Volcanoes National Park

Adventure 16

I have long been awaiting a visit to Volcanoes National Park. While family is visiting, there are no excuses, we are going. The park services are actually waiving admission fees as we arrive. This gives people the opportunity to experience more wide open spaces to enjoy nature and remain socially (physically) distant. This appears to work at Volcanoes National Park. As we make our way through the park it is easy to keep distance from others, enjoying the fresh air and fresh sights.

The first stop brought us to the historic hotel. Through wide windows you could take in the panoramic view of the Kilauea Caldera. It is smoldering with steam vents as the sky above casts dark ominous clouds.

Next, we make our way to Thurston Lava Tube which stretches 600 feet long and reaching up to 20 feet tall. Soft yellow light is cast from fixtures that allow visitors to easily walk through a tunnel made from flowing lava years ago. We are stepping through a moment in history that is difficult to fully comprehend. I marvel at the fact that this was once full of flowing lava.

As we emerge, we are surrounded by rainforest. Gigantic ferns line the path, enmeshed in thick vegetation that looks prehistoric.

Our walk continues as we descend deeper into Kilauea. Passing through tropical rainforest and arriving on the floor of the caldera, it is as if we have landed on another planet.

The ground beneath our feet is smooth and hard. There is no soil, only solid lava. Somehow sparse flowers grow from cracks in the hardened earth. It seems miraculous, a true demonstration of strength and resiliency. They bring vibrancy and life to an otherwise desolate landscape.

More steam vents are seen releasing heat from the earth’s core. Looking up there are sheer cliffs that drop to the caldera’s floor.

Elegant white birds fly gracefully overhead. Their tails are elongated and slender. We gaze in wonder at the beauty of the these tropicbirds.

Our hike comes to a close as we ascend the far side of the caldera and loop back to the parking lot. We climb back into the jeep and drive onward down the road.

Suddenly, the rain hits hard. Chris assures us that it could very well be sunny down by the water. Zig zagging through black lava fields, the road takes sharp turns as it steeply winds down the side of the volcano. Low and behold, the rain clears as the vast ocean comes into view. The lava ends abruptly at the ocean’s edge and gives way to blue water as far as the eye can see.