Volcano Slamet
After
Karangetang was sparly active, the Slamet should pay for it. The
volcano Slamet reaches a height of approximately 3428 meters o.s.l.
About 1900 meter has to be ascended from the base to the summit.
The mountain is technically not too difficulty, but however much
exertive. Normal passages could be found hardly. You have to climb
muddy and narrow ditches, sometimes you can't step with one food
beside the other.
Campground on
3200m height. My tent is my castle….
Endless often
you have to cross such passages and you can
be sure that a section between is laced with slippery roots, or the flora is such as copiously that you must check with
a stick before, whether you don't want to drop into a hidden loam dump. If one
masters these difficulties up to 3200 alti meters, the summit will
bring loosen lava rubble, which requires an extremely slip
resistance. Briefly said, you can apply after such a mounting
confidently as an acrobat in the circus.
However,
each effort is
worthwhile because right after reaching the northern summit an
impressive panorama is presented over the whole volcano platform.
The aggressive continuously roaring of the middle vents could just
be heard with an immense volume from this place. Persuing the recent reports, the
volcano Slamet ejected glowing ash and rocks up to 700 meter high the weeks before.
After last week the high activity level decreased, the risk of a
fatal injury by ejection bombs lowered to an acceptable level. For
hours Martin and I observed the activity, and so we decided to get
in position on the front rim. This observation place permitted a
deeper sight and more detailed views to the ongoings inside the
crater. From the acoustic point of view, you got the impression
immediately creating your vacation on an airport runway. This
ear-deafening noise was originated as we noticed from the two vents
in the middle of the 100 meter wide cinder cone.
tb
An
unicum at the volcano could be observed here. Each eruption had a
similar character. At the beginning aprx. 5 meters high green-blue
gas flames which were progressively brideling up to a height of 20
meters, in the further process they became intensivly red. Now if a
certain energetic point was exceeded, the whole mixture exploded and
partly rich lava fontains were forced up to 200 meters. Occasional
the second pipe was activated.
mr
tb
tb
tb
Now
the
photographic
challenge began. And promptly, the first astonishment. It was
unbelievably difficult to expose the eruptions in the center. The main reason
were the gas flames compared with the fog, which let the center burn out
completely because of the strong
luminosity.