we got to the dock around 9:30am to wait for our boat to stromboli. while waiting, the italian volcanology students were walking back and forth. we thought they were so cool and professional with their hiking pants and helmets. we rode on the same boat as them, stopping near some islands to look at the volcanic effects. at one point, near panarea, we stopped to swim. none of us had swimsuits or towels (i was wearing a swimsuit top), but we all jumped in the water anyway. it was really fun. once we got to stromboli, we walked around the town a bit, got some lunch (three pizzas - pepperoni, margarita, and veggie), and hung out in the shade before the hike. we saw lots of stray cats on the island. before the hike started, we had to buy headlights. our translator for the hike knew four languages and spoke in french, english, and a little german during the hike.
the hike wasn’t bad at all. i thought the pace was perfect because you didn't wear yourself out and could still talk during it. the vegetation was heavy at times, which i didn't really like. the trail was also really dusty (we were very dirty at the end). the view at the top was amazing and we got to see stromboli go off a couple times, which was so cool. the way down we needed to use our headlamps because it was dark. it was lowkey scary going down because we couldn’t see anything and it was really dusty. we caught up to the italians from earlier and rode the boat back together. they were drinking beer and chatting the whole time. i looked at the stars and listened to music until we got back to shore. we walked to the bus stop and discovered we were 30 minutes early for the bus. we waited while the italians sang ‘happy birthday’ to one of their group members. when we finally got back to the hotel, i showered and went to bed. though the stromboli hike was expensive, i still thought it was worth it. i would probably go again if given the chance.