A once-in-a-millenia opportunity.... and I forgot my tripod!!! 💀
We took some beautiful photos and video of the eruption as we got incredibly lucky and showed up the very evening of the highest activity level the area had seen in months. We grabbed our camera and strapped on all our waterproof gear and hiked uphill about an hour, then climbed across a rocky hill face for another 30 minutes or so. Finally, we were rewarded with the birth of land - still molten, pouring from the belly of the earth.
We stayed for 4 hours, staring in absolute awe of the ultimate power of nature, until our grumbling bellies would no longer go unheard and we were nearly soaked to the bone through our waterproof gear. It was incredible, until we nearly got lost in the dark at 3am on a hill made of shards of lava rock next to an active volcano. That bit was scary! Ultimately, the whole night a life-defining moment.
Music is "Viking" By "BrokenKites" from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/brokenkites