So… we came to Hawaii to see the volcano. Was it what we expected? Uh… not quite. Was it worth it? Sure!
On March 12, two months before we left for Hawaii, a new vent opened up on the east wall of Halema`uma`u Crater. Cool! Or maybe hot would be a better word for it. This was the first eruption in that particular crater since 1924 and the first of any kind from the Kīlauea caldera since 1982. Heavy stuff!
By the time we got there, the vent was still active and amazing the scientists. It also caused us to revise our plans and expectations a bit as well. But let’s talk a little background and then get back to the timeline.
Hawaii is the youngest of the islands that comprise the Hawaiian archipelago, an island built by 5 volcanoes: Kohala, Hualalai, Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Kīlauea. Mauna Kea is essentially dormant, so much so that it houses the a number of observatories at its peak (the most prominent of these being the famous Keck Observatory. If you have the time (which we didn’t) you can visit them. Also if you measure from its true base, Mauna Kea has the distinction of being taller than Mount Everest. I just so happens that the base of Mauna Kea is under a few miles of sea. I know… picky.. .picky… picky.
Mauna Loa has its own claim to fame as being the world’s largest (in terms of mass) volcano, with its most recent eruption occurring in 1984. But it is Kīlauea that holds the distinction of being the most active volcano on the planet, spewing out lava continuously since 1983. Oh, and it buried the Royal Gardens housing development under lava in 1990. Now that I had to see!
One other interesting tidbit, usually the trade winds help things out by blowing much of the steam, ash and that nasty sulfur dioxide gas out over the open Pacific. This year, for reasons best left to scientific discussion (global warming anyone? Anyone?) the trade winds are a little more fickle, sending some of the nasty stuff back over small parts of the island and making the sky over much of the state more cloudy than normal. So much so that the Waikiki hotels in Honolulu are bemoaning the lack of complete sun (poor babies!). But I mention this for a reason other than just idle notation. Human beings don’t function well when they ingest more sulfur dioxide than they should. Therefore, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Hawaii County Civil Defense agency monitor things around Madam Pele’s home. If the wind isn’t helping things and the sulfur levels get too high, they shut down roads – even the ones that let you see spectacular sights such as hot lava slipping down into the sea. It’s nice to know that some federal agencies haven’t gotten lost in a "you’re doing a heckuva job Brownie" kind of way. But enough of my moderate leftist political rants.
In any case, forewarned with this pertinent information, we made daily visits to the USGS website and the Kīlauea Eruption Update Website. I even went to the trouble of adding the hotline number for the ( 808-961-8093 ) that is updated by 10:00am daily with the current state of things at the Kalapana and other viewing points. We had it all in hand… we thought.
We checked the hotline at 10:30 that morning and everything was open. On the advice of the concierge at the Hilton Grand Vacations Club in Waikaloa, we chickened out of my original plan to drive there via Saddleback Road (don’t try it unless you have either a 4-wheel drive or a death wish, preferably both). So we went around Mauna Kea and down to Hilo along the coastal highway – not a disappointing route by any means. During a lunch break at What’s Shakin’ (yum!!) I happened to overhear an announcement on the kitchen radio that said that the County Civil Defense had closed the Kalapan Overlook due to a shift in winds and increasing levels of toxic gases (not enough to warrant an evacuation mind you… but you shouldn’t drive into the stuff either). So, time to drop ten and punt.
Kalapana was out of the question, but Volcanoes National Park was still open… at least most of it. Parts of Crater Rim Drive were closed (more gas and steam again) so you couldn’t make the full trip around the caldera. But we weren’t going to let that dampen our spirits, any more than the light mist that shrouded the Visitor Center and the Volcano House Hotel in the park. In the Visitor Center I chatted with a ranger who did a good job of outlining what we could still see and do, while subtly communicating her own palpable excitement about the geologic significance of the current events.
There’s a recurring theme to many of my trips that is framed by the many little conversations that I have with "the locals", conversations that begin with a question and then get fueled by some obscure point of commonality into a more in-depth understanding of things I was never smart enough to ask about. For me, that’s what travelling is all about. Meeting new people, learning from them and getting to know them.
In any case, her suggestion was that we drive down Crater Rim Drive to the Thurston Lava Tube, then check out the Kīlauea Iki crater and work our way back to the Jaggar Museum just before dark. Excellent advice to be sure!
The Thurston Lava Tube is cool. An ancient tunnel where molten lava once flowed, but now cooled and civilized with some electric lighting about two thirds of its length. Helpful hint time… pick up a couple cheap flashlights at a hardware store on your way to the park if you want to go all the way to the end of the tube. We did… and it was worth the $8 bucks for two lights and batteries! It’s kind of cool to be navigating underground with just a flashlight like that. Sure, it would be impossible to get lost, but you still have to watch your step.
After leaving the lava tube, we drove on to the overlook for the Kīlauea Iki crater. Back in 1959, this was a truly happening kind of place with fountains of molten lava a thousand feet high. It’s considerably more benign now. It’s cooled and a trail takes you down to the floor and across. It’s a one mile trail that probably qualifies as an easy hike, unless you’re wearing flip flops or high heels, at which time the question might be posed "why are you wearing footwear like that on a trail in the first place?" What I found most interesting about the crater, was the vegetation that has already come back among the hardened lava dotted with various steam fissures. Mother Nature will win!
Climbing back up the trail made for good exercise (enough to justify a hearty dinner at Ocean Sushi back in Hilo). Then we drove back past the park entrance and up to the Jaggar Museum. Here you’ll get a wonderful (uh… that seems to be a word I use a lot when I’m talking about Hawaii) education on the volcano and seismology. Another unexpected highlight. One of the seismographs had part of its paper record folded to display the readings created by the China earthquake about ten days prior. Wow, almost half a world away and it still pushed the needle to the edge of the paper.
A crowd began to gather, single carloads like us and a bus from a student tour group as we all waited for a site of "glow". On a clear, dry night that probably wouldn’t be an issue. But it was chilly (about 60 degrees) and misting, so we were a little edgy about seeing much of anything. But our patience was rewarded, and a cheer erupted at the sight of a reddish yellow light from a couple of places in the distant crater! A cynic might have dismissed it all, but learning what we had… coupled with the simple knowledge of non-optimal weather conditions made it an almost triumphant moment.
If I return to the Big Island, you can count on me returning to Kīlauea as well. Maybe I’ll see more… and maybe I’ll see less. But I doubt that I’ll be disappointed. Mahalo!