Just over two years ago I came up with a crafty idea. I thought, why not set myself the ambitious quest to climb 40 volcanoes by the age of 40 – a feat that needed to be achieved in a five-and-a-half-year time frame? It was a bold, daring plan, borne out of a fascination of … Continue reading 5 steps to an epic volcano-climbing adventure (without making my mistakes)
volcano
Plans for volcano number nine
Finally, an update – plans for the next volcano in my #40by40 are coming together. This will tick off volcano number nine (if I include my accidental volcano as number eight). Hurrah! It’s not a volcano on my original list. It’s not a volcano that’s spectacularly tall and grand. It’s not a volcano that breathes … Continue reading Plans for volcano number nine
Volcano number 8: The accidental volcano
Yip that clock is ticking – 40 volcanoes by the age of 40 (#40by40), and I’ve currently checked off… a big fat seven. As you know it’s not quite the progress I was hoping to have made but in the name of positivity, you have to admit, it’s progress of sorts. Now that I’m taking … Continue reading Volcano number 8: The accidental volcano
Volcano number 7: The successful New Zealand volcano
Finally, a day of sunshine! I almost couldn’t believe it – I had to pinch myself to make sure – but there it was, crisp blue sky and a white-gold orb coating my immediate world in warm rays of sunshine. No rain to be seen; not even a cloud. It was rejoice-worthy. The majestic-ness of … Continue reading Volcano number 7: The successful New Zealand volcano
Another epic weather fail
The rain on the tent sounded like an army chucking thousands of buckets of water over it. It had sounded like that all night; a constant drumming as the torrential rain pelted the tree above us, which jettisoned the water directly onto our tent. To say it was wet was an understatement. We’d completed the … Continue reading Another epic weather fail
These are the goals (not resolutions) I’m setting myself for 2017
So, the first day of the new year has come and gone. I can’t help but wonder how many people made New Year’s Resolutions and have already broken them? By all accounts, according to the experts, the better term to use is goals, not resolutions, which can be defined as more specific, and which are … Continue reading These are the goals (not resolutions) I’m setting myself for 2017
Volcano number 6: The first high altitude volcano
From a distance, Mt Etna – Europe’s highest and most active volcano – seemed mysterious. She sat surprisingly quietly in the background as people wandered the streets of Sicily’s port city Catania, just the occasional wisps of steam floated above her. Up closer, her smoking was more pronounced and the landscape changed from lush greenery … Continue reading Volcano number 6: The first high altitude volcano
Volcano number 3: The erupting volcano
That moment I got up close and saw my first active erupting volcano will stick with me. I was in the Aeolian Islands, just north of Sicily, gorging myself on quite possibly the world’s best pizza, when suddenly everyone in the restaurant went wild, turning and pointing behind us. Paula, beside me, ferociously grabbed my … Continue reading Volcano number 3: The erupting volcano
The motivation behind the #40by40 volcano quest
When I first embarked on my quest last year to climb 40 volcanoes by the age of 40, I was driven by the desire to challenge myself, push myself outside my comfort zone and find my full potential. Ultimately, I was in search of a new me, to find out who I really was and … Continue reading The motivation behind the #40by40 volcano quest
Volcano number 2: The muddy volcano
The jungle on Nevis Peak “That was your warm up. Now you climb.” Those were the words of our buff 57-year-old guide as we stood in a scraggly jungle of moss-covered trees, vines and ferns, staring at a criss-cross ladder of tree roots that ascended heavenward. We’d been walking up hill for the past 20 … Continue reading Volcano number 2: The muddy volcano