Credits:  Frame – Akiloune kit so natural cadre

Taking a 4X4 off-road jeep makes trekking Mt. Pinatubo a walk in the park.  What used to be a whole day trek requiring overnight camping in 1999 (when we first trekked this beautiful landscape) is now down to 1 hour of 4X4 ride and about 45 minutes hike to the crater lake.  A far cry eh?

This was taken 5 years ago when the service of 4X4s already existed but still required a grueling 2 hour trek to the crater and hours of rutty ride to the jump-off.  The experience however made the journey exceptionally memorable.

In June 1991, after more than 4 centuries of slumber, this volcano erupted so violently (coupled with an unfortunate tropical storm) that its ashes covered almost the entire island of Luzon and permanently changed the landscape of Pampanga, Tarlac and Olongapo.  Hundreds of millions of dollars in prime properties and infrastructure was likewise ruined.

The crater lake as it looked in 2004.

 Source: http://park.org/Philippines/pinatubo/ and
 http://geography.about.com/od/globalproblemsandissues/a/pinatubo.htm

This week’s Photo Hunt theme is Four.  To join the fun or enjoy more entries, please click here.