One of the highlights on our trip was hiking up the side of Mount Etna (3,403 m / 11,165 ft). In order to bypass the tourists, we decided against going to the top and instead hike up towards the top of the mountain. As always, there was a bit of smoke rising from the caldera, but nothing to worry about it. The stark contrast between the black and green was beautiful. I walked into a small lava cave and before we turned and headed back to the car, we lay in on the dark lava, and warmed our backs.
