Mt. Etna - was smoking today!

Went to walk around Mt today. We of course did not go to the top as it is not allowed @ 9000ft is all. It is a National Park and the top is the "A" portion - only with special permission and mostly researchers. We were at the "C" level with trails in the lava dust. Our guide talked of the 2006, 2002 lava flows, how far they reached and the damage they did. The Eruption in 1995 I believe it was destroyed the village below.
This skiing chalet was taken out in the 2006 lava flow. It was during the night and so no one was in it to be hurt.

 Yes the lava flow sometimes has clean cut edges like this. The dead trees were from the heat of the lava flow.

There was this beautiful bird mostly white with black wings, but my camera was not good enough to get it. One of the other participants has a great camera and did a great job capturing it, so will have it later. 

Actually Lava rock and dust here is mostly like sand. There are lava rocks. But it has great nutrients for plants. Here is a beautiful Birch tree, some little yellow flower unnamed and Violets. 

 These are all growing out of the lava rock/sand like. It did not cut our shoes like when we went to another park in the US that had lava rock. Amazing how plant life adapts. Lots of fir trees as well. And they had dropped plenty of pine cones all over.

This rock below is known to have been thrown through the air in one of the eruptions. Chris is standing next to it to give you a perspective of it's size.

 Ken and Chris are at the bottom of a pit that once spewed lava. About 5 of us went to the bottom to see what it was like. Weather today was slightly cloudy but up towards the Mt. Etna, it was cold with the wind blowing. I bought a sweatshirt as I had not packed one. Even in the luggage that was lost and now is found.

 Here I have taken a shot from the bottom of the same whole looking upwards to the rest of our group. Not all of the participants have yet arrived. Arriving ealry like we did is one of the options. Only 11 came early so we are expecting 6-9 more.

You cannot see it real well, but at the top is Mt. Etna, some are clouds and some is gas coming from Mt. Etna. Some took mini movie pictures so you could see the moving gas. They say it is better when you see a little activity like this. They are more dangerous when they go completely quiet. There is a geological website they check for clearance to take people on tours. 

 This is our crew having lunch. We stopped at a little town on the way to get water and lunch. Bread, cheese, olives and fruit. Some got  proscuttio, tomatoes and basil as well.

 Paula lifting a lava rock to demonstrate how light, Oh I mean how heavy they are.

Close-up look at a lava rock. 

Our final descent out of the volcanic area through a volcano forrest. it was a short cut, steep and the soft lava sand. Some of us ran down the trail to the bottom. Actually it was almost easier to run due to how steep it was.

Got back to the hotel around 4pm. Just got a Sicilian pizza for dinner and came back to pack/sort. We leave tomorrow at 9:30 for our next location. Just south of Ragusa. We start our cycling tomorrow.