I have a long and well-documented habit of traveling toward things most people are actively encouraged to evacuate from. Active volcanoes, lava fields, sulfur vents, steaming craters and landscapes covered in signs containing words like DANGER, TOXIC GAS and DO NOT ENTER apparently register in my brain as “things I photograph and write about.”
That’s basically how Fire, Lava & Bad Ideas became a focus of DESTINATIONS UNKNOWN.
There’s something fascinating about standing somewhere the Earth is very obviously still under construction. The ground cracks, mountains explode, sulfur pours out of holes, lava casually redesigns the neighborhood and humans respond by building a parking lot, charging admission and opening a gift shop. We really are an incredible species.
Of course, visiting volcanoes isn’t always the spectacular National Geographic moment you’re imagining. Sometimes you fly halfway around the planet, wake up at 2:00 AM, hike up a mountain in shitty weather and arrive at the crater just in time to admire an enormous wall of fog.
But when everything actually cooperates, holy shit.
Glowing lava, enormous craters, bubbling mud, black volcanic landscapes and mountains actively pumping smoke into the sky have a way of making normal sightseeing feel slightly underwhelming afterward.
I’m not a geologist, volcanologist or anyone remotely qualified to explain why standing near an active volcano is a good idea. I just know these places produce some of the strangest, most dramatic landscapes I’ve ever seen, and apparently that’s enough for me to keep seeking them out.
Because apparently seeing a mountain on fire and thinking “I should get closer” is part of my personality now.
