During the 4-hour climb to the rim of the Erta Ale volcano, our tour group was accompanied by several local guides and guards. My mother, 62 years old, rounded out the back of the pack as we climbed with a group of hikers that became exceedingly more spread out along the "trail" from sunset until just before midnight in the remote Afar Region. Throughout the climb, Zane silently never left my mother's side making sure she did not take a single misguided step in the dead of night on the solidified lava flows.