Etna

The big daddy of all the volcanos round here. The top of Stromboli is maybe 900m Etna is 3300m plus. But we had some help getting to the top. First a bus taking us to the refuge at 1900m to stay overnight. Then tele cabins taking us to 2400m, then a 4 wheel drive bus that looked like something out of thunderbirds to take you to 2800m. Then a special volcano guide to take guide us up to the top. It was 25 degrees and sunny at sea level but Etna forms its own micro-climate and pretty soon we were heading into cloud and then a howling wind and hail. It was about 5C so pretty soon we were wearing every item of clothing we had with us. We got to the top but saw almost nothing. On the way down brightened up and we got some nice views of lava fields, ash fields and even views to the coast.