2 aerial views as a reminder of what the Lengai looked like before 2007, before the major eruptions. The climb used to happen on the SE slope, that is the right part of this picture.
the plateau had filled up over the last decades, some chimneys pop up here and there, collapse, start again.... Now there is a thick cone and a decent hole.
the landscape is declared mostly inhospitable. Don’t get lured by the little meager grass or the trees. The area is barren, dry, hot. This grass here grew up after the little rains, but would disappear fast.
Usually people climb up, spend one hour or 2 on the top then climb down.That time we decided to stay one night and camp. Safety and common sense should have prevailed and made us choose the other side of the ridge for pitching the tent. There the plateau is extinct for sure. But I didn’t want to miss any action, specially at night when I was hoping for some red lava or at least some red glow. In vain…
the climb is strenuous, performed at night to avoid the intense heat and the absence of any shade. Carrying our unusual 20 kg backpack for the night didn’t help. Tent, sleeping bags, stove, a lot of water…
but what a reward when the scenery to await for looks like this! A Moon landscape with lava flowing and chimneys rumbling and spitting, ground vibrating under your feet…
getting closer.
fresh lava is jet black, getting brown within a few hours, and grey or even white within a few days.
this was not a major eruption but impressive enough for a first one and on our own. The guides are not volcano experts so the decisions were on us.
various chemicals make the surface look like an abstract piece of art.
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