiding service that takes you up the gondola and then buses you to the top of the road, hiking the last 1200 feet of elevation gain, a couple of miles, to the crater rim which is the top of the mountain.  The return hike is all the way down to the gondola, gliding down the steep slopes of volcanic ash with stops to learn more about the volcano and see the most wonderful views.  Today, we could see the south coast of the Italian mainland quite clearly, over the devastation of recent eruptions.  This trip takes about 5 1/2 hours and costs 85 euros per person.

The climb to the crater is steep, but not really difficult, except for the wind today, which made it hard to maintain your balance on the slippery volcanic ash.  This ash is not fine-grained.  It's like large, sharp gravel and is very dusty.

crater from 2002-3 eruption

Today's climb was very cold.  I think it is often cold on Etna.  We took all our warm clothes, but it was still very cold.  So, if you want to climb Mt. Etna, make sure you have very warm gloves, a fleece jacket or 2, down jacket if possible and a windproof layer.  You'll need a warm hat and good sunglasses with wind protection.  I wore hiking pants, but would have liked heavier pants.  Take plenty of water and some food as you'll stop for lunch.  When the wind howls as it did today, there is no protection anywhere, so you'll be cold when you stop to look or eat.

Gail at crater rim--cold, but loving it

The hiking service has boots if you didn't bring any with you, and they were fine.  While boots aren't absolutely essential, they are pretty important since the sharp ash gets into lower topped shoes and you really can't stop to empty out the ash.  The service also provides helmets, which you need to wear at the top in case the volcano decides to spout hot rocks over the rim.  And, there are some hiking poles available, which are helpful on the soft ash.

I kept thinking all the way down what a wonderful day this was and how much I loved being on that volcano, wind and all.