Don’t Hike on Active Volcanoes

Volcanoes are dangerous. Even when they aren’t hurling rocks, ash and lava at you, they can release potential toxic gases, crumble beneath your feet or send slurries down their slopes to wipe you away. When you hike on a volcano, you need to be aware of that risk. I’m not saying you shouldn’t visit volcanic places — you should because they are some of the most amazing landscapes on Earth! However, satiating your desire for risk needs to be balanced with not become another death on a volcano.

Yet, here we are having to talk about people who risked their lives on a restless volcano. Even with the tragedies this century at Mayon, Whakaari (White Island) and Ontake, hikers are still clambering onto and into volcanoes are that making it clear that you should not be visiting them.

Near Disaster at Dukono

Indonesian government drone footage taken earlier this month shows a group of hikers running for their lives on Dukono, one of the most active volcanoes in the country. The explosive volcano has been in a constant state of activity since 1933. The Indonesian volcano monitoring agency (PVMBG) has established a 3-kilometer exclusion zone around Dukono due to the hazard of ash and falling debris.

The drone footage captures hikers stumbling down the slopes of the summit crater at Dukono. Now, this kind of escape isn’t on normal terrane. Hiking on the slopes of such a volcano you’ll find loose rubble and ash that feels like you’re walking on dry sand filled with marbles. Translation: it isn’t easy.

The eruption going on behind them that is throwing more ash and volcanic gases into the air, creating a breathing hazard. The sound of the blast must be deafening. The ground surface is likely shaking. This is not a safe place to be. Yet, here we are, seeing people where they shouldn’t be.

With some volcano tragedies, the explosion comes unexpectedly. The Ontake blast in 2014 was driven mainly be a steam explosion, so there was little in the way of signs to warn hikers to stay away. This is absolutely not the case at Dukono, where the volcano has been erupting for decades. Yet, here we are …

Your Luck Won’t Last

From all reports that I have seen, none of the hikers on Dukono perished. This is absolutely the result of luck. Some or all of them could have easily been hit by flying debris or overcome by ash in their lungs. The explosion that occurred is relatively small for an erupting volcano but even a blast of this size dwarfs people. There are no places to hide and your only hope is to run and hope that luck stays on your side.

Many of the headlines for this near disaster said “explosion surprises hikers on Dukono“. This should not have surprised anyone. Even a cursory knowledge of the volcano would indicate that you should not approach it because it explodes … a lot. What we are seeing is willful disregard for their safety on a very dangerous volcano. We should all be happy that the hikers are safe, but use this as a reminder that when experts say to stay away, you better listen.