By rtwriders on Skatehive
Mt. Ijen is an active volcano situated in the very east of Indonesia's island Java. This place is famous for its phenomenon of "Blue Fire", sulfuric gases that escape from the volcano at extreme temperatures. When these gases hit the air, they ignite creating electric-blue flames that can even appear to “flow” like lava. It’s not lava though, it’s burning sulfur. You can only see this in the dark, which is why most hikes start around 2–3 AM. By sunrise, the blue flames disappear in the daylight We were still a little sleepy while waiting with many other tourists at the entrance gate of the National Park in the middle of the night. They advised to rent gas masks due to sulfur vapours in the crater area. The crater rim of Mount Ijen is at 2386 m (7800 ft). It is a steep hike and takes around 1,5 to 2 hours. You should bring head lights and warm clothes, because it is pitch black and the temperatures can drop really low. We only had 5°C (41°F) In the first kilometers the crowd was spread,