They sometimes have the kindness to let us observe their whims. From the Moluccas to Vanuatu: getting close to the tremors of volcanoes, listening to their breathing and feeling their breath is an unforgettable experience.
A volcano is something you have to earn. Nature's spectacle often only reveals itself after hours of flying, boating, or canoeing, just as much time spent on roads and then tracks that put vehicles to the test, culminating in a day's hike through difficult terrain on often steep slopes. But for those who aren't easily intimidated, it's well worth the effort! In the Moluccas, Mount Dukono tested our nerves. After climbing by headlamp to "see the red," we had to make an emergency descent when a storm broke out at the summit. Soaked to the bone, despite our good gear, we set off again at dawn to admire with wide eyes the festival of explosions we had been hearing and which had been resonating deep within us since the previous day. Heads above the crater, faces like a miner's mouth covered in ash, grinning from ear to ear as clouds rose toward us like atomic mushrooms, we could have died there, blissfully. The same ecstasy awaited us in Vanuatu. On the island of Tanna, Yasur's bursts were a perfectly timed fireworks display, only minutes separating the fire-breathing volcano's multiple eruptions, whose bombs we carefully watched in the sky. On the island of Ambrym, the lava lakes of Bembow and Marum were seared into our retinas. Like insects perched on the rocks overlooking these monstrous cauldrons, we held our breath as they bubbled and churned, carrying the scent of sulfur on the wind. The protective offering in the virgin forest had been favorable. For to have the right to see the Earth alive, one must respect it. These volcanic experiences were also human adventures, and we will never forget the moments of sharing with the people living at the foot of these magnificent monsters.
Thanks to Guy de Saint-Cyr, my accomplice, volcanologist guide without whom none of this would have ever happened.
Sophie Reyssat
