CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Sneffels was located in the small village of Stapi, with about thirty small cottages. The cottages were built on lava, a hard rock material that hardens after bursting out of a volcano as a fire-hot thick liquid, called magma. I had never seen such an impressive structure, made entirely of lava over five hundred years ago.

My uncle decided that the day after arriving in Stapi, we would climb part of the way on the mountain, spending a few days there. After arriving in Stapi, my fears about the journey returned. I was worried that, perhaps, Sneffels, was no longer a dead volcano. It could very possibly explode with fire-hot lava again, and we might be inside it during that time. I then spoke to my uncle about my fears.

After a few moments of silent thinking, he said, "Yes, I've been thinking about that, as well. Ever since we came to Stapi, I've been concerned with this serious question. Sneffels has been quiet for six hundred years, but it may awake again. I've questioned the local people and studied the ground, and I can tell you, Axel, that there won't be an explosion."

I was so shocked at such a confident statement that I could not respond.

"You don't believe me? Then follow me and I will explain," my uncle said to me.

He took me to a natural hot spring nearby. There was steam rising from the water.

"You see that steam rising, Axel? They prove we have no reason to fear the volcano. When a volcanic explosion is about to happen, that steam becomes more active, then disappears completely during the explosion because there's no more pressure coming from inside the Earth to push the steam through the cracks in the Earth. You can be certain there will not be an explosion in the near future."

"But ... "

"Enough. When science has spoken, there's nothing to reply."

I said no more. My uncle had used a scientific explanation to win an argument The next morning, June 23, Hans had found two other men to help us carry our baggage into the mountain. It was nine in the morning. We left Stapi to go climb Sneffels.

(end of section)