The Conversation: Journey to the Top of the Volcano

(ABCNEWS.com)

While it is hard to find someone who can pronounce the name of the Iceland volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, it's much more difficult to find someone who hasn't been captivated by its spewing ash and affect on air travel. Across the globe, people have felt the effects of the volcano first hand, as they sit stranded in airport terminals or their businesses are held hostage by halted deliveries. For others it has hit even closer to home, with ash raining down on the villages surrounding the glacier volcano.

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In today's Conversation Diane Sawyer spoke with Neal Karlinsky who had just landed after a trip to the top of the volcano. Karlinsky stood downwind of the plume, just a few hundred yards away from the center of the crater. Karlinsky spoke to Sawyer about the powerful, blistering cold winds, and the sensation of standing on a glacier that is now covered in ash. Karlinsky has spent the last few days traveling around Iceland, watching families do their best to protect themselves and their homes from ash. In some parts of Iceland the ash is so heavy that it blocks out the sun, making 3 p.m. in the afternoon seem like the middle of the night.

Take the most in depth look yet at the volcano now at the center of a massive air shut down.