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In 1991 Mt Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted in a cataclysmic eruption that ejected 5 cubic kilometres of material. The eruption cloud cloud reached 35 kilometres in the air and pyroclastic flows roared down the flanks of the volcano filling some valleys up to 200 metres thick. The top of the mountain collapsed in to form caldera now filled by a lake 2.5 kilometres across.
In April a party of us from GHD trekked up to the crater lake. There is a well organised tour that takes you up the bed of the O'Donnell river in four wheel drive vehicles, followed by a trek up a stream valley, boulder hopping, that takes an other hour up to the lake.
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The Team assembled for the trek. Gina, Grace, Anj, Peter, and Grace's two boys A1 & Lord | ||
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The trip up the valley was over thick deposits of pumice and ash from lahars. Closer to our drop off point these and those of pyroclastic flows were eroded into spires and pinnacles |  |
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Boulder hopping up the creek, there were numerous colourful large rocks which represented the blasted away remnants of the original dome. Numerous springs deposit mineralised deposits. The water is still warmed from the cooling down thick pyroclastic flow deposits. A last climb up over the rim and the beautiful blue crater lake comes into view | ||
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A trip across the lake in canoes saw us landing at a shore
where gas bubbled out of the lake and deposits of salts were left on the
sands. The Caldera rim was still vigorously steaming and the air was
heavy with the smell of Sulphur.
And me. I was just happy to be here |
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