Monday, June 27, 2011

The Extreme Challenge: Mount Etna

I've survived Mount Etna! I knew that it was going to be physically challenging, but I had no idea it was going to be anything like it was once I got up there. The first part of the challenge was the bike ride. We started at a certain point of a bike trail. After about ten minutes, I was already getting tired and feeling the burn in my legs. But I kept going knowing that I should not give up. We went up and saw a lava flow or what was left of it, which was tons and tons of black rock that wound all the way up the mountain. It was an amazing sight to see with its cryptic feel and dark existence. After we got to a point to where we couldn't go any further, we turned our bikes around and coasted down the slope we had climbed. The rest of the evening we rested, preparing our bodies for the challenge that was to come the next day. The following morning we left and a bus took us to the top of the volcano. On the way up, the altitude started getting to me. It made me weak and somewhat nauseas. At the peak I was shaky, both with sickness and the overwhelming fact that I was on an active volcano in Italy. But I knew that I had to go on. I had to overcome the obstacle, I had to face the challenge, and I had to experience the vulnerability that the volcano gave me. I knew I had made the right choice when I saw the deep craters that lay on the side if the mountain and when I saw the surrounding ocean and towns from miles and miles away. It was absolutely breathtaking and so amazing. It will be something that I will tell people about for the rest of my life.

Bethany Roberson

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Adventure Details

Duration 15 days
Destinations Athens
Rome
Pompeii
Focus Biology
Culture
Earth Science