Travel is Only Glamourous in Retrospect
Before retrospect sets in, I’ll tell you my story of climbing a volcano only to never see the crater at the top.
The journey to the base camp of the volcano was not an easy one. From the village we had spent the previous night in to the base camp is approximately 7 hours. Along the journey we had to stop twice because our logistics/supply vehicle had an issue with the steering column. This journey was in 44 degree weather, with the air conditioning in the Range Rover dropping the temperature inside the vehicle to 30 degrees. We continued on with the road giving way to bumpy lava that took about 40 minutes to traverse.
Once at the base camp we rested until evening as the hike up the top of Erta Ale is far too rigorous to attempt in the heat of the day. At 6:30, once it had cooled to near 30 degrees, we loaded up our packs and prepared to head out; however, I was unable to cool my inner body temperature. It later became apparent that I had heat exhaustion particularly after I regurgitated my dinner moments before we struck off. Not wanting to miss out on the spectacle at the top of the volcano, I decided to continue on the journey certain that once I got moving my stomach would settle. Kindly our guide offered to carry my pack for me.
Up we continued on what should be a 3 hour hike. Unfortunately my prediction about a settling stomach was incorrect and I continued to get sick about every 20 minutes. Just less than half way up my travelling companions discussed sending me back to base camp but selfishly I begged to continue. They bolstered me with their one and only coke and some peanuts and on we went.
Things got worse from there. I would count to 400 before needing to rest and the patience of my companions was amazing. Fortunately they are also a savvy lot and thought to ask a passing group if they had any electrolytes for me to take when we reached the top. I think that might have been my saviour and allowed me to walk down the next day.
Still my strength faded and I was reduced to 20 paces before I had to rest and bring up the water I had sipped on during those 20 paces. My will was also failing me and had the lava rock not been so inhospitable, I would have been tempted to lay down and tell the group to continue on without me. They would not have, of course, especially since there was a risk of Eritrean rebels in the area which was why we were travelling with more security than was usual.
I have been on some interesting rides in my life; I rode a camel in Egypt, an elephant in Thailand, and across a desert on a horse with no name, but the mirage (or what I thought must be a mirage) that appeared just when I thought there was no way I was going to make it even though I could see the lights of the base camp was my favourite ride ever. Out of the dark appeared a camel who promptly lay down and allowed me to climb on, I can only assume that there was someone leading the camel. Ten minutes later, with a very erudite “Thank you Mr. Camel” I climbed off and collapsed on the nearest mattress. The rest is, as they say, history. My travelling companions continued to the crater and kindly filmed the spectacle for me. I drank the electrolytes and after a couple hours sleep was able to walk down the volcano.
A huge thank you to my travelling companions for taking such wonderful care of me and for their incredible patience while I turned a 3 hour hike into a hike of over 4 hours. A double big thank you to Bryan for practically carrying me up the volcano. My friends have promised to share their photos with me which I will share here in due course.