The Chicks versus the Volcano

In the day, from a distance, the lava dropping into the sea resembles a waterfall, but the clouds spume sulfuric and hydrochloric acid. Best seen at night, the edge glows red and the molten rock rolling down the mountain looks like a chain of orange village lights.

We stayed in the village of Volcano at Carson's Volcano Cottages -- wonderful breakfasts -- and even a few miles from the crater, the air smells of sulfur, though not the rotten egg smell, more a sweet tinge. The water tastes of sulfur and it is good to remember that the chemical is a laxative and can give new meaning to the expression, It's the change in the water, if you are sensitive in that direction. Lovely Hawaiian bottled water is available in all the stores.

It costs $10.00 per car to enter the park, you will need a car to explore the Big Island. The visitor's center has an excellent film and helpful rangers who show you the route to take around the crater then onto the lava flow.

We stopped at the steam vents first. Rainwater gathers in the earth then the heat of the molten rock below boils it into steam that roars up any available crack. The presently quiet crater of the volcano sits behind the steam vents. Travelling a little further around the rim, leads to a look out with a close-up view of the hardened lava plug. What looks like more steam rising from the bottom is actually clouds of acid. The area is quite unstable, a small pile of rocks to the left of the path glowed molten red and at one point a pole of the wooden fence marking the path had fallen back from its post hole, burnt black by a sudden heating of the rocks beneath. Signs warn the pregnant and those with asthma about the presence of sulfur in the air but our asthmatic was unaffected.

Hawaii's rare state bird, the Nene put in an appearance. They hope for food but signs ask visitors not to feed them as they should only eat their natural food.

We then moved away from the crater to the lava tube. While most of the area around the crater looks like and empty moon of stark black rock, life cannot be denied. A lush forest with ferns waving above your head, hibiscus and flowering trees, covers the areas of the park not afflicted with a recent lava flow. We walked through the lava tube which is a long round cave that drips with water and doesn't lend itself to thoughts of the frequent earthquakes and changes in the lava flows.

Late in the afternoon, we travelled down crater rim road to the lava flow. We passed areas where the lava had covered villages and tsunami had washed them away. The road ended abruptly with a hardened flow of lava.

Signs warn visitors to not walk over the lava to the flow. However, people wandered miles ahead of us, right up to the stream. The clouds are acidic, the edges around the flow can give way at any moment and most of the ground is a hardened crust over molten lava. The rangers and the sign suggest that if you insist on travelling to the flow, you must take water, wear a hat, sturdy shoes, not sandals, and jeans. Tropical heat with no cover makes the hike hot in the day. At night, the heat is moderated but you need a flashlight to find your way over the jagged rocks. We started our hike at twilight with a flashlight provided by the ranger station, $3.00. The walk is several miles over rough up and down terrain so we decided not to go right up to the flow but halfway. This gave us a view of the flow falling into the sea, both during the daylight and at night. Unfortunately, John's night film failed so we were unable to get a good night picture. This link leads to the most recent lava flow pictures. Thanks to Steve Young for the night picture at the top of the page. A shot of the lava from above can only be taken by helicopter, a worthwhile though expensive, $139.00 for an hour's flight. One of the visitors at our bed and breakfast place travelled right up to the flow. His wife took a quick picture of him standing at the edge of the flow, quick because the fumes began to burn. While we walked back by the light of a full moon reflecting silver off the rock and the sea, they, visiting the night before, used the flashlights and found their steps slow, stepping in a pool of lamp light on black lava in a black night.