Drove to hell and back

Tagged along with a Reuters photographer who stayed at the hostel last night to the center of ash dispersion this morning. The journalist bit of me took over the shouldn't-be-breathing-in-volcanic-ash me.

When hot lava flow hits icy glacier, an explosion of lava rocks occurs, thus forming volcanic ash, which is just tiny particles of lava in the air. The glacier melts so fast that the region's temperature drops significantly.



Approaching the edge of deathcloud, at Skogarfoss.

On the other side of deathcloud. The drive was epic. It got colder and colder and darker and darker. Felt like we were driving into icy icy hell.



Even further into deathcloud. This was 11am. We parked for five minutes and our windshield was covered in lines of black ash.



Save us sunlight!

So don't tell my parents I went in, they're probably freaking out enough as it is. I wore my breathing mask the whole time, promise! But come on, I studied photojournalism, how could I have said no?!