National Park After Dark - The Year Without a Summer: Mount Tambora National Park

Episode Date: February 24, 2025

On April 10, 1815 the most powerful volcanic eruption in human history was recorded on an island in Indonesia. The ash cloud that formed by its explosion was as large and the entire United States and hovered 12 miles above the earth, reaching the stratosphere. The results were catastrophic. It resulted in major climate changes, where in most of the world, summer never came. Wildlife and humans alike were left without sources of food while the landscapes changed around them. Roughly 100,000 people died in the immediately aftermath, but the death toll is estimated to be closer to 1 million around the globe. The time following the eruption has now been remembered in history as The Year Without a Summer.Come see us in Joshua Tree! Buy tickets here.For a full list of our sources, visit npadpodcast.com/episodesFor the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials:Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdarkTikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdarkSupport the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!Thank you to this week’s partners!Blueland:  Use our link to get 15% off your first order.Boll and Branch: Use our link to get 15% off, plus free shipping on your first set of sheets.Naked Wines: To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to NakedWines.com/NPAD and use code NPAD for both the code AND PASSWORD.Smalls: For 50% off your first order, head to Smalls.com and use code NPAD. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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It is easy to feel that your small corner of the planet is not connected to a place that is thousands of miles away. Across oceans, vast deserts, and through mountainous landscapes, you might feel like a small blip in the world. the world. In Disney's Pocahontas, she sings the lyrics, and we are all connected to each other, in a circle, in a hoop that never ends. While catchy and easy to sing along with, that statement couldn't hold more true. How else do you explain that when an earthquake happens in Argentina, Death Valley National Park Stevel's Hole creates waves? If we were not connected, why are the mountains of Vermont hidden by smoke when Oregon is raging with wildfires? In the Pacific Ocean, a garbage patch the size of Texas sits between California and Hawaii,

but can be traced back to places in Asia, along with North, South, and Central America. If these events are so interconnected between thousands and thousands of miles, what does that mean about the fragility of Earth? If the reverberations of small happenings extend across landscapes and oceans, what else is Earth capable of? Could one single event devastate the entire planet? The answer to that is yes. Welcome to National Park After Dark. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to National Park After Dark.

I'm Danielle. And I'm Cassie. I'm Ron Burgundy. I'm Ron Burgundy. Who am I? That is the question. We're trying to do introductions and it feels weird and embarrassing. But if you're new here and have never listened to National Park After Dark, we are a podcast that tell stories that happen in national parks,

and they are often dark and interesting and have a lot of histories within them. Well, you're clearly talking about a natural disaster today. Yes. I would assume. You would assume correctly. Is it by chance? the there's a lot of talk about the yellowstone like eruption potential is it anything to do with that it's not yellowstone but it is a volcanic eruption today we're going to be talking about the eruption on mount tempora which was or is i should say a mountain in Indonesia amazing yeah great well with that i will say settle in and buckle up because this is probably the scariest story i've

ever told on National Park after dark. That is a bold statement. I don't, it's not that I don't believe you, but I feel like that is, that's a big statement to just say right away, because we're four years in and you've told some pretty terrifying stories. So you're setting the bar high. It's just all I am setting. I am setting the bar high.

And I will say there's not like, in this story, there's not like the scare factor of night of the grizzlies, you know, where there's. these mallings, but this episode is a lot more scary and like apocalyptic scary. If you've seen the movie 2012, it's one of my favorite apocalyptic movies of weather events where the world was supposed to end. The rock is in it and the whole world just starts crumbling. Yellowstone explodes. We've definitely talked about it before where they go.

The movie. Yeah, the movie. talked about yeah um the rock's not in it i made that up okay um are you sure that this wasn't a conversation with your other girlfriend because i'm very sure because i remember the specific conversation because we talked about it in the movie 2012 he brings i forget the actor's name but he brings his family tielo stone for vacation and they're in the park and all this stuff's going down and there's the crazy guy in the trailer who's reporting the events live on a radio station and he ends up going down with all the volcanic eruptions. I think this was your other girlfriend. No, it wasn't. It's on an episode.

And if anyone remembers which episode, tell Danielle that I'm not cheating on her. I just like that I think, well, first of all, the rock threw me off. I was like, I've never. That was a different apocalyptic movie. I got my wires. But the, like the, what is it called? The cover, the poster, the movie poster is throwing me off because it looks like there's a monk overlooking a tsunami wave that looks like it's crashing over the Himalayas. And I have never seen a movie like that. You have seen this movie. The monk, it's a very, the monk is such a small scene in that movie where the monk is standing on top of the mountain and everything.

crashing around them and they decide actively not to try and fight it and just accept their fate. Well, it's all over Google Images. But anyway, okay, we're getting sidetracked. I may be... Anyway, go watch the movie after this because it is really good. Yeah, misremembering. The first time in the history of National Park After Dark where I know a movie and you don't. I know.

I love it. This is a momentous episode. It's going to be the most terrifying and one that I haven't seen a movie. movie, which is... You've seen it. I know you have because we've talked about it before, and it was... Maybe I was lying. You described the scene.

I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Okay. All right. Tell me a story of a real story. Not talking about... I will tell you... I'm sorry.

I'm just watching this trailer right now. I really feel like I haven't seen this. We're watching this after. Okay. All right. On April 10th, 1815, the most powerful voluminousal volcanic eruption and human history was recorded on an island in Indonesia. The ash cloud that formed with its explosion was as large as the entire country of the United States and hovered close to 12 miles

above the earth reaching into the stratosphere. The results were catastrophic. The ash blocked the sun's light from fully reaching the earth's surface and within weeks the ash was blown by the wind to every corner of the world. It resulted in major climate changes, where in most of the world, summer never came. Wildlife and humans alike were left without sources of food, while the landscapes changed around them. Roughly 100,000 people died in the immediate aftermath, but the death toll is estimated to be closer to 1 million around the globe. The time following the eruption has now been remembered in history as the year without a summer. That title is slightly misleading, though, because this eruption changed global climates for three,

years before normal weather patterns began being recorded again. And I don't know why, but that title The Year Without a Summer reminds me my favorite Christmas movie, which you have to have seen the year without a Santa Claus. Why would I have had to have seen that? Because it's a classic. I have never seen that. Shut. Never even heard of it. No, no way. No way. I'm, and it's so, no, I can't accept that. It has. It's, I feel like, it's, I feel like. I feel like. It's, I feel like, it gets so telling for this episode too because they have heat miser and snowmiser you have to have seen this no my favorite my favorite christmas movie is is the santa claus with uh i know timelan is kind of like gone haywire over the years but in that movie him bernard oh my god such a classic now

that's a classic no that's in like my top 20 movies movies of all time. That's crazy. How can you say the year without a sandcloth is not a classic when it is a claymation that was made in like the 80s? It's like the first Christmas movie to ever Christmas movie. And it has snowmiser. That's another bold statement that I don't think you can make.

And it's a musical like Snowmiser and Heat Miser come on and Snowmiser's like My friends call me Snowmiser, whatever I touch turns to snow in my clutch. he's too much You don't know that song Okay If we rewound the tape right there If we just like rolled back the tape You just said it's a musical

That's the problem That's why I haven't seen it I do not enjoy musicals But it's like a childhood staple You've never seen heat miser Had a rough childhood Sorry mom I didn't No I really haven't seen it

What's it called again? The Year Without a Santa. Yeah, the Year Without a Santa Claus. Okay, it's 1974. Oh, that's where this, the guy with all the red hair, the flame hair comes from. That's Heat Miser. Okay, well, I didn't know that. I just never questioned his presence in anything.

I was like, I don't know. Well, they're like in a war, not a war, but their brothers, Mother Nature is their mom. And I just thought it was kind of, it just reminded me of this episode because Heat Miser is like, climate change and snowmiser is global cooling which is this and then he has lyrics in his song that just remind me of this episode which you won't understand because you've never seen it i don't know the only like claymation type i don't even know if that's the right term for it but that style of christmas movie the only one i remember is rudolph the red nose range yeah rudolph was yeah rudolph was one and then um Well, was Rudolph was the one with the Miff, the Misfit Islanded toys, right?

Yeah. Yeah. There was that one. Yeah. And then there's also Santa Claus is coming to town. I watch them every year. They're my favorite. This is probably the worst episode to start with if you're new.

I'm so sorry. Or the best because now you're understanding what a year without a Santa Claus is if you didn't know before. I'm embarrassed now. I'm just go. You have some homework to do to... I'm not watching that next Christmas. I'll watch 2012 since I legitimately don't think I've ever seen it. I think you actually like that movie too. Okay.

Whereas a year without a Santa Claus, I don't think you would enjoy. Anyway, before we get started fully into this episode, I did want to give a shout out to one of our outsiders on Patreon because they recommended it. They did this. So a few weeks ago, I put up a poll on Patreon that was just like, hey, what do you guys want to hear? And this person, their name is Laurel. They wrote a recommendation and they said the Mount Tambora eruption or the year without a summer. And when I read it, I was like, what is that? Is it connected to a national park? And I looked into it and I had never heard of it before. And then once I was in, I was in. I was like, okay, I have to do an episode on this. This is so interesting. And it just, I found it very scary and apocalyptic. And I thought I would scare all of you today. That's why I'm here. So to be scared. Yeah. All right. So going into it, if you were to travel to the island of Sambawa and Indonesia, you could see evidence of this disastrous eruption still today. However, it looks a lot different than it did over 200 years ago. At one point in time, the volcanic mountain of Tambora stood over

or 14,000 feet or 4,300 meters above sea level, but the eruption blew its top off and left a massive caldera in its place. Today it only reaches 8,930 feet or 2,722 meters above sea level, meaning almost half of the mountain exploded in the eruption. The caldera left behind reaches depth of over 3,600 feet or 1,100 meters. Which when I read that, I was just picturing it in something that I could understand. And that is, it is deeper than some of our tallest mount, not tallest, but close to taller mountains in the White Mountains National Forest. I was thinking the same exact thing, like those inverted.

Yeah. Yeah. It's crazy to think about. While the island is renowned for its wildlife, like Helmut Hornet Hornet. bills, which I had to include because we saw those on our trip to Borneo, and this island is just south of Borneo. We were actually pretty close to the area where this happened. They have water buffalo, sea turtles, whale sharks, and even Komodo dragons, but Mount Tampaa National Park wasn't originally created to protect them. It was primarily designated as a national park in 2015 because

of the significant historical value of being the location of the largest volcanic eruption in recorded human history. Today, over 200 years later, scientists are still heavily studying the area and the volcanic activity that is still there. So it is not a dormant volcano. It is still an active volcano. And Mount Tambora didn't erupt out of nowhere. There were signs that some significant activity was happening because it was at one point a dormant. volcano. On April 5th, 1815, five days prior to the explosion, witnesses during the night saw flames of fire bursting from the summit. There were booms that could be heard around the island for close to three hours before the flames subsided and all went quiet again. Mount Tambora had once

been dormant, but over the past several years, locals had felt the rumbles of the volcano, but this was the very first recorded event of its spitting flames. This, This event sparked concerns and a man by the name of Israel, who worked as an official for the government, was sent to climb to the tops of Tambora to check out what was happening. Unfortunately, he was the eruption's first victim as he stood near the summit on April 10th at 10 p.m. as it blew its top off. Plumes of ash and rock debris shot up and fell from the sky as cascading rivers of fire ravaged the tropical forests and made their way into local villages. People had no warning. Many families were in their houses making dinner or sleeping when the lava enveloped their homes and killed them instantly. Within hours, thousands of people were killed. In 2004, an archaeological team from the University of Rhode Island uncovered the first remains of a village that had been buried in the eruption. They found a woman whose bones had been turned to charcoal holding a knife that she had most likely been using to prepare. a meal at the time. Evidence of a sarong draped around her shoulder still existed, even though she was found almost 10 feet under long-settled volcanic ash. While the skyward eruptions lasted about three hours,

it caused strong winds. Violent gusts took off the roofs of homes and uprooted large trees. Horses, cattle, and even people became entangled and fiery hurricanes and were carried hundreds of feet into the air before they were eventually dropped. If people had managed to escape the lava flow and the winds, they still had another deadly problem. The winds and debris of massive rocks hitting the ocean caused giant waves to form, causing a 12-foot-high tsunami that washed away rice fields and huts along the coast and much of the island became submerged in water. Magma gushed down the mountain sides carrying rock and debris into the ocean for a full 24 hours before it relented. And I will also mention that there were no evacuations. This just happened out of nowhere. I mean, there were things happening, like I said, where it was spitting out some fire one night. But they didn't have the technology or the knowledge, I think, in this time to know. So by the time they started ordering evacuations, this had already began and people had already died. When you were describing the archaeological finds from the University of Rhode Island, it just brought me back to one of the first memories I have.

at a museum exhibit and that was I believe it was definitely a traveling exhibit in Boston I believe and it was the traveling exhibit of Pompeii after the Mount Fasuvius eruption and the cat the is it I guess what the term is it a cast of the people in different positions and there was one of a dog that was had you could clearly see a collar on it and a chain and that image was just burned in my brain. Yeah. Just, you know, final moments, final moments frozen in time and just so plainly, like, right in front of you inside this glass case. It was just, it was a really pivotal time of my life of like really understanding what I'm looking at in museums. The magnitude of what really happened. Yeah. So that's, as soon as you were describing that, I just like got transported to, I don't know, maybe. second or third grade maybe that's something intense to see in second grade yeah i mean that's pretty intense i told you my childhood was fucked up it's okay it's made you so funny today that's right

that in the bodies exhibit sorry i haven't been to the bodies exhibit but i've always wanted to go I it's very problematic. I have heard that. Just so we are all aware. Yeah. I do know now. I'm aware. But again, this was a long time ago.

I didn't know. Like the ethical. I guess actually I don't know. Why is it problem? I think there's a lot of like ethical issues with it because I think a lot of the bodies that were sourced at least for the original exhibits. This is like decades ago were and I'm so sorry that I'm just don't. I am aware that I may not be saying this 100%.

accurately, but I believe they were from a lot of unclaimed, like, bodies of Chinese prisoners or, um, I didn't know that. Like people who did not consent to have. They were people who wanted to be. Yeah. In that way. Yeah. I mean, I, there are tons of articles and podcasts and stuff about it. So, but I just know that it's kind of an issue or at least it was. Maybe it's been reworked and I'm not sure. But nonetheless. seeing that also was a big like whoa moment. Traumatizing. I don't think it's traumatized.

I'm not traumatized from either of those things. Right. Intrigued. Intrigued. A better word. Yeah. Yeah. Interesting.

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Your next obsession is waiting. Watch only on Prime. On the 11th or 12th of April, Tambora concaved on itself from the inside, forming a giant volcanic sinkhole in its center. Survivors prayed for mercy as the wrath of the mountain thundered and cracked from above, shaking the entire island. Today, it is amongst the largest caldera to form on earth since the last glacial period and is similar in size to Crater Lake in Oregon. In the days and weeks following the eruption, the sun was blocked by ash and corpses of those who had been killed in the eruption had been strewn around the island.

People within a 600 kilometer radius or 372 miles were without sun for two full days and temperatures plummeted. Many of the forests and farms had been destroyed, leaving little food for the survivors. Their freshwater resources were poisoned by ash, and islanders were devastated by illnesses from it. Even the once-teal, crystal-clear waters of the ocean were discolored by a thick gray ash. In the months following the eruption, the air was filled with dust, the drinking water remained contaminated, and islanders were surviving mostly on dry leaves and meat from horses. Over 40,000 more people on the island and neighboring ones perished in the aftermath of the eruption. The situation became so dire that people offered to sell themselves or their children for handfuls of rice.

Many fled to other neighboring islands as theirs was now inhospitable, looking for better resources, only to find that everyone around them was struggling to survive. While the devastation was catastrophic and the eruption itself could be heard from hundreds of miles away, the effects were seen even farther in the immediate aftermath. What I think is even more intriguing about this story are the effects that reached across the globe. For around three years following Tambora's explosion, no matter where you were on the planet,

you shared a common hardship, and that was hunger. From Asia to the Swiss Alps, to Ireland, and all the way to the United States, in particular, New England, were experiencing this. Tambora's eruption released a massive amounts of ash and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, which were then carried around the planet through wind currents, blocking sunlight around the world. It caused a global cooling event, which led to crop failures, extreme weather conditions, along with widespread famine and disease. What I find even more

interesting about this is that there is a real possibility that it could happen again someday and someday in our lifetime. Volcanoes that are near the equator can cause global weather changes if they have eruptions powerful enough to release gases into the atmosphere, like that of Tambora's. This is because of the atmospheric circulation patterns at the equator that can carry matter around the world, affecting both the northern and southern hemispheres. In articles as recent as December of 2024, a climate professor from the University of Geneva warned that eruptions like that of Tambora is not a matter of if, but when. They stated that geological evidence suggests that there is a one in six chance that it could happen during this century.

Another professor at NYU agrees with this theory, but says that the results would be significantly more devastating than Mount Tambora due to the current climate crisis. Global warming has accelerated atmospheric circulation and altered ocean dynamics. They also warned that the melting up ice caps has reduced pressure on magma chambers, resulting in an increased like, of an eruption of this magnitude. Experts also warn that the world lacks a sufficient plan to combat the economic challenges it would cause and should begin safety protocols now. While the probability of a massive eruption is considered relatively low, regions like Indonesia and Yellowstone National Park are both monitored heavily for warning signs because of this exact reason. And I also, when I read that, it reminded me of a trip that I took to Iceland, a few years ago and we did this tour, we took a boat onto this glacial lake to go up to a glacier.

And our guide told us that not only was the lake we were on non-existent a few years prior, like less than a decade prior to that, but we were at the fastest melting glacier in the world and that there is significant cause for alarm in Iceland at the moment because of climate change and how fast their glaciers are melting. It is exposing all of these volcanoes that have been dormant for years, but without the pressure of the ice on them. They are very worried that eruptions are going to start happening a lot more frequently. And eventually Iceland in its entirety is going to be destroyed and won't exist anymore. Because of the eruptions. Yeah. Isn't their nickname the Land of Fire and Ice?

Yeah, and it wouldn't be the first time this happened either. I haven't looked into it, but our guide was telling us that actually the island used to not be somewhere where you could live, which is why everything is imported there. Because years and years ago, there were some significant volcanic eruptions that everyone who lived in Iceland died pretty much. Oh, okay. Yeah. And now we're seeing it, I mean, if you look on the... the news or on social media, I feel like in the past year you see Iceland, all of these volcanic eruptions are happening and you're seeing the Blue Lagoon, which is so famous for people to visit.

Now you see the magma has gotten to its parking lots. And all of this seems to be a little bit of a change that to have this magnitude of volcanic activity happening. Of course, it is the land of iron ice and it's expected for some of this, but it seems like maybe it's getting a little more intense. It just feels kind of indicative of what's to come. Yes, which is very scary. So with all that in mind and keeping in mind that this eruption that happened on Tambora is possible to happen again, and it's possible to happen during our lifetime, let's go into what transpired across the globe after that eruption. The Earth's average global temperature dropped three degrees Celsius for three years in a row. The ash particles and aerosols released by the volcano hung in the atmosphere for that

entirety of three years, blocking the sun from reaching the Earth's surface. It changed the speed of the movement of air and water in the north to south direction and altered the dynamics of the atmospheric pressure between the Arctic and mid latitudes. As you can imagine, this had a significant impact on the world. In Europe, Asia, and North America, crops were killed, either from frost or lack of sunlight. The prices and food increase significantly, making food less attainable to a normal working person. Tensions rose as farmers were burglarized for their successful crops, and the increased cost of oats made it difficult for people to feed their horses and to travel. The gloomy and cold weather made travel difficult, and many were forced to stay indoors. In Ireland,

people swarmed the markets willing to exchange their children for food. Diseases like cholera and typhus, which are derived from starvation, were found around the globe from India to Italy. Villagers in Vermont survived on porcupine and boiled needles. There were so many beggars gathering in France that summer tourists mistook them for armies marching the streets. And in China, the poor were sucking on white clay for sustenance. The dismal and often terrifying weather, made its way into the writings of adventurers, poets, and artists alike in history. In a fact, Frankenstein, written by Mary Shelley, is known for its scenes of thunderstorms and rain, and was influenced by Mary's actual experience in the following years of the eruption. Historic letters to family from a summer vacation in Switzerland she had in 1816, detailed the rain, cold weather, and thunderstorms that she encountered. Two years later, in 1818, when her book, Frankenstein, was published, it reflected her experiences that she had there. In it, she wrote, quote,

Nature decayed around me. The sun became heatless. Rain and snow poured around me. Mighty rivers were frozen. The surface of the earth was hard and chill and bare, and I found no shelter. The summer Mary had spent in Switzerland remains the coldest and wettest season on record. Farmers who usually used the mountains to graze their cattle had to leave them in the lower parts, due to to snow. Avalanches that usually subsided in the spring were recorded well into August. And just going into the Frankenstein thing for a second, I just always picture the Frankenstein movie. And I know it's in black and white, but the entire movie, it's raining. It's thunderstorms. It's like this dreary horror moment. And I had no idea that that was based on real life, on her, like,

real experiences that she had. Yeah, I didn't either. And it's so funny. It's timely that you brought her up because I was just looking into her for other reasons. And not extensively, but just doing some brief surface level investigation into her. And there were a couple of different sources that said, well, they were contradictory, but I just thought it was funny that I was just, I was just reading about her and how a couple of different sources said that she learned to write on her mother's grave by tracing the letters on her mom's grave, which sounds like that could be totally true. But then other things about her mother's grave said that she lost her virginity on her mother's grave, which could also be true.

Too very, I mean, both could be true, yeah. Two very morbid things. They're not morbid? On your mom's grave? How is that not morbid? Okay. Oh, well. Sorry, Mom.

That would be morbid. Like, I would never, mom. But I thought you meant, I thought you were referring to the writing part. Like, that's innovative. That's one way to put it. I did, I didn't include this in my writing. So I don't, I don't have it like eloquently written out. But when I was researching this for her inspiration behind Frankenstein also happened when she was in Switzerland.

And she was actually with another writer who wrote, I think, believe it was the vampires, which then inspired Dracula. And Dracula is like slightly linked to this weather event as well with the dismal, dreary weather. But she was with this writer and they were talking, they were like bouncing back ideas off of each other for horror ideas. And she had a horrible dream that night that, and it was thundering and horrible around her, which maybe she was actually hearing in real life and transpired into her dream. But she had a dream that someone was putting together a person with a bunch of different body parts and sewing them together. And when she woke up, she was so terrified.

She thought, this is it. I have to write a book about this. This is the horror I was looking for. Hmm. I like her. She's interesting. I also, I always knew I liked her when I found out she carried her husband's heart around with her for the rest of her life after he died. Oh, I didn't know that about her.

Yeah. Yeah. She's a morbid woman. Okay. All of these things are morbid. Or for sure. Maybe it's just actually, okay, this might be a little too much information, but I learned about it too late. So for everyone who's like clutching their pearls, no, I did not do this.

However, if I knew about it, I may have. But I already know you're going to say. Does it have to do with tattoos? Sure does. Okay. So for everyone else since you already know. But there is a, I don't know, I don't want to call it a service because that sounds weird. But there is a option for you to, because if you have a loved one who passes away and goes through organ donation, they will not utilize any skin that has tattoos on it.

And when Ian passed away, he's an organ donor and he had a lot of his different organs donated, which is lovely and great. But that also includes his skin. And a lot of his skin was tattooed and wouldn't have been utilized. And I found out later that you could request pieces of art of tattoos and they would preserve it. Not the hospital. It's a different thing. Yeah, I can't imagine a hospital. No.

They're like, that's not our thing. Yeah. But there's a way in which you could have artwork in the form of tattoos preserved tactfully their tattoos into like a piece of art, like a framed piece of art. And I know that sounds really creepy and awful and weird. And I just want to say that you shouldn't yuck somebody else is yum. And if that's how they choose to remember somebody, then I don't know. But yeah, so it's a thing. That's all I'm saying.

And it's in a way, because I've seen pictures of it, it doesn't look morbid. Like you would never know just looking at what it was. Right. Like someone would have to explain. Like, hey, that's, you know what I mean? Yeah. It's a weird thing. I'm just saying Mary Shelley probably would have done it.

It sounds like she would have. I also want to put it out there since we like to talk about on the podcast, my death wishes. I have a tattoo on my foot that I don't really like. And if you frame it and put it on your wall, I swear to God, I will haunt the shit out of you. That does not need to be preserved. This is how I want everyone to remember, Cassandra Yonnie. The tattoo she got where she was 18. I honestly don't even think I've really had a hard look at that that baby.

Yeah, because it's hiding. It's really not, though. Like, I see you in that part of your body enough. I just, I don't know. I guess I've never really taken a good look at it. It's always covered in a chaco strap. That's actually kind of true. Yeah.

User code N-P-A-D for her to hide your work. Okay, well, I will remember to not do that. You have a list. The problem is, You have a list of a lot of things you don't want pertaining to your death wishes. Yeah. So it's making it difficult for me. And I would presume Al, I hope you've had this discussion with him.

Or I'll tell him. I'll just inform him. Yeah. It just makes it hard to, you're like, I don't want to be buried. I don't want to be cremated. I don't want my tattoo framed. I don't want. Which is ridiculous.

I know. It's outlandish. I don't want. What else don't you want? The shroud thing? I was like, oh, what about like a wicker basket with just a shroud? You're like, yeah, but that means you still have to bury me under dirt. And I don't like, well.

And I'm like, okay, Tibetan sky burial. And you're like, I don't want to be picked apart by vultures. I'm like, okay. Well. Yeah, that's a little gruesome. Aquamation. You're like, I don't want to drown. Yeah, I don't like the water.

Okay. Like, we're running out of things, is what I'm saying. I'm just going to. you're we're all just going to have to hope that I don't die before I figure it out. Otherwise, you're going to be, you guys are going to be in quite a predicament. Anyway, on that note, let's go back to the eruption of Mount Timbora. And I did want to jump back into Switzerland where we're talking about where Shelley had been because Switzerland was seeing some pretty gnarly stuff. And remember that the eruption happened in 1815, but for an entire three

years after that, the globe was seeing really extreme weather. So in Switzerland in 1818, they experienced the Gietro Glacier Catastrophe. And I don't know if I pronounce that right, so I'm sorry for all our Swiss listeners. I tried it to look it up and I couldn't find it. But this glacier catastrophe has gone down in history as one of the worst disasters in Switzerland's history. During the year or years without a summer, the cold weather caused an ice cone to begin forming in 1816. on the glacier. With an increase of snow and rain, the glacier began forming a large lake within that cone, and the waters began rapidly rising. The glacier essentially was this natural dam of this water, but with it rising, officials were really nervous of what could happen, especially because there

were villages and the valleys below it. They attempted to drill tunnels through the ice to slowly release some of the water. However, despite their efforts, the ice dam eventually failed, and the water poured into the Bagnes Valley. 34 people were killed, and there were major damages to buildings, road systems, hydraulic infrastructures, and crops were destroyed. China's mountainous province in Yunnan arguably was one of the worst regions to suffer. For three full crop seasons, nothing grew, despite being known for its fertile soil and abundance of both rice and wheat fields. People slowly starved and their famished bodies began piling up on the side of the roads with their loved ones

too preoccupied with their own survival to bury them. Mothers were killing their own children out of mercy. Skeletal people would continue to work out in the fields hoping for successful crops, but were met with only the white clay of their ground to eat. Typically used for ceramics, they would feast on this white clay because it was known to relieve the sensation of hunger. However, the side effects were unpleasant and caused severe constipation and eventually death. In Tibet, just north of Union, the summer of 1816 brought a historic and unheard of three-day blizzard in the middle of July. This continued for three years in the region, where they saw spouts of snow from June through August, months that were supposed to be their warmest. A poem written by Lee Yu Yang during the extreme autumn weather of 1817 and Yunnan,

in part reads, outside the starve corpses pile high, while in her room the young mother waits upon her child's death. Unbearable sorrow. Ireland was another country that was struggling immensely. During the year 1816, in over just 142 days, they received 31 inches of rain between May and October, which was usually their crop season. The fields were filled with so much water that witnesses reported seeing ducks swimming across them. Low-lying storm clouds hung over the country for months at a time with no relief from the sun. The flooding contaminated the crops and made their food dangerous to eat. Colora riddled the country and people were dying in the masses. While the summers saw much more rain, the winters were colder than the people had ever experienced. At the same point in time, the country was experiencing severe poverty.

The combination of the freezing cold, lack of money to support their families, disease and death impacted the emotional welfare of the citizens immensely. In Ireland, there were violent outbursts, fights, and general despair that flooded the streets. Men were walking tens of miles to buy cattle to feed their families. When their money ran out, they'd sell their furniture and eventually even their clothing. Famine swept the nation, but at the same time, so did lice. The living conditions in Ireland were unbearable, and this was, in particular, a very difficult time in Ireland. However, North America, and particularly New England, faced the longest, darkest, and coldest weather than anywhere else in the world. Here, the year without a summer was more commonly referred to as 1800 and froze to death.

The summer of 1816 has to this day gone down in history as the most. destructive and extreme weather event of the 19th century. The signs of this devastating summer began in early May. Washington, D.C. reported a sudden appearance of choking dust clouds over the city. The entire atmosphere filled with a thick haze, but this was only the beginning. Arctic air systems were funneled southward and encountered the warmer atmospheres of the south, in combination with the air pressure systems at the Great Lakes, which in turn brought incredibly unstable weather conditions from New England to Canada. The first week of June was met with two unseasonably cold days, followed by temperatures exceeding 80 degrees, then widespread frost for two more

days. Upstate New York, all the way to Pennsylvania, experienced freezing rains, and with it, thousands of acres of oats and rye farms were destroyed. On June 5th, Winston-Salem, North Carolina experienced hailstorms. On that same day, Boston was over. 90 degrees Fahrenheit. But the next day, Boston was covered in snow. Farmers who had planted their crops for the season were devastated as they were all destroyed. From the fluctuating weather between June 5th to the 11th, the Northeast gained more than a foot of snow, which is just such a low blow to morale too. The Northeast already has a long winter and the first week of June is usually like the first week of summer. And to get a foot of snow in that first week, I just imagine,

people were really feeling it. I mean, now we don't even rely on our farms that we're trying to feed. We can go to the grocery store and it would be a huge blow to us, never mind if that was how we actually survived. Yeah, well, I mean, which is how we actually survive because we need those crops in the, if I was going to say like, we do rely on farms, just not directly, like not in our own backyard. I understand what you're saying. Yeah. And in New England, which is known for their extensive apple orchards that week in June, their trees had just bloomed when all of that snow and frost came in and destroyed any opportunity of those trees bearing fruit that season. Farmers in the immediate aftermath went back to trying to replant their crops with hopes that there were still time

left to grow them. But late August, just before harvesting season, an Arctic blast came through again destroying their remaining crops. While the summer of 1816 wasn't the coldest on record, it was the only time frost was recorded in all of the summer months. In addition to the frost and unseasonable weather throughout the summer, they also experienced extreme dry conditions. The drought led to wildfires that ravaged the Atlantic coast, destroying the corn and wheat fields and anything in between, which is really hard to imagine because we know right now It's the West Coast that experiences the fires in the western part of the United States. So to picture the East Coast ravaged by wildfires is really, really scary.

During this time, lakes remain frozen well into July as far south as Pennsylvania. And many theorized that this was the new normal. They thought that this weather may never change. So when this first started happening, people in New England started really thinking about what they needed to change. They're like, okay, the animals are going to change here. Our crop seasons are going to change. We now live in this Arctic tundra potentially. This is never, we don't, a lot of people didn't understand why at the time that this was all happening.

They thought maybe they're never going to see sun again because there were almost no days with sun. It was just a really, really scary time for them. And through it, people in New England kept trying to plant all these crops. And each time the frost came and killed it, they're like, okay, our only option is to replant. But then again, late September that year, they got more frost, killing any hopes of a late fall harvest. So that first year, they just had nothing. It wasn't just the crops that were suffering. Livestock were dying from disease, cold, and lack of food sources for them.

Wildlife was dying and even the fish in the rivers, lakes, and oceans were changing. Spawning behaviors changed or didn't happen at all. Many fish died in places like the coast of Maine who relied heavily on fishing for food were down a huge resource. Areas like Maine called the year without a summer the year of mackerel because it was one of the only fish that they were able to find. These problems continued for three years. And while the death toll has not been fully recorded, thousands died from starvation and diseases in New England alone. Eventually, the global cooling events slowed down. The ash and debris finally was expelled from the atmosphere and the earth returned back to the state it was in before the eruption of Tambora.

However, many believe that the year without a summer was foreshadowing for what is yet to come. It is estimated that by 2050 the temperatures are expected to increase by four degrees. With that, winter temperatures will be more mild and the winter season will be shortened by an entire month. Summer will last longer, droughts will make landscapes uninhabitable, and wildfires and extreme weather will become much more common. However, unlike the temporary climate changes that happened with the eruption of Mount Tambora, this will be permanent, because this time it is created by human activity, not by nature. People all around the world are already being affected by climate change and are leaving their homes in search of more hospitable areas. The United States alone are seeing record-breaking temperatures, frequent and intense storms, and the country is burning like never before. The L.A. fires most recently are a good example of what the future of our planet will look like if we don't change.

If we continue to cut down forests and the masses, burn fossil fuels, and pollute the planet, with industrial plants and oil drilling. Scientists are asking the question, is the year without a summer a glimpse of what is to come? The answer is a simple one. That all depends on us. And that is my story of Mount Timbora. It was kind of a warning, I see. Yes. And a scary one, I think. I just think of everything that they went through in 1816 and forward. And to Imagine that being our reality, I think is so scary and so real. What's even more frightening is that it could be our reality and it's kind of like we are our own undoing. You know, this is, like you said, it was a natural event that is out of our control and something that we just need to play defense on.

Like we just, we have no way of controlling that, at least at this point. But I mean, in an age where there is so much knowledge, we know so much about the negative impacts that we're having on the climate and the planet and alternatives that we could be implementing to either slow or hopefully eventually reverse some of what we've done. and we just at every turn are not doing it. And I'm not saying like we as in like you and me. And I think we talked about this a little bit on, I think it was our book club. I went off a little bit on our book club on this subject. But I think my point is at a level where the decision making and the lawmaking and like, you know, that level of not just us using paper straws versus plastic ones.

Like, yes, we should be using. biodegradable reusable utensils and things like that when able. But there's bigger fish to fry. And what I'm trying to say is that it just keeps getting pushed off as a future. Yeah, we'll do that in the future when it gets bad. We'll guess what it is bad. And it's going to get worse. And we are at such a critical point in history where, I mean, in 1816, like you said, they didn't know. They didn't know a lot. Well, guess what? We know all of that. We have 200 plus years of study and knowledge that we got under our belt. So let's freaking use it. Like, what are we doing? It's, it is a real question. What are we doing? And like you said, I think is a great point. We can use biodegradable straws and we can recycle and that's all great. But when you have these oil companies dropping five million tons of pollution into the ocean and putting out, carbon that would take us an entire lifetime to put out that they put out in five minutes, like we're not the problem.

It's these huge billionaire corporations that are using the planet to make money and are not considering that we're destroying it. Yeah. And I know there's been some, and I don't, I didn't look this up extensively on anything, but I know that some people have sued large corporations for just destroying resources. I mean, valid. And I know there's something to be said, like, of course, you vote with your dollar. You put your money where your mouth is and where your values are and support companies and products and things that do good for the planet and make right decisions and things like that.

But there's a lot of times in which that is not even an option, you know? And it's like it's at that point in time where it's like, okay, it can't be all on the consumer. You know, it's like these big guys pointing to the little guys being like, you're the problem. It's like, what? Like, you're not even giving us another choice. And I don't know. It's just, I know this is the point of the episode to have these types of discussions. But it's just, it's really frustrating and it can feel really hopeless.

And like David and Glyeth, you know, just like the little guy going against this huge opponent that seems so impossible to defeat. And I feel like the end of that story is good. I feel like David has something. I don't remember. I couldn't help with that. But I do agree. I mean, it does feel like it is the smaller guy going against the bigger corporations. But it's not.

When you really think about it, if the whole world gathered together and said, no, climate change is real and we need to combat this, we're a lot of people. We're a lot of people that could make a big change. when you see things like the eruption of Mount Tambora and you hear about the million people who died because of climate change. And this was in the opposite direction. This was global cooling. But now we're looking at global warming where it's very similar in that there's extreme weather conditions. There is going to be loss of resources. There's going to be loss of food.

And it's really scary to think about. And if farms can't function, if everything's on fire and farms can't. exist, you can't go to the grocery store and pick it up. Like this will affect, if this hasn't affected you already, it's going to affect you at some point in time, whether that's this year or that's five years from now, or it's your children who are the ones to suffer the biggest consequences. This is our only planet that we have to live on and we have to take care of it and we have to take it seriously because events like that of 1816 are not a one-off event. This is going to become a reality that can't be reversed soon. Yep. So well said. And I think a lot of the saying that I

swear to God, like as cliche as it is, I saw on a bumper sticker once when I was young. And it's stuck with me ever since. And it's like a wise men plant trees who shade they know they will never sit under or something like that. And it's like, yeah, the short term benefit, you are not going to see. Like what you do right now, you will probably not see the benefits of, but it's not always for you. It's for the future. And I think that's the, we all know that's the biggest problem with people who are acting in reverse. They, they want the benefit now. And that benefit is usually money. It's always money. Yeah. And that it's just like such not, it just goes against every, almost every value that I hold dear. And I know you should. share and a lot of our audience is on board with. And it's just so frustrating to see play out

because like you can't take it with you, number one. And number two, you know, like what you're screwing the rest of the generations and, you know, people who want to have families and see their families have family. And it's just, it's really super depressing when it's clear as day to pretty much everyone and yet the leaders that we look towards to make decisions for not only our government but other you know countries around the world and things like that are in denial of what's blatantly obvious yeah for whatever reason we've decided that we're not another movie reference but that movie don't look up love it i love it so poignant to like what's happening right now it's like you have all these scientists that are like, hey, this is the data, this is what we've discovered,

this is what we have professionally researched and documented. We know that this is fact. And then people out of left field who are directly affected, have no scientific background, but are directly affected by this being the news and this being fact because it affects them monetarily, are saying, no, that's not real. And you have to really look at the motivation. behind that. And it is. It's very, it feels so similar to don't look up. It's like, no, that's not true. Like, look away, look away. That's not happening. But we are very much seeing it happening. If you look at the, I think the LA fires are really, really good

example. I mean, thousands of people were just affected and displaced and an entire area was destroyed. And people are really, really feeling the effects of that. And that was awful. And the worst part about that is that it's going to happen again. Yeah. Maybe not in that location, but somewhere, probably nearby, it's going to happen again and probably soon because we're not taking these initiatives. And I also, you said something where we should do things even though we're probably not going to see it in this lifetime. I also think that there's something to be said that some of these things we are going to see in our lifetime. And one of those examples that I really look back on was during COVID, when everyone stopped traveling for work and everyone was stuck at home.

We started seeing all of these different changes around the world of the environment. And some of that, I remember Venice, there were marine life that started returning to the canals that hadn't been seen there in a very long time because people weren't in them anymore. And then we saw polluted cities that you could never see the skyline. You could suddenly see the skyline again. And we can take these steps and we've seen it in a small window of time in 2020. We saw real time change of what happens if we make something as small as a fix of working from home and not driving as far. And, you know, it's just, and I know that there was more that had to do with that than just simply being stuck at home.

But there is, and not that I think everyone should be locked away forever or anything, but we see. saw a very small glimpse of what it looks like to make a change and what that means for the world. Yeah. Like clearly we're not going to, we can't live in a perpetual lockdown to have those types. Of course not. Yeah. Of benefits. But you're right. Like there are things that will be pretty readily apparent if we do make some changes, like you said. But we have to also look at the long term. And I think that people are just so short-sighted is the problem. And kind of like, what does this mean for me, immediately or like in the near future. I think also I do think that that's a problem but I also think part of it is that everyone feels really small. Everyone feels like their voice doesn't matter that they're

one person, especially when you're going up against these big corporations. Like how do you even start that? How do you even begin that? And it's a great question. I don't think I have the answer to that but I do think that collectively as a country, as a society, not even just the U.S., but across the world, if people really start protesting, if people really start getting together and saying, this isn't right, you can't do this. More voices matter. The more people who get involved, the more change you're going to see. And I think that a big problem is people don't know where to start. People don't know how to feel heard. And I don't know the answer to make people feel better about that or what to do there. And maybe after this, I'll look into it a little bit more. But I think if people really

start rallying and really start fighting against these big corporations, that change can happen and will happen at some point in time. Yeah, when you said that, you know, like, where do you even start? When, God, it was 2000, I want to say it was 2016 or 17. I went down to Washington, D.C. with an old high school friend, and because he was living down there at the time. And he was like, hey, there's this huge climate march that's taking place, like for Earth Day, would you like to come? And so I went and it was, did anything happen? Were we protesting anything in particular? No, it was more of just like, let's bring awareness to the changing climate and, you know, in general, it wasn't over a specific issue. It was more of like an Earth Day celebration and kind of just like, hey, let's cut the crap with what we're doing to the planet. And it was so lovely because you're right. You can feel when you're sitting at your house, and kind of spiraling when you see news stories or things like that. You feel very isolated and alone and kind of like, God, I'm just one person and what am I to do?

But when I went to that March, I felt so empowered and like invigorated. And like this is what I stand for and my values are legit. And I feel so good about them because look at all these hundreds of thousands of other people with me. And I think going to events, whether it be a huge march to the White House or just a different, like a small local community event, hell, even going to your local farmers market where like minded people are at and going to like your community board and seeing what different events are going on in your local area. Just like being with like minded people can make all the difference. Right. And I think that's like the support that you get by being a. around people with similar values and who may have other resources and events that you can go to and things you can get involved in that you may not have known otherwise. Like, I think that's a really positive step to do that you can do whenever, you know.

Yeah. Yeah. I think that those are really good points. All right. And PAD climate march. I know. Everyone signed up. Sorry, I thought you were.

I know people are going to be like, great. Okay, so where are we going? Where are we meeting? All right. We're meeting in D.C. And we're going to march to the White House with our climate signs and PAD listeners for climate change. I think I have a picture, actually, because I made a sign. Or against climate change.

I should say not for climate change. Oh, is that what you just said? I made a sign and I have a picture of it. somewhere. It was just like, so me. If I can find it, I'll send it to you at some point. But it was, I think it said, I love a dirty mind, not a dirty planet. Please pick up your trash or something like that.

I'm pretty sure that's the language I used. I love it. Oh, last thing before we get out of here, because I did want to just close the loop on something not even related to climate change or a volcanic eruption, but what I was talking about with the tattoo preservation. Oh, yeah, yeah. So I looked it up and the service that I was thinking of originally popped right up and it's called Save My Ink Forever. And just as like a quick overview, they have a process that they basically offer for individuals that either plan their own tattoo preservation or for family members to utilize to engage their services upon their

passing. And the process is designed to be accessible and respectful, ensuring the beauty of each tattoo is preserved and celebrated. It's not just a service. It's a partnership in crafting a lasting legacy. And there's all this instruction about the process and how it's done. And it's just like, it's really beautiful. There's a New York Times article about it too. And like, this isn't just some shady like back alley thing that I think maybe how it came across when we were originally talking about it. It's like a legit service. And it's not for everybody. But I just wanted to make a mention because I actually saw it mentioned in one of the widow groups that I'm a part of. And there were so many people who there was a couple people who were like not for me. But overwhelmingly there are so many people who were like, I really wish I knew this. Yeah. You know, I wish I knew this existed. You know, so if somebody's out there, it's better to have the information than, and to know it's not for you or to know it is for you, whatever, it's better to be in the know. Well, thank you so much for discussing that topic today.

I think it's very timely. And I think that you're right. It is pretty terrifying. Was I the most scared I've ever been? On an episode. On an episode? Yeah. No.

Sorry. I have to be honest. I appreciate your honesty. I think it was one of the scariest because I think when thinking about this event, the fact that an eruption like that could happen again in our lifetime, I think that that is terrifying to be without sun for years to be without food and to have to. Okay. When you put it like that, I'm not saying it's not scary. I'm just saying you walking us through the events. of Night of the Grizzlies or a bolt from the blue. Like, I've been. Yeah. I've been more scared in the moment.

I did preface this episode that it is not scary. Like, Night of the Grizzlies scary. I know. But anyway. Okay, well, thank you for sharing regardless. And thank you everyone else for listening. We will see you next week. In the meantime, enjoy the view.

But watch you're back. Bye. Bye, everyone. Thank you for joining us again this week. If you love National Park After Dark and want to hear exclusive bonus stories, Join us on Patreon or Apple subscriptions. Patreon subscribers have access to our National Park After Dark book club, live streams, Discord, and much more.

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