Some adventures find you. This one we planned for months.
The idea was simple: take the survival skills we practise in the backyard and test them somewhere that actually demands respect. A volcano felt right — dramatic terrain, unpredictable weather, and zero margin for forgetting the essentials.
What we packed
We kept it to a single pack between the two of us. Water filtration, emergency shelter, a fire kit (even though open fire is banned on the trail — it stays in the bag), first aid, and enough food for a day longer than we planned to be out. The gear list is on the Gear page if you want the specifics.
The climb
The trail gains elevation fast. Within the first hour the vegetation thins out and the ground turns to loose volcanic rock — every step sliding back a quarter of what you gained. That’s when the fitness gap between a dad who thinks he’s in shape and an eight-year-old with rocket legs becomes very obvious.
We stopped often. Not because we had to — because the view demanded it.
What we took away
The mountain does not care how prepared you think you are. It cares how prepared you actually are. We got caught in a wind gust near the rim that dropped the temperature by what felt like fifteen degrees in two minutes. Emergency layer, out. Problem solved. That’s the whole point of practising this stuff.
Watch the short above — it captures the moment better than words do.