Lava Video (use Quicktime to view)

So it seems I was duped into promising to write an entry describing our volcanic adventures by a crafty Cindigo. Well, I’m not much of a blogger, but I’m also not a welcher (okay, I am a welcher, but Cindigo’s not letting me get away with it this time) so here goes:

The current eruption of Kilauea is taking place at a vent called Pu`u `O`o. They don’t let the public anywhere near the erupting vent because, apparently, lots of nasty gases and debris get spewed out and, if you’re close enough to see what’s going on, you’re not going to be feeling too good. The lava travels many miles from the vent through underground lava tubes until it spills into the ocean from a couple different locations. Usually if you want to see actual lava you hike out to viewing areas about 1/4 mile from the actual entry point. They don’t let you any closer because the cliffs are unstable and the steam plume that forms is nasty with sulfuric acid to the point that it will etch glasses and contact lenses.

At night, even from 1/4 mile away, the sight of lava hitting the ocean, causing steam explosions that throw the lava back into the air is pretty impressive. But, I have to say I was pretty disappointed that we couldn’t get closer to flowing lava. Or Could we???

The hike to the best steam plume viewing area is almost a two hour event over unmarked lava flows. Hiking over lava flows is really weird. It feels like another planet and it is really really sharp. We got to the viewing area as the sun was going down and we started to watch the distant lava show with the two other people who had made the hike. Shortly after the sun went down we saw a bright spot of surface lava form on the very distant mountain side. Over the course of the next few minutes the spot grew into a river of red light and we began to see occasional bright flashes and flickering. “Trees being vaporised?” we guessed. It was all very exciting.

For a few minutes we debated whether or not to try to make the hike. It was hard to tell how far away it was, but “pretty ridiculously far” was my guess. There was also the nagging question of “are we going to do something stupid and die a painful (but sexy) death by lava?” Well, the decision was obvious. How often do you find yourself within a handful of miles from a river of molten lava?

A few short hours later (did I mention it was night, no trail, razer sharp lava, etc?) we were standing about fifteen feet from from this amazing river of lava. As a lifelong pyromaniac, it was truly a dream come true. Trees were being knocked down by the lava, bursting into flames, and being carried down the mountain. Some branches of the lava were flowing very smoothly and quickly (I’d say about 8 mph) and others were just barely moving and making a sound exactly like a dog’s collar jingling. We later learned that what we saw was a “gushing breakout.” All I can say is, if you ever get a chance to see a gushing breakout, be careful, but do it!

Another short Lava Video

I hope the video does it some justice, it was taken with my phone. I really wish we brought a camcorder. Next time!

The less said about the hike back, the better. It was long. Really long. There was blood (most of it Cindigo’s). There was hunger and a lot of “Do you think we’re half-way back yet?” We got back to the car at 1:30 am, 9.5 hours after we arrived. It was worth it, but we’re gonna try to stay off the lava for awhile.