Ol Doinyo Lengai Camp Life

Camping in the crater of Ol Doinyo Lengai for a week can be very harsh at times. We started to climb the east side of the volcano at 0300 on 29 June 2004. Some of us reached the east rim of the crater around 0730 and some of us slow folks reached it about an hour and a half later. As I reached the east rim Gerald and I met the intense fog and wind at the top. We thought the rest of expedition crew and porters went to the south crater.

Our first plans were to camp in the south crater. Gerald and I proceeded to cross the active crater floor and climb the south part of the crater rim and took the trail to the south crater. We passed Christoph Weber's crew who were camping in the south part of the active crater. See details below. We climbed approximately 400 feet along the trail and turned to the south crater trail. The distance is about a quarter mile from the start of the south crater trail to the south crater campsite. Gerald and I hiked to the south crater encountering nothing but wind and heavy fog. It was also dusty which did not help. The water absorbing qualities of the natrocarbonatite dust collected on our clothes and skin making it look like we were drenched with rain. I was cold, wet and miserable and it didn't even rain!! We thought we took a wrong turn so we turned back. Realising we were on the right trail we hiked toward the south crater trail again.

Once we reached the center of the south crater campsite we realise there was nobody there. We yelled out for Fred Belton only to find out we were the first ones there. All of the sudden we see some sillouetes coming our way. It was Patrick, Thorsten, Fred and Martin and some porters bringing water down. They told us our camping supplies were in the north crater. So I headed back the north crater. Fred Belton, Patrick Koster, Martin Rietze and Gerald decided to the camp in the south crater because it was safer. Even though it was safer, you would never know what kind of activity is going on unless someone yells from the mountain top. I decided to camp in the south east part of the active crater. See below for a photo session of camp life. There were many advantages of camping in the active crater as well as many dangers. Due to past experience and the close location of the active vents , we had to have a nightly lava watch. One person on watch will be up from 2400-until 0300 and another from 0300-0600 with a hand held radio. Two people in camp sleeping will have the other two radios. When something happens the lava watchman will radio us to wake up either for an emergency or just some spectacular activity.The natrocarbonatite lava flows like water and it is the most dangerous type of lava in the world. Lava did come within 200 feet of the camp which was reminiscent from the camp destruction of August 2002. I said to myself "not again" I woke up fast when there was a call on my radio "There is lava coming toward the camp, everybody get up". I got up and put my boots and jacket on and tripped on a rock. I got up and proceeded to the east opening of camp and saw the lava flow coming from the northwest only to stop 200 feet away. There are walls of stone to the north of the camp and the crater wall forty feet to the south.. We were protected from the north, south and west. The only opening was in the east. See second photo. Luckily nothing happened to our camp during the week I was there.

"Ash Layers" Layers of ash from Lengai's crater wall. Above camp.	"Camp Lengai" View of east opening of our camp.Notice the walls of rock surrounding us to provide us relative protection from lava flows. Still the lava would have to fill in a lot of depressions in order to reach the east opening. Such flows would take a few hours to reach the opening.
"Summit Lengai 2004" Here is the summit of Lengai. See fresh lava in the middle. Notice our camp on the right circled.	"Close Up of our Camp" Same as the left. See yellow tent right of the rocks in the middle. See below
"Ready to Eat" Paulo gets lunch ready for expedition members.	"More Camp Life" View of rocks that protect us from lava. Looking to west.
"Sillouettes" Photographers cast eerie sillouettes in fog.	"South Crater Camp" It's safer here but you see no activity. Active crater is behind me.
"Stupid Crow" Here is crow that just doesn't like me. I was eating near the new kitchen and all of the sudden my plate gets broken. I realised a rock had dropped in front of me hitting my plate due to the bird	"Another South Crater View" An avid volcano chaser Marcus heads to the active crater for some action.

ol doinyo lengai

Copyright © 2004 Jeffrey F Brown

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