THE VOLCANO CLIMB

Nyiragongo Volcano. On Friday afternoon, August 15, when we arrived in Goma, Congo, it did not look too daunting. It had no rugged peaks. No snow-capped mountain top. It was only a large, black mound of lava rock looming over the scarred town that it had destroyed in its’ lava flow in 2002. The volcano seemed like other mountain tops Seth and I had climbed… quietly waiting for the adventurous spirit to climb.

However, it was a beast of a mountain. At 11,387 feet, it stood taller than it appeared from the town and was higher than anything we had peaked before. And apparently the lava inside made the entire top glow at night. Eerie.

Saturday morning, we rose early and drove half an hour outside of Goma… over the black lava rock roads that had become the town’s trademark, past the thousands of Congolese refugees camping along the road under UNHCR tents, and into the rainforest of the Virungu Mountains.

We got a briefing from the “park guide” (seriously, called “Mr. Gorilla”) and set out. A group of seven of us (Seth, Brandon and I from Burundi and 4 friends from Rwanda), our five porters, and one armed guide/guard.

It was a beautiful hike up. The rainforest was lush and green; there were many rest stops along the way; Heavy clouds hung over the mountain top and steam rose from geysers, creating a feeling of mystery. Eventually, the path grew steeper, the lava rock became loose and our steps became more unsure, and the air became thinner (and my head began feeling unusually light).

We pressed on. Before the last leg, Seth and I lingered for a picture together. This climb was part of our celebration of our 5-years together. A bit symbolic of the two of us, we thought— an adventure, accompanied by others (not much alone time here!), and in the beauty of creation.

It took a long time to conquer that last leg. It appeared so short, but the elevation gain, the altitude, and the pack on my back made me stop every 10 steps or so. But we made it! And the top was surreal.

I can only liken it to how the moon might feel. It was very cold. Windy. And gusts of sulfur smoke kept drifting over the top, making visibility over 3 feet difficult. We set up camp on the black lava rock rim of the crater. The tents were all in single line… about three feet on one side before it sloped steeply down to the valley and about five feet on the other side of our tents… where the rock went up, and then undercut as it dropped into the crater.

We stayed the night at the top… I was a bit sick, probably because of the altitude and a bit of dehydration. Seth made his rocking chili that we shared with the porters. And after the sun set, we sat on the rim… staring into the crater, mesmerized by the red and orange flow, who’s heat we felt though high above.

Needless to say, we did not get much sleep. Four of us were packed into a small 3-man tent. The lava rock was hard on the shoulders and hips. And the porters stayed up all night by the charcoal fires, loudly talking and laughing in Swahili.

We grumpily (well, I admit I was grumpy) arose, packed up our tents and gear, stuffed some granola in our mouths, and began the long descent. Again, because of the loose rock, our packs, and the steepness, the way down was slow and each of us had a wipe-out at some point.

But we made it. Made the climb up and down Nyiragongo. Survived a night camping on top of a volcano. Made the hike through the Congo rainforest in potential rebel territory. And Seth and I have successfully completed five years together!!

The beautiful pictures within are from our friend and photographer: Brandon Thiessen.