Aloha, I'm Donnie MacGowan--I
live in the County of Hawaii, on the Island
of Hawaii in the State of Hawaii...I just spent the last few days camped out at Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park watching
Kilauea Volcano erupt and I wanted to share some of the photos I shot.
When I was a college student back in the mid
1970's, I took a geology class just for kicks.
One morning the professor burst in late and said “You guys have GOT to
see this film—my friend in Hawaii
just sent it to me…this is happening right now!” He loaded up the projector and showed us this
film of a brand new eruption on Mauna Ulu in Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park--that film
changed my life. I declared myself a
Geosciences major on the spot and even went on to earn a PhD. in Geochemistry. Although ultimately I did not pursue
Volcanology as a discipline, my love affair with volcanoes as an avocation, and
my spiritual connection to Hawaii
Volcanoes National
Park, has never waned.
Visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes
National Park right now
are being treated to a rare event.
Kilauea Volcano is erupting in two places simultaneously! Up in the summit caldera, in Hale ma'uma'u
Crater, a vent exploded open last March that has continued to thrill visitors
with its billowing steam cloud and night-time glow. If this were the only volcano you were ever
going to see, this would plenty spectacular. Current eruption activity updates
are available from the National Park at 808.985.6000.
But hold on! The real action is down at the coast where
lava from the East Rift Zone has broken out of lava tubes, flows across the
open ground and into the sea. From the
air, one can see the spectacular glow of a small lava lake in Pu'u O'o crater
and from several breakouts along the 2007 Thanksgiving Eve Breakout tube system
above the pali and near the top of Royal
Gardens subdivision. Lava is currently flowing down the pali and
entering the ocean at the Waikupanaha ocean entry where there are spectacular
littoral explosions. Although this activity is usually quite vigorous,
including a 10-15-m-high lava fountains, it can be sporadic on a day-to day
basis.
Over the years,
lava has mostly entered the ocean within the National Park boundaries. Park policy has been to allow tourists to
approach flowing lava as closely as the visitor himself deemed safe. Surprisingly, a relatively small percentage
of visitors were killed or maimed in this process and unparallel access to one
of the great wonders of the world, the spectacle of the Earth remaking herself
through volcanic eruption, was available on a very intimate basis to anyone who
came to Hawaii.
Every six or so
years, for a period of several months, eruption flows go outside the park
boundaries, as it is doing now. The
County of Hawaii, whose Civil Defense Department is responsible for visitor
safety in these cases, is not so liberal in granting access to the lava
flow. The county maintains a viewing
area several hundred meters back from the actual flow and ocean entry areas and
visitors are not allowed any closer.
As of this writing, to see the lava flow one must find the County of Hawaii volcano viewing area. From the Hawaii Belt Road at Kea'au, proceed
south on Highway 130 through Pahoa and toward the now-buried town of Kalapana. At the 20 mile marker the road splits; the
right branch (helpfully marked "end of road") leads to a
dirt-and-lava road a couple miles long at the end of which is the parking area
for the County of
Hawaii volcano viewing
area. One really cannot miss the way
during daylight hours, as the enormous explosion plume is clearly visible from
miles away. The viewing area is open
from 2 in the afternoon until 10 at night; no cars are allowed in after 8
p.m. Lava viewing and road information
is available from the County of Hawaii at 808.961.8093. A carnival atmosphere hovers over the parking
lot, where several vendors hawk jewelry, t-shirts, drinks and
snacks...port-a-potties are also available.
The trail leading to the viewing area is largely flat but traverses a
broken lava field. It is well marked
with reflectors and reflective paint strips along the surface and is just a 15 to
20 minute stroll.
The quality of
viewing varies from week to week as the lava stream shifts nearer or farther
from the viewing area, but seeing the orange glow of flowing lava, or the fiery
red explosions, is one of the most amazing experiences a person can have, no
matter how far from the flow one is. It
is hard to overstate the power, mystery and magic of this eruption, but upon
occasion, transient local atmospheric phenomena such as waterspouts and
lightning add even more spice to this already awe-inspiring spectacle. Other wonders abound here, too, if you look
closely. The hardened lava over which
you are walking contains numerous casts of logs, trees, coconuts and pandanas
fruit.
Lava viewing is
best done at dusk and later, however, parking spaces fill up quickly on nice
afternoons. I usually plan to arrive at
the parking lot at about 3:30 or four then walk into the viewing area, spending
the hours until dark reading, having a picnic and chatting with visitors who
have come from all over the world to see this wonder. You should wear sturdy, close-toed walking
shoes and a hat to shed rain and sun.
The lava surface is sharp, so I recommend long pants and long-sleeved
shirts, and a stout walking stick as well. Bring at least 2 liters of drinking
water, snacks and perhaps a couple Band-Aids; definitely bring sun block. Because you are right on the ocean, short rain
squalls should be expected; an umbrella and rain coat or poncho is suggested,
as well as protective covering for camera gear.
If the wind shifts
the explosion plume in your direction, discretion is the better part of valor;
you should evacuate immediately. Those
fume clouds are toxic, containing various gaseous sulphur compounds including
sulphuric acid, as well as hydrochloric acid and fine particulate material. On this same topic, electronic and camera
gear, as well as glasses, binoculars and other optics, will be exposed to a
certain amount of these toxic gases and you should wipe them down thoroughly
after your trip.
Most people plan
to stay on after dark and so you should bring a flashlight for each person in
your group; be sure to check the batteries and bulb before you leave on the trip. Remember that food and gas are not always
available after dark outside the immediate Hilo or Kailua Kona areas, so be
sure to fill up your gas tank BEFORE you park, and to bring plenty to eat and
drink along with you.
Viewing the lava
is one of the most amazing, wondrous, moving experiences you can have, anywhere
on earth. People stand in awe, openly
weeping at the site of Mother Earth going through her rebirth. Each fiery explosion is met with a loud
chorus of "OOOOOHS!" and "AHHHHHHS!" in a display that will
make every subsequent Fourth of July fireworks spectacular seem pale by
comparison. If you are coming to Hawaii,
you must not miss this once-of-a-lifetime show...if you have never thought of
Hawaii as a potential vacation spot, you should consider it simply for this
rare, unique and entirely awe-inspiring, mystical, wondrous opportunity.
I'm Donald B.
MacGowan--thank you for spending a little time with me and my volcano...aloha e
a hui hou.
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