🎧 Follow the show here— it really helps Adventure Diaries reach more listeners. Thank you.Ricardo Kaljouw is a Dutch adventurer and mountaineer from Flushing (Vlissingen) in Zeeland, Netherlands — a province that sits below sea level, making his obsession with the world's highest volcanoes all the more fitting. By day he works in military shipbuilding, constructing frigates for governments around the world. By adventure, he has just become the first person from the Benelux to complete the Volcanic 7 Summits — a challenge so rare that only around 68 people in the world have ever achieved it.Chapters00:00 – Introduction: A Dangerous Encounter01:28 – Welcome to The Adventure Diaries01:50 – Meet Ricardo Kaljouw: Volcanic Seven Summits04:35 – Growing Up Below Sea Level06:39 – Navy Life: Battling Pirates in Somalia09:13 – Inspiration: Climbing Kilimanjaro12:16 – Inside the Crater: Virunga's Lava Lake17:19 – Mount Damavand: Winter Climbing in Iran23:41 – Mountaineering Lessons: Snow Blindness28:04 – Papua New Guinea: Jungle Trekking Challenges31:49 – Close Call: Mistaken for a Witch33:07 – Survival Story: Stranded on Ojos del Salado41:00 – Romance on the Peak: Pico de Orizaba42:33 – Antarctica: The Ultimate Expedition45:40 – Landing on the Frozen Continent1:00:25 – Summiting Mount Sidley: A Historic Feat1:13:26 – What's Next: The Volcanic Grand Slam1:17:16 – Book Launch: A Million Steps on LavaKey Topics CoveredGrowing up in the flattest country on earth and joining a walking club as a kidServing in the Royal Dutch Navy, including an anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden in 2010How a safari to Kenya and a first glimpse of Kilimanjaro sparked a lifelong obsessionThe Virunga documentary that sent him to the Democratic Republic of Congo — and sleeping on the rim of Nyiragongo, home to the world's largest lava lakeClimbing Damavand (Iran) in winter and going snow blind on the descentSurviving near-starvation and a machete encounter in the jungles of Papua New GuineaGetting stranded alone at 6,600m on Ojos del Salado (Chile/Argentina) in whiteout conditionsMount Elbrus (Russia, 2017) — his first experience on glaciers, roped teams and cramponsCarrying his proposal ring to the summit of Pico de Orizaba (Mexico) and the Aztec legend behind itThe full Antarctica chapter — flying to Union Glacier, a 1,000km internal flight to Mount Sidley, two weeks in a 10-metre safe zone, a guide evacuated with pulmonary oedema, and a last-gasp summit window in minus 42°CReflecting on what it means to finish a multi-year, multi-continent challengeLessons from the MountainsYou're only at 70% when you think you're at 100% — but know where the real limit isThe descent is where most accidents happen; the summit is only halfwayAlways use your equipment — Ricardo learned this the hard way going snow blind on DamavandBuild altitude experience gradually; don't rush to the highest peaksPay It Forward 🌍 Virunga Foundation — Supporting conservation and ranger funding in Virunga National Park, the first national park in Africa.Calls to Adventure 🌋 Ubinas Volcano, Peru — An active, accessible volcano near Arequipa that gets you right to the crater rim. Check activity levels before going, but a fantastic entry point into volcanic adventure.🧊 Jan Mayen Island, Norway — The world's most northerly active volcano. Glaciated, remote, accessible only by sailing boat from Svalbard or Iceland. A handful of expeditions per year. For experienced mountaineers only.Send us Fan Mail Support the showThanks For Listening.If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment and subscribe for more exciting content.Please visit AdventureDiaries.com/GO  For more authentic stories of Adventure Exploration and the natural worldThe Adventure Diaries Podcast also covers a broad spectrum OF topics withIN the fields of Adventure, Exploration, Micro-adventure, Survival, Mental Resilience, Conservation, Scotland, Hiking, Solo Travel, Cycling, Nature, Storytelling, Mountaineering