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"Through the eyes of..." from Italian Journey by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1) Vesuvius
"The ash-cone of the volcano was two-thirds concealed
by clouds, and it was a difficult climb. I finally came
to the old crater, which is blocked now, and then to
more recent lava flows from two months ago, two weeks
ago and even one that was only five days old. That one
had not been a strong flow and was already cool. I went
across and up through the recent ash that was still
giving off fumes. The fumes were drifting away from me,
so I went ahead to try to reach the crater. After 50
paces, I could barely see my shoes through all the dense
fumes. I had a handkerchief over my mouth, but it was
useless. I could no longer see my guide and it was
unsteady going over the bits of recent lava. I decided
to turn back and wait for another day, one with better
weather and fewer fumes. Now I know how difficult it can
be to breathe in such an atmosphere. "The mountain was calm other than that; there were no flames and none of the rumblings and showers of stone from earlier weeks, before our arrival. I have now looked around and will try again as soon as the weather permits…"
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"March
2, 1787...In spite of the inclement weather
and the clouds lurking on the summit, I went up Vesuvius
today. I went to Resina by carriage and started up the
mountain by mule, passing through vineyards as I rode. I
then walked across the 1771 lava flow, which already
showed a growth of tough moss, and then continued up
along the edge of the lava flow. High up on the left, I
saw a hermit's cabin.