Slip and Slide We drive as close to the top of the volcano as


we can. T en we grab our gear and start hiking. It’s not easy. T ick dust covers the volcano’s steep sides. So each time I take a step up, my foot slides partway back. I take another step and slide again. I’ve moved up, but barely. I don’t mind. T is slippery slope is one way


this volcano is odd. It’s made of lava rock like other volcanoes. Yet this rock is more crumbly. Finally, we make it to the top. We’ve reached


the volcano’s crater, or its opening. Here’s where lava spills out of the ground. It rises up through vents, or tunnels inside the volcano. Finally it bubbles, flows, or even blasts out.


Rock Art I feel like I’ve climbed to another planet. I’ve


never seen anything like it. Wild rock shapes rise from the crater floor. One looks like a giant wing. It formed when lava spurted out of a vent like a fountain. T en the lava hardened before it could hit the ground. I see small, domed mounds and tall, skinny


chimneys. Some chimneys spit lava. T e lava turns foamy in midair. T en it hardens. It clatters to the ground like silver glitter. We set up camp nearby. Later that night, I


return to the edge of the crater. It looks eerie. T e rocks seem to glow. Faint green flames spurt from some of the tall chimneys.


Lava hardens in the shape of a wing.


14


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24