Mount Sinabung erupted in Indonesia. New Zealand volcano eruption kills five

Traveling on my own in Indonesia, I came to the small town of Berastagi from the lake, to look at the volcanoes, which I had never seen alive before in my life, did not come close and, moreover, did not climb to the top.
I went to one of them, very interesting and accessible, on the second day (read this story, as well as information about the volcano), but I wanted to climb the Sinabung Sinabung volcano too. This was at the beginning of February 2013. But only now in October 2016 I am writing about it

Mount Sinabung - information

Mount Sinabung with a height of 2460 m is located in the north of Sumatra island in Indonesia, 25 km from the city of Berastagi and 90 km from big city Medan, where most tourists fly to also get to the volcano, lake, and others interesting places in Sumatra.

For 400 years, the volcano slept, and in August 2010, the first eruption after hibernation occurred. Awoke. Sinabung volcano next erupted in November 2013 and then quickly increased its activity, erupting twice in early 2014 and then more and more often in 2015, especially strong emissions and multiple eruptions were observed in 2016, when a lava dome collapsed and people died there again. Now, after all the eruptions, there is almost no forest on it ...

But let's get back to my journey on February 5, 2013 ... Then I didn’t know anything about it, I was possessed by curiosity, the desire to see the unusual and get more impressions.

You had to go to Sinabung only with a guide, and it cost decent money 300-350 thousand Indonesian rupiah, which is expensive for an unemployed person who travels independently, spending her hard-earned savings daily (then it was $ 35 at the exchange rate). There was no one to join, there were no people who wanted to climb this volcano, so I, having cautiously looked at the list of male tourists hanging in the Tourist Information Center in the city of Berastagi, who lost their way back and died, or were found in a couple of years, decided to leave this idea.
However, after visiting the volcano, curiosity broke out in me and the next day I decided to look at the volcano Sinabung Sinabung.
Since absolutely everyone I asked told me the same thing, namely - categorically do not go alone without a guide, I decided to at least look at him, stand next to him, see what it is and why you can’t go. As an imaginative person, I thought I'd just walk up, walk around, see what it looks like, and come back - that's just how I imagined it.

The owner of the guesthouse gave me a very simple map - a diagram, explained how to get there, but warned me several times not to climb up and that the last bus (tuk-tuk type) back to the city leaves at 16:00. It started on February 5, 2013 at about 9 am and after an hour of shaking in an old bemo (something similar to a minibus), was in right place. The journey from the city of Berastagi to Lake Kawar Lake Kawar or Danau Kawar cost 7000 rupees. In the second half of the way it was already possible to see this very mountain from the window. Only the top is hidden behind the clouds.
At the final stop there was some kind of building where two men were sitting, I clarified the direction, they once again warned me not to go up the mountain and saying that I would just take a walk around, I left, glad that they had not taken me entrance fee of 4000 rupees(then it is only 13 rubles).

Lake Kavar

Located almost at the foot of the Sinabung volcano, Lake Kawar, like a mysterious mirror, lurks in the silence of these places. So it was that sunny morning.
By the lake stood tourist tents on a platform under a canopy, from which only a few people got out. Why didn't I go to them? Firstly, somehow I didn’t dare, logically judging that if I go to the volcano, then I have to go right now, otherwise everything will be covered with clouds and you won’t see anything, and the company is apparently large and they are just waking up, which means it will take a lot of time. Secondly, they have enough people even without me, or they are such brave guys, they probably already visited the top, and in general, I was told not to climb the mountain and I was just going to reach the foot and that's it.
Walked past, admired the view beautiful lake, a little more along a good road, and then along the vegetable gardens, from where a view of the mountain and its peak, barely visible in the clouds, opened.

I saw the sign "Sinabung-5km" and decided to just come closer. It was already clear that it would be impossible to go around the volcano around. The mountain was completely covered with forest, and its top was hidden in the clouds, so that only the lower half was visible. To be honest, I wanted to get up, but I was terribly afraid and I was nervous because of this, as before the exam, because. apparently my subconscious knew, if anything - I'll climb up - that's agile!
Two peasants, who were digging in the cabbage field, pointed out to me the continuation of the path, and I went to the forest.

How I climbed Mount Sinabung

I must say that no distances were written on the diagram, therefore, having quickly gone to this very sign, I, as a person thinking on a large scale, did not attach importance to the fact that I had already passed a short segment and began to climb, fearing and hoping that I was still overcoming the first part (I did not notice that this was exactly it on the diagram), and then there would be a road that is drawn on the diagram, and maybe people. That's how I imagined. I went into the forest and began to climb, telling myself that I allowed just a little bit and immediately back.

“I’ll go 100 meters, I’ll look at least at the jungle, I’ve never been in the jungle, I’ll feel it and come back right away,” I thought, entering the forest. Then there were another 100 meters and another 50 and then another 30 and 20 ... To say that I was scared is to say nothing - I was madly afraid! But it was also very interesting, although I was wary of meeting any animals, snakes, or any other dangers that my imagination could instantly draw and even attract. Therefore, at first it was easy and fast, like a torpedo, like a ram, and I thought - well, now I’ll quickly go a little and back. So, I run a little up the mountain and come back. 🙂
The trail was at first about 1m wide, then narrowed to half a meter. The soil was very wet and the roots of the trees that served as natural stepping stones were slippery. No wonder - the beginning of February, more precisely February 5, 2013 - wet season, it rains every day. Yes, even in the mountains, there are more clouds.

Sometimes I had to put my foot high enough and grab onto branches or tree roots located above, and sometimes, on the contrary, crawl under fallen large trees, but this is not a problem for me - and stretching allows me to lift my leg, and with my small stature it is not difficult to crawl under a tree. At times the path forked, as it turned out, rounding huge thickets of pandanus. I sometimes turned around and took pictures so as not to lose my way back. (It is a pity that they are rare and that they turned out to be of poor quality).
The list of lost people that I saw in the city and still remembered the well-known character - "Father Fyodor" from the movie "The Twelve Chairs" kept spinning in my head all the time. Only a helicopter won’t fly for me, I had the most antediluvian small phone (not a smartphone) and there weren’t any local SIM cards at all - I don’t usually buy this, and the money on the phone to call from roaming is also not enough ... it was the third month of my second independent travel in Asia and only the second week of travel in Indonesia.

It soon became clear that there was no longer any road to wait for, and that I was really going along the path to the top, the same one that I was warned about Don’t climb! DO NOT climb!

I sat down to rest, on the first level place - this is about 1.3 km from the start. Despite the palpitations and slight dizziness, emotions did not allow to feel tired to the fullest. At the same time, there was already some satisfaction from what had been done, passed. This feeling allowed me to relax a little. After emptying a plastic glass of water, and hanging it on a tree stick as a guide, I decided that I would walk another half hour and climbed further up.
I must say that it was steeper, more difficult and much more difficult. And my heart was beating harder. On the way I came across a lot of lost men's shoes - sneakers, sneakers, even flip-flops - all in one piece. I was in a hurry again because I had to be back before the rain.
Imagination drew such a picture - if a heavy downpour starts, this path may turn into a mountain forest river (like at a waterfall in Thailand) and I will go knee-deep or even waist-deep, if I can, in cold water, not knowing where to step, along an already difficult path full of mud, snags, roots and stones. My sneakers were wet and far from white (I didn’t have any others). And on the path already covered, there were two most difficult places to descend, especially in the rain.

But the desire to overcome, victories, excitement or still preserved, despite age, youthful maximalism, to prove something to someone invisible or to myself, or a real discovery of myself ... I don’t know, it led me further and further. I walked through the jungle all alone. I climbed up a volcano, along a forest path in the wilds of the island of Sumatra in a distant country of Indonesia. This audacity was impressive, but at the same time bordered on stupidity, danger, like a knife blade. I said to myself: “Well, another 10 minutes, well, another hundred meters, well, to this turn, and then to that tree.” I even remembered a fragment of a film about pilots that I watched 20 years ago, there was such a concept - a point of return, i.e. the point from which, if necessary, the aircraft can return to the airport from which it took off. Where is my cusp? And the farther up, the more terrible and dangerous it became, not to mention the state of health - I suddenly remembered that I was not 20 years old, and not 30, and not even 40 - I should have taken myself more seriously. If only I could meet tourists, then it would be easier, like yesterday, when I went to, but alas. There was no one here but me. I understood why people don’t flock here in batches, and why guides charge such a sum.

Unexpectedly, my mental reasoning was interrupted by a very strange sound, a crunch, heard very close, about 8 meters from me, from the depths of the jungle. I still don't know what it was or who. Most likely, it was some kind of animal, and I ran further, driven by a new wave of fear.

And the path, meanwhile, meandered and became narrower and narrower, sometimes branches departed from it in one direction or the other, and then vigilance, attention and control were strengthened by me, the seriousness of what was happening was more realized.

Finally, there appeared, open on one side, a very small area of a flat place where you can calmly stand and even sit down to catch your breath and admire the stunning view of Lake Kavar, the fields and everything below.

All this time I was walking through the jungle and there was never an open space to understand where you were. Oh, how high I have climbed! The lake looked so small. Clouds and clouds driven by the wind floated both below and above me, it seemed that they could be touched with hands. It looked very beautiful and unusual, especially being in such conditions. I stood tired, on this tiny patch of flat surface and experienced absolutely amazing feelings alone with myself and the huge world that opened up to me as if in an open jungle window.

Usually at such moments I have an awesome feeling of flight and happiness, which simply bursts, relieves stress and gives additional strength. But my heart still beat with all my might, my head was already aching, and a lot of energy had already been spent, so I just calmly enjoyed the view and rested, realizing that it was not enough to climb up, you also had to be able to return safe and sound.
I took photos, unfortunately, not of the best quality due to the lack of sun and constantly passing clouds. A little rested. There was a pleasant sensation from what I had done, but the thought of continuing the path still bothered me. It was a cunning thought.
- "And what if we go another twenty or thirty meters, up, closer to the top," I was spinning in my head. I wanted to see what would happen next. Here, the vegetation is already a little different, and the trail is even steeper than in the previous sections. I understood how much I had gone through, and on the one hand, this suggested that something should already change and, perhaps, I would at least go out to the space from where I could see the top. But at the same time, I felt and was afraid that it was dangerous and was not sure that I could get away with it, or rather get off my feet, that this mountain would accept me and God or I don’t know someone else would allow me and want to save me in case of something.
Having persuaded myself to the next "a little more", I again plunged into the thickets. However, after 10 meters, I realized in time and made a completely firm and most correct decision in my entire life - to turn back! I was careful, because the slope, with each step, became much steeper, and the path, which ran up, turned very difficult, first in one direction, then in the other, bending around overgrown plants, and in general was narrow and sometimes barely perceptible to the eye, at least for me - a beginner, afraid of everything. Even after 5-7 meters it is not at all clear where this path will go later, and what is there. Remembering the list of lost guys that was spinning in my head, there was no certainty that I would easily find my way back. In addition, my heart was pounding wildly in my chest, my head was spinning and aching, fatigue and fear of not being in time before the rain were sufficient reasons to end on this. Yes, and in my arsenal there were pictures and the conquest of a decent distance! (more than 4.2 km according to the sign below)
Having convinced myself that this is also a very big achievement for me - and it really is, and in order not to create an impossible task for my guardian angel, I rested a little more on this patch, looked at the lake again, thanked my surroundings, then finished off the second and last plastic 200 gram glass of water, and with a sense of fulfilled "duty", my own approval and even satisfaction, quickly began to go down, afraid to see the path or not the right turn.
... Naturally, what you are afraid of happens. So I came to a place where a narrow path diverges, into two, bending around an overgrown tropical plant of enormous size, forming another giant pandanus bush. That, the second part, also had some incomprehensible offshoot.
“Ah, what to do, which way to go!?”, I mentally hysteria and went on the right, of course doubting and afraid. Thank God that after walking about five meters, thinking, I stumbled in a hurry on some kind of snag, immediately decided: “Yeah, this is a sign,” turned back, and then went down again, but along the left correct part of the path. It seemed my guardian angel or the Lord God or my ... I don’t know something divine, everyone at once supported my correct and firm decision to refuse to go to the top and now breathed a sigh of relief.
So I "scratched" down at full speed ... and the farther, the safer and more confident I felt. A wave of weight flew off me, I no longer worried so much. I only thought that one difficult obstacle for the descent was already behind, which made it easier.
After about 2/3 of the way back, and this is about 2.6 km, human voices and laughter began to be heard, then I became completely calm and I stopped being afraid, but continued to move at the same fast speed. The voices were getting closer and louder, and after another 15 minutes I saw a company of guys and girls downstairs. They sat on fallen trees, on the very, relatively flat spot where I rested for the first time.

They did not expect

You can imagine the reaction and faces of people who simply sat down to rest while climbing the volcano, suddenly seeing a tiny, fragile girl in a white jacket - me, descending from above and cutting through the exotic jungles of Sumatra with my confident fast gait.

-“Where are you from? Where did you come from?! Are you a lone?! You are alone? What are you doing here? What are you doing here?!" Are you creazy?” These and other questions were addressed to me with undisguised surprise and concern from the lips of an active Indonesian girl named Netty, who, fortunately, spoke English.

-"Yes. I am alone. I go from above. I'm from Russia." I answered, barely catching my breath.

I told them my whole story. She showed me a diagram I misread. How I walked, and how I thought that I would reach the road (which I missed before reaching the forest). They listened attentively, seeming somewhat stunned by my madness. And then she showed me the pictures of the lake I took on the camera.

"So you're almost there! There was very little left!” exclaimed Nettie. She translated everything to her Indonesian friends, and the older one looked at my diagram and said that it was better not to use it.

Then she asked where I live.

“To Berastagi,” I said, answering questions as usual. Her heart was still pounding, but her breathing gradually calmed down. They treated me to water from a special rubber container that they carry behind their backs in a backpack. We chatted for a bit and then...

“We are going to the top, come with us,” Nettie suggested, and everyone also sympathetically agreed. - "We have water, some snacks for a snack, we will share with you, and then, when we go down, we will take you back to the city on a motorcycle" ... Then I remembered that the last bus to the city leaves at 16 o'clock.

To be honest, I was shocked by such an unexpected proposal and even thought a little. Only a little more than a kilometer remained until the end of the descent! I was rather tired, despite this halt, if you can call it that. The path that had already been traveled appeared again before my eyes. I hesitated, but at the same time, I said mentally: “Such a miracle can happen only once in my life and only with me. This is an opportunity not to be missed."

And I went again!

Oh God, how I love you, for all the surprises and magic! It turned out to be the same people who were in the tents by the lake, which I passed in the morning. There were eight of them, mostly young guys and girls - students. They wrote off on the Internet, specially gathered and came to this place from different cities Indonesia to go together to the top. Among them was a girl from the Czech Republic and another local guide, the older one who knew how to go to the volcano.
Naturally, I did not expect such a development of events, besides, I was very tired, my head was still spinning, despite the rest and the additional amount of water drunk. But I made a choice - to reach the top!
The second time along the same path, but with other forces, or rather, almost without them - this is no longer so entertaining and cool. Yes, and this path seemed to me so insanely long, long and tiring that when the second time I ended up in that very place with a beautiful view of the lake, it seemed to me like an eternity had passed. It really was far. And again, rest in an already familiar place, how could I think that I would return on the same day. But I was already so tired that even this beautiful view of the lake did not produce the necessary and useful emotional effect on me now.

And again on the road, here it is - the place from where I decided to turn back a few hours ago. I was worried, as if I was walking on the imprint of a piece of my life, my past. Because this section was really difficult, and the path was almost invisible, it hid among overgrown bushes and trees, running steeper and steeper into the high unknown. I tried to be good, but it was a big effort.

A little bit of emotion nevertheless increased when we entered the open, bald part of the path. I breathed a sigh of relief, but this was only the beginning of a new patch of damp red earth interspersed with potholes and rocks. Of course, I no longer had speed and I had to stop more and more often to rest. The forces are not at all the same, although I tried as best I could. Thank you, one of the guys was constantly by my side because the chain stretched for 50 meters. Of course, they are young and with fresh energy, and I have already spent a lot of them. Well, okay, drank some water and moved on.

But then it was very hard. This is the latest and the coolest section. The slope of the surface was 60-70 degrees or more. We climbed up smooth large and medium stones, 50-80 cm in size, protruding to the surface, which, interspersed with soil, were quite slippery and wet. That was something! I still remember how my heart jumped out of my chest, and my head was madly spinning and hurting. I just prayed to God that my heart would not stop, and with everything else I was helped to cope, apparently, by my innate endurance, aspiration and desire, as well as a ten-day Vipassana meditation course I took a couple of weeks ago in Malaysia. I climbed and did not turn around, so as not to lose focus, not to distract and relax my mind. Thought it was probably beautiful views behind my back, but quickly pushed the thought away. For the first time in my life, I was not up to it, I chose the main thing - focusing on myself and my safety task, on which my life and the good mood of my new acquaintances depended, who offered to go to the top and have this unforgettable experience.

In the meantime, there were happy exclamations of girls who reached the very top. Everything was in the clouds, in this dense fog it was not even visible that the peak was so close. But I still had to climb further. At some point, I even suggested to the guy who was walking next to me to go alone, and I would come later, I didn’t want to burden him and slow him down, because I needed a stop every ten meters and I felt a little embarrassed. But he said that there were only a few meters left and we came. Let's go on. Indeed, these were the last five of the steepest and most difficult meters, which I, like an exhausted Olympic champion, crawled under the cheering cries of the guys and girls who were already standing on a flat, horizontal surface in the mist of the cloud. I must say it helped a lot and I did crawl to the top of the Sinabung volcano, to the exclamations and applause.

At the top of Mount Sinabung

The top of the volcano was a horizontal surface about ten meters in diameter, with a stone in the center, and paths branched off on different sides. We must not forget which side we came from. It's cold and eerie, just knocking down the wind.

I was so tired that at first I didn’t even have the strength to smile.

Well, then she moved away and even climbed onto a stone, from which I was almost blown away by the wind.

They say that from here, from the top of Sinabung volcano, in good weather visible, but we, unfortunately, did not see anything, because we were right in the center of a dense cloud, so even the sun seemed to be just a bright point. Therefore, the locals advise to climb in the morning.

Only for a few seconds, the clouds parted and showed us the crater, but while everyone realized it, ran up and tried the cameras, everything disappeared again.

So, thanks to these wonderful people, I stood on top and shared everyone's happiness. Everything that day was the first time in my life.

Well, it's time to go back. I already felt much better, I can even say well - I moved away)) and was ready to leave this coldly windy peak.

Descent from the mountain

Going down seems easier, but that's not always the case. This can be more dangerous than lifting. And again a new experience. Due to the steepness of the slope, we descended with our backs to the surface and facing the clouds, behind which beautiful views were hidden. Well, it's a very unusual thing to crawl with your back and booty down the stones. Probably looks funny, like an attraction. I don't have any pictures of this amazing show. Then the slope became a little more gentle. This is how it went down.

It was already much easier for me and we, in principle, covered this distance relatively quickly, and most importantly, without heavy rain, only sometimes a weak drizzle.

Probably I have already described the difficulties of the ascent, the descent was, although faster, but I already felt pain in all my muscles, and my knees reminded me of myself after my unusual double route. And here again I can see the wonderful lake Kavar, for the fourth time for me that day.

The kids had fun and were happy. I was also very happy, but I didn’t have the strength to show emotions.

There was a little more than four kilometers of descent, along the path along the wet roots of trees all the way down. It will now be possible to sit down after 2.5 kilometers. By that time, I was really very tired, my head was spinning, and these last hundreds of meters, after a halt, I just stupidly, like a robot on stilts, rearranged my legs, trying not to fall down. It was getting late and I was in a hurry. Thanks a lot to the guys who walked beside me, although I still did my best, and I wasn’t even the last to leave the forest. With wet feet, terribly dirty sneakers, and no proper food, I finished my ascent of Mount Sinabung. We left the forest at about seven o'clock in the evening. Right by the vegetable gardens we sat down to rest and wait for two more. I was thirsty. The guy handed me a plastic bottle and I started drinking, and then it hit me.

- "Where did you get a bottle of water, it seems that everyone ran out of such water a long time ago?" - "From jungle From the jungle," he replied.

-"Fine!" I thought, “It’s me drinking water from the jungle,” I remembered that on the way up I saw some small stream. Well, it’s already late, I drank a lot, and the water was delicious, and I drank it all to the end. Let the energy of nature replenish my strength. The girls left earlier and went to the tents. Well, it was almost dark and we also went to the tents that stood right by the lake. Then I realized that I definitely “planted” the field of such a trip with my knees. Still, in total, I think so, I walked 15.5 kilometers along this mountain, and it could have been less if I came up to these guys in the morning.

As soon as we got there, it began to rain, I began to think about how to leave for the city, but Nettie said:

“Don’t worry, now we’ll wait for someone and then you’ll go with the guys, they also need to go to Berastagi.” We talked while sitting at the tents, and about half an hour later two guys arrived on motorcycles. Nettie said you were going now, gave me a brand new raincoat in the package - a film.

I said goodbye to the company of these wonderful guys, went out from under the shed and sat on a wet motorcycle. We went to the city in the dark and in the pouring rain, which on the way even intensified and whipped like a solid wall into all holes from a bucket, and the raincoat was pulled up from the wind, torn a little and no longer saved. Fortunately, an hour later, when we drove into Berastagi, the rain subsided, I thanked the guys and went to my guesthouse.

It was about half past ten in the evening when I, wildly tired and wet, but with the feeling of a winner or a pioneer, returned to my guest house - a small private hotel. Everyone who was downstairs, including the hostess, immediately understood everything. I asked for my food and the keys to the shower. And after dinner and chatting, I also had to wash everything, because my sneakers were black instead of white, and the next day I was going to leave for another place. So the day ended with a big wash. Where my strength came from I don't know.

I am extremely grateful to fate, these guys, the volcano and the jungle for everything that I experienced that day. This is my own experience, travel experience and self-discovery. The map of the route hangs in a frame on the wall in my house, like a memory. And this ascent is mentioned in a newspaper article, for 2013, see the tab

As a continuation of my independent journey through Indonesia, I went to Medan on a small bemo to go to from there. (click on the title and read the next article)

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Sinabung is the highest active volcano in the province of North Sumatra, with a height of 2450 meters above sea level. The first time he woke up from more than 400 years of sleep on August 29, 2010, when the height of the ash emissions reached one and a half kilometers and several thousand inhabitants surrounding villages were evacuated. Then the volcano calmed down and showed only a small fumarole-solfatory activity on the southern slope, so in the summer of 2013 I was impressed by the beauty that opened up to me.

The next eruption of Sinabunga began in September 2013 and peaked in January-February, when 14 people died (or 16 according to other sources). The 2013-14 eruption was accompanied not only by ash emissions, but also by powerful pyroclastic flows. Much has been written about these eruptions on the Internet, I will not repeat myself and retell what is already known. It is enough just to google ... Now the tongue of solidified lava is clearly visible on the southern slope of the volcano. Here it is in all its glory. That's pretty good, right?

In February, the Russian guys were already climbing the volcano, so there is nothing surprising in the fact that thoughts of climbing Sinabung nestled in my head ...

The realization of these thoughts began with a trip to Lake Lau Kawar in order to reconnoiter the situation and look at the consequences of the eruption.

As of May 2014 locals within a radius of 5 km from the volcano were still officially evacuated, but in fact many returned to their homes in order to gradually put them in order. The work of the local residents, the Karo people, is more than enough: you need to clean the volcanic ash from the roofs, collect it in bags (this is an excellent fertilizer), clear the rubble, patch the roofs ... The villages closest to Sinabungu look rather sad. Roofs were broken in almost all buildings.

Volcanic ash in white bags.

Evacuation direction indicator.

Lake Lau Kawar previously had a tourist infrastructure: cafes, coffee shops, shops. There was even a guesthouse. Now everything is abandoned - people are afraid to return so close to Sinabung. It is from the lake that the trek to the top begins, to which it is only 5 kilometers. There used to be a cafe here, right by the water itself.

Only a couple of houses near the lake are inhabited. I went into one of these: inside everything is more than modest. Not even a bed.

I checked the trail to the volcano. Was with her full order, only at the very beginning overgrown a bit. Well, it remains only to wait for good weather and go to the top of Sinabunga!

A few days later I met in Berastagi with famous traveler Mikhail Pavlyuk. He had just returned from a solo 9 day track on Gunung Leuser and was ready to join me in the Sinabung campaign. It was very interesting for us to look at the craters up close and climb the lava tongue. Photo of the volcano the day before the ascent.

We moved out the next day after the meeting, after lunch, with the expectation of spending the night somewhere on the volcano and climbing to the top in the morning. The weather did not work out ... But do not retreat, since we are already gathered!

At the beginning of the trail, the forest is still green.

But the higher, the grayer there - the leaves burned hot ashes ...

We climbed low, set up a tent and spent the night at an altitude of 1800-1900 meters, as gases from large solfators on the slope were applied higher.

The next morning we moved to the top. In some places the trail is littered with fallen trees, but you can always go around or make your way through. Pyroclastic flows poured out from the other side, so the track was not badly damaged by the eruption and it is not more difficult to walk along it than before.

Above 2000 meters everything is black and white, like in an old movie…

At first, the weather was still nothing. Opened atmospheric views of the lake.

But gradually the sky was covered with thick clouds. And the eruption of Sinabung against the background of clouds looked no longer so impressive.

Sometimes we were smelled of sulfur, but not much, as the wind blew in opposite side. After 1.5 hours we reached the summit plateau. It looks very futuristic - as if you have landed on another planet. And fog and clouds only add to the atmospheric...

In such unusual place you have to leave your mark.

Downpours washed away the ash - it is all dotted with deep cracks.

The trail goes to the very top, where a triangulation pole is installed. Alas, because of the clouds, you can’t see a damn thing, and Misha and I ourselves are like hedgehogs in the fog ...

We decided to hang around at the top, wait for good weather. There is nothing special to do on a 6x6 patch, so we studied the transit entomofauna - insects crossing the volcano to the other side. The flight is good, but the species diversity is not great: small beetles, barbels, ground beetles and a large number of anteroptera. You can go down only along the path, because. the ash is dry only on the outside, and at a depth of 5-7 centimeters it is very wet and slippery: you will slip with a 100% probability. Therefore, the hike to the newly formed crater right in front of us was canceled for safety reasons. The top of Sinabunga has changed its geology - now there are not 2 craters, as before, but 4. An hour later, the clouds dissipated a little and we did not fail to take this opportunity to take pictures. Directly on the course at the bottom of this photo is a young crater, and to the left is smoke from the main one.

"Fingers" have not fully opened ...

I wonder if they survived? This is what they looked like in 2013.

Here on this plateau in front of the main crater, tents used to stand.

And now the smoke is coming down so that we did not dare to go down.

We stood at the top for another hour, but the weather only got worse, so we decided to return. On the way back I took a picture of Misha in the bushes. It turned out brutal.

We went down to the tent, had lunch, gathered and, driven by the beginning rain, rushed to the descent. The rain soon turned into a downpour and we, in the best equatorial tradition, got wet through. Then they stood on the veranda of an abandoned guest house, drying themselves. As usual, after the rain, the flight of large beetles began. At this time, they are en masse knocked down by cars on the roads.

After the rain, the clouds left and Sinabung opened…

Christmas trees, yes it erupted when we were at the top! It’s good that the wind blew in the other direction and didn’t hurt us ... So, in bad weather you can climb a volcano and not notice that it smokes a lot and throws out ashes ... So be careful, friends! Hiking an erupting volcano is no joke! According to the stories of the locals that night that we spent the night on the volcano, the height of the ash emissions reached 500 meters, and during the day it subsided to 300.

At such moments, you feel that life is still good. And this gift should be appreciated. So we thanked the wind, which at least saved us from trouble that night, and at the most saved our lives. We caught a minibus and moved to the base, in. Misha left for the same day, and I stayed one more night at the Talitha guesthouse.

The maximum plan was not fulfilled, so you have to climb Sinabung for the third time - it’s very interesting to look at new craters, climb the lava tongue, see which plants and animals will be the first settlers after the extinction of the volcano’s activity (if it doesn’t go crazy again). I plan to arrive in Sumatra in October 2014 and immediately climb Sinabung, so stay tuned!

You can read about my other ascents in Indonesia

How to get to Mount Sinabung

In Berastagi we go to the central bazaar, from where white minibuses leave for Kuta Raya as they fill up (we tell the driver that we are going to Lau Kawar). Ride 40-50 minutes, fare 7000 rupees. From Kuta Raya to Lake Lau Kawar, you still need to walk along a narrow asphalt road for 2 km. well and better ways travel in Indonesia.

The largest accumulation of volcanoes is located in the "fiery belt" of the Earth - the Pacific volcanic ring. It is here that 90% of all earthquakes in the world occurred. The so-called fiery belt stretches around the entire perimeter Pacific Ocean. In the west along the coast from and to New Zealand and Antarctica, and in the east, passing through the Andes and the Cordillera, it reaches the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.

One of the currently active centers of the "belt of fire" is located in the north in Indonesia - Sinabung volcano. This one of 130 volcanoes in Sumatra is notable for the fact that over the past seven years it has been constantly active and has attracted the attention of both scientists and the media.

Chronicle of Sinabunga

The first eruption of the Indonesian volcano Sinabung after four centuries of sleep began in 2010. On the weekends of August 28 and 29, underground rumble and rumble were heard. Many residents, about 10,000 people, fled away from the awakened volcano.

On Sunday night, the Sinabung volcano finally woke up: the eruption began with a powerful ejection of a column of ash and smoke more than 1.5 km up. After the explosion on Sunday, a more powerful one followed on Monday, August 30, 2010. The eruption claimed the lives of two people. In total, about 30,000 nearby residents were forced to leave their homes and fields covered with volcanic ash with a dead crop. In the photo below, residents are running away from a cloud of ash.

The second eruption of the Sinabung volcano began on November 6, 2013 and then lasted for several more days. The volcano threw out columns of ash to a height of up to 3 km, the plume from which spread over tens of kilometers. More than 5,000 people from 7 surrounding villages were evacuated. The government of Sumatra urged not to approach Sinabung volcano more than 3 km.

In February 2014, disaster struck. After the cessation of volcanic activity (in early January), evacuees from villages located more than 5 km from the volcano were allowed to return home. But immediately after that, on February 1, a powerful ejection of lava and a pyroclastic flow claimed the lives of 16 people.

And so far, the Sinabung volcano has not calmed down: a column of ash and smoke is visible for many kilometers, eruptions of various strengths and durations do not stop and take the lives of daredevils who risked returning to the exclusion zone of the volcano with a radius of 7 km, which was organized by the government of Sumatra after the 2014 disaster.

It is noteworthy that in the exclusion zone you can find entire cities and ghost villages, collapsing, empty, as if the apocalypse has already overtaken the Earth. But there are also brave farmers who continue to live at the foot of Sinabung volcano. What is it that attracts them so much?

Why do people settle near the foot of volcanoes

The soil on the slopes of volcanoes is extremely fertile due to the minerals that fall into it with volcanic ash. In a warm climate, you can grow more than one crop per year. Therefore, the farmers of Sumatra, despite the dangerous proximity of the Sinabung volcano, do not leave their houses and arable land at its foot.

In addition to agriculture, they mine gold, diamonds, ore, and other minerals.

How dangerous is a volcanic eruption

It is a common cliché among people who do not live in a geologically active area that a volcanic eruption is associated solely with the flow of lava that rushes down the side of the mountain. And if a person is lucky to be or settle and sow a crop on the opposite side of it, then the danger has passed. Otherwise, you just need to climb higher on a rock or swim on a stone fragment among the lava, like on an ice floe on water, the main thing is not to fall off. And it’s better to run across to the right side of the mountain in time and wait an hour or two.

Lava is definitely deadly. Like the earthquake that accompanies a volcanic eruption. But the flow moves rather slowly, and a physically full-fledged person is able to get away from it. Earthquakes are not always of great magnitude either.

In fact, pyroclastic flows and volcanic ash are of great danger.

Pyroclastic flows

Hot gas, which escapes from the bowels of the volcano, picks up stones and ash and sweeps away everything in its path, rushing down. Such streams reach speeds of 700 km/h. For example, you can imagine the Sapsan train at full speed. Its speed is about three times less, but despite this, the picture is quite impressive. The temperature of the gases in the rushing mass reaches 1000 degrees, it can burn all life on the way in a matter of minutes.

One of the deadliest known in history, immediately killed 28,000 people (according to some sources, up to 40,000 people) in the port of Saint-Pierre on May 8, 1902 in the morning, the Mont Pele volcano, at the foot of which the port was located, after a series of monstrous explosions, threw out a cloud of hot gas and ash, which in a matter of minutes reached locality. The pyroclastic flow swept through the city at breakneck speed, and there was no escape even on the water, which instantly boiled and killed everyone who fell into it from the capsized ships in the harbor. Only one ship managed to get out of the bay.

In February 2014, 14 people died in such a stream during the eruption of the Indonesian volcano Sinabung.

volcanic ash

At the time of the eruption, ash and rather large stones thrown out by the volcano can burn or cause injury. If we talk about the ash that covers everything around after the eruption, then its consequences are more long-lasting. In its own way, it is even beautiful - the post-apocalyptic landscape from the island of Sumatra in the photo below is a confirmation of this.

But the ashes are harmful to the health of people and pets. Walking around such a place for a long time without a respirator is deadly. The ash is also very heavy and, especially when mixed with rainwater, can break through the roof of a house, bringing it down on those inside.

In addition, in large quantities it is detrimental to agriculture.

Cars, planes, water treatment facilities, even communication systems - everything fails under a layer of ash, which also indirectly poses a danger to people's lives.

Extreme tourism

Not only the farmer, whose reasons are very clear, can be found near the recent epicenter of the eruption. Extreme tourism on the slopes active volcanoes brings income to the local population. In the photo, an extreme tourist who explores an abandoned city at the foot of the Sinabung volcano in the exclusion zone. Behind him, a column of smoke is clearly visible, smoking over the volcano.

Man and nature continue to wage an unequal battle with each other!

Indonesia: aftermath of the eruption of Mount Merapi (March 2020).

Indonesia's Mount Merapi erupted twice on Friday, shooting ash plumes up to 6 kilometers (4 miles) into the sky and forcing the closure of two airports.

National Mitigation Agency natural Disasters said the volcano's alert status, raised last month from its lowest level, has not changed and a 3-kilometer (missing) zone around the crater remains in effect.

He said the first eruption occurred at 8:20 am and lasted two minutes. In the evening, Merapi erupted again, spewing volcanic ash up to 2.4 km (1.5 miles), it was reported local agency volcanology.

Materials unleashed by the first eruption were blown northward, resulting in a temporary closure international airport Ahmad Yani at Java's central capital Semarang and Ade Sumarno Airport in Solo, officials said.

The mountain is located about 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the city of Yogyakarta on the densely populated island of Java.

About a quarter of a million people live within a 10 kilometers (6 mi) radius of the volcano.

The last major eruption of Merapi in 2010 killed 347 people.

Indonesia, an archipelago of over 250 million people, sits on the Pacific Ocean's "Ring of Fire" and is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. State seismologists control more than 120 active volcanoes.

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The Pacific volcanic ring of fire of the Earth is located along the entire perimeter of the Pacific Ocean and captures all the islands of Indonesia. The island of Sumatra, the westernmost large island countries. There are 130 (!!!) active volcanoes on its territory. One of them (and one of the most active on the island) is Sinabung volcano. It is located in the northern part of the island, 40 kilometers north of Lake Toba.

Mount Sinabung on the map

Geographic coordinates (3.168627, 98.391425)
The distance from the capital of Indonesia Jakarta is about 1400 km in a straight line
The nearest airport is Kualanamu International Airport) is located 75 kilometers to the northeast in the suburbs of Medan

Mount Sinabung is an active, very active and extremely dangerous stratovolcano. Its mouth is located at an altitude of 2460 meters above sea level. There are 12 villages scattered around the volcano. The locals are mainly engaged in agriculture, as the soils here are extremely fertile due to the presence of volcanic minerals in it and a very warm climate. Here you can harvest several crops a year. But lately, life on the slopes of a volcano has become like survival in a powder keg.

Sinabung volcano eruptions

Until recently, it was believed that the volcano was sleeping, since its last eruption was recorded in 1600. But after a little over 400 years, he woke up, so much so that everyone shuddered.

At the end of August 2010, the volcano erupted ash and smoke to a height of one and a half kilometers, forcing about 12,000 residents of the nearest villages within a radius of several kilometers to flee their homes. Emissions of volcanic gases continued for several days. Already on September 3, a column of ash reached a height of 3 kilometers above the vent. And on September 7, a column of smoke broke out already to a height of 5 kilometers. Such activity was accompanied by earthquakes, which were recorded at a distance of up to 25 kilometers from the epicenter. Indonesia's chief volcanologist said at the time: "That was the most big eruption, and the sound was heard from 8 kilometers away.” The rains, mixing with volcanic ash, formed a centimeter-thick, heavy and dirty coating on buildings and trees. This time there were no casualties.
But that was only the beginning.

In mid-September 2013, the Sinabung volcano again enchantingly reminded of itself with a column of ash and powerful aftershocks. Again, columns of smoke, gases and ash rushed several kilometers up.
This time, the volcano did not calm down and continued its ashen and fiery show. In November and December 2013, eruptions again occurred with smoke, dust and the evacuation of local residents. And again there were no casualties. By December 28, 2013, a lava dome had formed on the summit.

On January 4, 2014, the volcano erupted again. More than a hundred aftershocks were noted between January 4 and 5. The height of the ash column turned out to be about 4 kilometers. Unfortunately, the victims were crops and some animals poisoned by pyroclastic flows.

A small digression. Whatever you understand, the worst thing in a volcanic eruption is not ash, from which you can run away by wearing a respirator, not lava, which spreads at a low speed. The most dangerous and deadly in the eruption are pyroclastic flows. This deadly mixture of volcanic gases of very high temperatures (up to 800 ° C), mixed with stones and ash, breaks out of the volcano's mouth and rushes along the slopes at a speed of up to 700 km / h, sweeping away everything in its path. Scientists believe that it was pyroclastic flows that destroyed the population of the city of Pompeii during the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

In January and February 2014, Sinabung again ran amok. About 20,000 people fled their homes. A column of ash was thrown to a height of 4 kilometers, and lava flowed 5 km along the southern slope. In early February, 14 people died. Of these, one journalist, a teacher and four students. They decided to take a closer look at the eruption.

Never do that. If you find yourself near a volcano and an eruption begins, run as far as possible.

Consequences of a volcanic eruption
In October 2014, the volcano erupted again. There were also eruptions in June 2015.
On May 22, 2016, the Sinabunga eruption killed at least seven people.
In November 2016 there was another eruption.
In early August 2017, Sinabung erupted again.

Vulcan today

In the vicinity of Sinabung there are extinct settlements that are very reminiscent of ghost towns. Their post-apocalyptic landscapes evoke a sense of unease. But, despite such life-threatening conditions, people still live near the volcano. In addition to fertile soil and rich harvests, local residents extract some minerals here.