Very cool learning experience! For those of you who are into hiking volcanoes, I'd highly recommend the Tongariro Alpine Crossing in New Zealand (http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/tongariro-alpine-crossin...). It was one of the best experiences of my life.
I'm not often near volcanoes nor enough of a hiker to seek them out but while in Bali for a few weeks, I did a sunrise hike of Mt. Batur. That's less than half the height of the one in the linked essay but it was still somewhat challenging for my somewhat out-of-shape body (not something I couldn't handle by any means but definitely wore me out). Getting to the top by sunrise was really impressive and I'm really glad I had the chance to hike it.
soylentcola|9 years ago