I never quite expected that my first experience in an actual active volcano would be surrounded by snow. But that’s what the faiths had in mind for me, even though it was already the beginning of April in Sicily.
I got picked up at my hotel in Catania at 7:30am. It was Easter Sunday, the sun was bright and the skies were truly blue. Whilst I had arrived in Catania the previous day, and had been in Taormina previously, where views of Etna are omnipresent, the overcast skies had made it impossible for me to get even a peek. But on that drive, I finally saw her. That eternal column of smoke came to view, with a snow-covered peak. There was Etna, the Mother of the region around it.
Locals do consider Etna their mother. When she’s angry, the ground shakes, tears of lava destroying all it encounters, shaping the landscape, forever evolving. But she is the reason the land is fertile, why farming is forever thriving. She is therefore a source of food, but also a source of shelter… because with every eruption, the basalt is an important construction material. And then, of course, tourism. One may argue there is more that Etna gives and what she takes away. And I’m a true believer that nature is the best judge for when destruction is needed, because it leads to a new cycle, to renewal.
Oh boy, I was excited. |I used the company Go Etna for this tour. The plan was to climb to the summit, but due to the large amounts of snow, we wouldn’t be able to make it. Whilst I knew there was some snow at Etna, I honestly had underestimated it. It was not just some patches of snow here and there… it was a LOT of snow.
Etna is the tallest active volcano in Europe, rising up to 3,400 meters above sea level. The cable car took us to the upper station at 2,500 meters and we ended up walking up to about 3,000. Not the summit… but still the experience of a lifetime. It’s always more about the journey than the destination.
I got to see the beautiful contrast of the black basaltic soil with the white of the snow. I touched the soil around the craters, my fingers freezing under the gloves, and felt the warmth below all of that ice. This earth, all of this behind my feet is alive, it’s been alive forever, and it will continue to be alive after I’m gone. No matter what is to happen in my life, this planet that sustains us will keep going, doing its thing, not bothering us. I travel for this sense of smallness, of insignificance. That is perhaps a purpose in itself for my life. The longing for this feeling. The humility and the privilege.
The weather out there changed at every minute. At one point, we were surrounded by thick, milky fog. Whilst I have experienced deep, complete darkness, I had never in my life experienced this complete white. It was terrifying really. If I raised my hand in front of my eyes, I could barely see it. This is one of the reasons why you must have a guide to climb Etna – he guided steadfastly, never hesitating. To this day I still find myself wondering how he did it. I would have been unable to move if alone, scared of falling off a cliff, stepping into a hole.
As fast as the fog had come it was gone. The winds had shifted and the sun came to embrace us once more, the paths were clear. My legs were sinking in the snow though and getting quite tired. At the beginning of the trek I was offered trekking poles which I almost refused – and to this day I’m so grateful the guide insisted I took them. As someone who has very little coordination, and hates walking in snow and ice, this was a life saver.
Going back to Catania that day, I was feeling giddy. They call it the climbers high. I had a massive chicken burger at one of the only places that was open. My time in Sicily was close to its end, and it had been a crazy rollercoaster of emotions, of weathers and experiences. That’s just Sicily to you.
Love, Nic
Where I stayed in Catania: Art & Jazz Hotel, book here.
P.S. Some links on this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and decide to make a purchase, I may gain a small commission. This is not sponsored and it’s based on my personal experience.
The Winged Bone 