Travel Blog Online
  • Travel Blog
  • Contact
  • About
    • Me
    • Sweden
  • Other Sites
    • Patrik Lord
    • LordProduction

Mt Pinatubo, Philippines

Mount Pinatubo is an active stratovolcano located on the island of Luzon. Before 1991, the mountain has no recorded historical eruptions. The volcano's eruption on June 15, 1991 produced the second largest terrestrial eruption of the 20th century after the 1912 eruption of Novarupta in the Alaska Peninsula. 

In all, the eruption ejected about ten cubic kilometres (2.4 mile³) of material, making it ten times larger than the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. 

The former summit of the volcano was replaced by a caldera 2.5 km wide. Over 800 people were killed by the eruption, mostly by roofs collapsing under the weight of accumulated wet ash, a hazard that was greatly exacerbated by the simultaneous arrival of Typhoon Yunya. The evacuation in the days preceding the eruption certainly saved tens of thousands of lives, and has been hailed as a great success for volcanology and eruption prediction. 
The Aeta people were the hardest hit by the eruption. After the areas surrounding the volcano were declared safe, many Aetas returned to their old villages only to find them destroyed by pyroclastic and lahar deposits. 

A crater lake, Lake Pinatubo, eventually formed in the 1991 caldera, with the 1992 lava dome forming an island. Initially, the lake was hot and highly acidic. Subsequent rainfall cooled and diluted the lake, lowering the temperature to 26 °C and raising the pH to 5.5 by 2003. Lake Pinatubo is the deepest lake in the country, 800 m deep with an average depth of 600 m and a surface elevation of 900 m.

On the 26th of July 2011, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck close to Pinatubo, however no major damages or casualties were reported.

In January 2012 me and a friend did a hiking trip up to the Lake Pinatubo.


Note! Click on images to see slideshow and captions!
We started very early in morning, 4.30 AM from Manila
Around 7 AM we arrived to a little sleepy town called Capas
This was our breakfast and lunch
I didn’t know at this time that our next meal would be around 10 hours later
In Capas we switched the transportation from a comfortable Nissan SUV >
> to a much more spartan but capable Willys jeep
We travelled through Crow valley for more than one hour by jeep >
> along gigantic lahar fields created from the eruption 1991
Lahar fields in crow valley
The landscape is continuously being sculpted by wind and water thru erosion and weathering
Lahar fields in crow valley
Vegetation has slowly begun to take hold in the area since the eruption over 20 years ago
Time to change the transportation again, this time from riding the Willys to the hiking mode
Lars my friend from Sweden and our mandatory guide
Lars is now determined to do his best despite the constant lack of sleep…
Yeah watch your steps this isn’t a walk in the park…
The hiking begins
We had to cross the stream several times barefoot coz we had not thought of bringing any other shoes than the hiking boots
Mt Pinatubo in the distant
Our guide cruising smoothly through the lahar fields
I am waiting impatiently for the photographer to do his thing…
Lars gives his best smile for the photographer
Some Filipinas on there way up to the top
Our guide and Lars
Me
The point of where it is 15 to 20 min left to the Lake, depending on how fit you are…
When we were approaching Lake Pinatubo the vegetation became more dense
Lake Pinatubo, the deepest lake in the country, 800 m deep with an average depth of 600 m
The lake is situated 900 m above the sea level. It was possible to rent boats but we didn’t.
The crater lake has an amazing turquoise colour. This colour is the result of the chemical reaction of the water's volcanic minerals with the lake's blue-green algae.
Lake Pinatubo has a 2.5 kilometres diameter and cover a surface area of 183 ha
Now we shall take a swim!
Here is Lars trying to change to swimming trunks in a slightly indiscreet way…
Finally he made it!
Hmmm… what are you staring at???
For a frozen Swede the temperature was very comfortable!
Posing nicely for the photographer
Lars is proudly posing for me
Maybe this cross is a memory over the 800 people who died under the eruption
The only animals we encountered on the whole trip… were goats!
Hiking through the mighty lahar canyons…
Lahar canyons were created by erosion.
The river bed was filled with lahar (mud, ashes and volcanic rocks).
The hike back and forth the drop off point and the lake, took about 4 hours to complete
And 4 hours is nothing for an old horse hehe!
The point of return to the civilization
An old but capable Toyota Landcruiser
Another sturdy Landcruiser
A relatively late Wrangler jeep
Our guide and the driver >
> with an early Willys jeep
Finally dinner! 10 hours since we had the last meal, the breakfast!
Related links:
Visit Intramuros in Manila​
Manila American Cemetery & Memorial​
Visit the Manila Chinese Cemetery​
Review of Jatujak Thai Restaurant, Manila
Review of hotel Isabelle Royale in Makati, Manila
Review of Kyochon restaurant in Mall of Asia
Review of Arya Persian Restaurant in Pasay
Review of Casa Verde Boutique Hotel and Gardens, Imus, Manila
Review of Chili's Restaurant in Mall of Asia
Review of Burgoo, American Bar and Restaurant in Mall of Asia
Review of Pinoy Pamilya Hotel in Pasay
Review of 88 Courtyard Hotel in Pasay
Video clips Manila Ocean Park​
Copyright © Travel Blog Online, All Rights Reserved
  • Travel Blog
  • Contact
  • About
    • Me
    • Sweden
  • Other Sites
    • Patrik Lord
    • LordProduction