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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, besides being one of the
most active volcanic spots in the world, is also perhaps the only place in the
world where you can walk up to a point within a few feet of an active lava flow.
This past Martin Luther King holiday weekend, January 17th – January 21st, I
traveled to the island of Hawaii (the Big Island) to experience for myself the
majesty of what the Hawaiians call Pele, Goddess of Fire. I would like to share
a few thoughts about this trip.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was first established as a
national park on August 1, 1916 and currently encompasses two active volcanoes,
Mauna Loa and Kilauea.
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Kilauea Crater with Mauna Loa in the background
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Mauna Loa (meaning long mountain) which is a shield volcano,
can be considered the largest mountain in the world, rising to an altitude of
13,677 feet above sea level, with a total rise of over 56,000 feet from its
base in the Pacific Ocean, with a volume of 18,000 cubic miles (compared with
80 cubic miles for Mount Shasta). The most recent eruption of Mauna Loa was on
March 25, 1984 and lasted for 21 days; Mauna Loa has recently shown signs of
waking up.
Kilauea is the youngest and southeastern most volcano on the
Big Island of Hawaii. The Kilauea summit caldera is two and a half miles wide
and is floored by 2600 acres of lava flows. Since 1952 there have been 34
eruptions, and since January 1983 eruptive activity has been continuous along
the east rift zone. The eruption of Kilauea Volcano that began in 1983
continues at the cinder-and-spatter cone of Pu`u `O`o. Kilauea ranks among the
world's most active volcanoes.
Perhaps the most popular area of the park is the active lava
flow. The current lava flow is nicknamed “The Mothers’ Day flow” after the day
it started in 2002 and is several miles wide. The lava flow is reached via the
Chain of Craters road, which dead ends where the lava flowed across the road on
September 21, 2002. Once you reach the end of the road, you can hike to either
a viewing area where the lava flows into ocean (it’s too dangerous to get close
to this) or to an active lava flow; the latter is about a two mile hike. Note:
this is an extremely difficult walk; the trail is simply a set of markers over
an old lava flow.
Perhaps the most popular area of the park is the active lava
flow. The current lava flow is nicknamed “The Mothers’ Day flow” after the day
it started in 2002 and is several miles wide. The lava flow is reached via the
Chain of Craters road, which dead ends where the lava flowed across the road on
September 21, 2002. Once you reach the end of the road, you can hike to either
a viewing area where the lava flows into ocean (it’s too dangerous to get close
to this) or to an active lava flow; the latter is about a two mile hike. Note:
this is an extremely difficult walk; the trail is simply a set of markers over
an old lava flow.
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Pahoehoe Breakout
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As can be seen in the above picture, it is possible to get
within feet of a flowing lava field; the lava is moving quite slow, so there
is safe enough for tourists. The breakout, shown in the above photo, happened
shortly after I arrived, and practically disappeared within 30 minutes,
although the area remained quite hot and dangerous long afterwards. This
breakout was only about 10 feet from where I, along with a number of other
people, was standing.
The lava flow really stands out after dark. Opposite where we
were standing you could see rivers of lava flowing down the hillside like
streams after a heavy rainstorm. The hillside is about 3-4 miles away from the
end of the trail. It was simply an amazing site, one that can only be described
and must be seen to be truly appreciated.
If you decide to visit the lava flow, the National Park
Service recommends that you take the following items with you:
• 2-3 quarts (or liters) of water per person
• sturdy closed to shoes or boots (no sandals or flippers)
• sunscreen
• long pants and a hat
• flashlight (very important)
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Puu Loa Petroglyphs
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One of the areas that I found most interesting is the area
known as Puu Loa (meaning long hill). This area, which is reachable from the
Chain of Craters road, contains a large number of Hawaiian petroglyphs;
primarily consisting of carved rings (and rings within rings – representing
family groups). To the Hawaiians the name ‘Puu Loa’ implied long life; hence
the Hawaiians believed they could ensure long life for their descendents by
placing the umbilical cords of their babies here in holes carved in the lava
rock.
In this short article, I have only covered a few of the more
interesting sights to be found in the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. There
are quite a number of old lava flows and hiking trails to explore, including an
excellent trail through the Kilauea Iki (meaning ‘Little Kilauea’) caldera,
which descends 400ft through a rain forest (where I found some beautiful wild
ginger growing) and finally crossing the crater floor (actually a 1959 lava
lake). It takes several days to properly explore this wonderful park.
For more information contact:
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
P.O. Box 52
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, HI 96718-0052
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