Lava Walking

  When we were first talking about going to the Big Island, Eric mentioned a few things he wanted to do. One thing we both wanted to do was explore the volcano stuff. Tuesday, we went to the Volcano National Park (see post, below) and Wednesday we tried to see flowing lava from the viewing area at night, from a few miles away. Seeing lava rocks is fun and we did enjoy parts. However, we both really wanted to see the active volcano up-close, as in actual flowing magma. Where we were staying, the lady who lived there has a friend who does "lava walks." We got into contact with him, and he had a group going out Friday. We got the details and made preparations, and set out super early Friday morning for quite an adventure.
  As we climbed over the "do not cross" barriers (don't worry mums, they weren't there for us...) from the public viewing area, we started our hike across the lava. Soon we turned around to see this beautiful sunrise.

 One of the things on our "list" has been to watch a sunrise together.  Almost eight months into our marriage, we can finally cross off that one. Hooray! I always think I look a little better when I'm next to my handsome Eric. Tee he he.

This is "older", dried lava. This is across which we were walking!

 So, it was called a "lava walk", but it was actually about a 4 mile hike, each way, plus some more across the middle. Our guide, Bo, said at the end that we went about 10 miles. Here is our fearless group, eight people plus Bo.

 It didn't matter how much we saw, it all looked new and different.

 We were on our way! 

What an interesting day!

There is a little vegetation out in the lava fields. This is partly how you can tell how long that lava has been there. The newer stuff is just black, the newest stuff is flowing red magma. The older stuff, you might see some little green plants, like this:

 A closer look at the little green ferns:

 SUCH a face. Yeah, some of it was a rough day for me. However, it was still an incredible event for us to get to do, together. I really was having fun, despite THIS face I made:

Finally, we got closer. Just as we arrived, Pele welcomed us with an "outbreak". We had to get closer!
Here you can see Bo, our guide, and one of the other hikers, Logan I think.

 An outbreak is when you can suddenly see hot, molten lava FLOWING right in that spot.

We both took some pictures, and Eric took tons of video.

 Lava field. Magma outbreak. 

Perfect setting for a picture together. 

Yes, it was a bit warm. A little roasty-toasty.

 So much lava to be explored.

 Here I am, just walking around the lava field. 

 More rope-style lava.

 Incredible.

 We got to see quite a few outbreaks that day. Someone asked if this was usual, and Bo said, "It's a volcano. There is no usual." Ha ha. It was not a great day for me personally to be hiking, but the weather was nice and Pele was fairly accommodating, and it was the day we were there.

 Here comes another outbreak!

 From half way up the volcano, near the outbreak; looking out across the lava field:

 You really do feel like you are out in the middle of no where... because you pretty much are. We were instructed that the lava has fairly decent traction, but still to walk with caution. Especially near the outbreaks, some of the "ground" is actually hollow, so you have to be careful.

 If you start to stumble and catch yourself on the lava, it will cut you. It is like glass. A few minor scrapes and scratches, no big deal. Also, it is HOT by the magma (duh), so you don't actually touch it, of course. It's fire! Other than that, statistically speaking, going on a lava walk is much less dangerous than spending a day at Disney World.

 I really like the lava that dries at it is twisted, like a rope.

A few outbreaks, all at once! Spectacular!

 Amazing.

 Wow. God's creation is wonderful.

 I love the rope-like lava!

 Just another day of vacation...

 Eric, my hero, really likes volcanoes.

 Some spots had to vent a little steam.

Pele makes her own path, wherever there is least resistance.

 We climbed around the lava, closer to the magma.

 As we climbed around, we kept seeing more outbreaks.

 Eric is intrigued by the volcano stuff, and I am fascinated by Eric.

 It is like one big playground for Eric. Just be careful where you step.

 Walking around was easy for Eric.

 Wow.

 It's all the same thing, really; and yet all so different.

 As you walk around, some spots are warmer. Stay back! Well, you can get closer, but some parts are just too hot. This lesson is learned quickly.

 There are some green spots, but it is mostly one big field of black lava. This is one of the reasons we started so early in the day. We went just as the sun was rising, so we wouldn't need flash lights. This is not a hike you'd want to do in the dark. However, we wanted to be early enough so we didn't deal with the heat of mid day. Weather was perfect - a little cloudy, but not much rain on the way out. Slightly breezy, but still clear enough to see. Hiking back, we had a little rain, but it actually just felt really refreshing.

 Since you can't actually touch flowing magma (it's fire-hot), but you still really want to do so; Bo took a bamboo pole out and let us poke the magma with it. Here is Eric, poking the magma.

 This is right over from where Bo set his cheese sandwich out on foil. Yes, he cooked his grilled cheese on the volcano! So fun! Eric kept poking the magma. He was like a little kid in a candy store, so much fun to watch. I love that Eric loves life and exploring new things with me.

Here comes another outbreak!

 Called it.

 We got to watch new land formation right before our eyes! Hawaii is the only state that is physically still growing. Since I was 3 years old, 75 acres of land have been added to Hawaii.

 Remember when I said it felt like we were out in the middle of no where? Well, we were.

 We went back a slightly different way. We walked over some other lava parts, with big cracks.

 When you looked down, you could see magma underneath the lava. This is where we were walking! It was warmer here, and we soon learned why Bo called this "hot stepping". Yes, even I picked up my pace a bit in this area.

 Eric often wandered away from the group a bit... he did get too excited at one point and cut up his ankle slightly, but he is okay. He was just exploring.

 After our lava walk, we went back with Bo to see his house. Driving out, we saw a few houses out on the lava field. Mostly, these are like 3-4 miles away from the active part, where we just saw magma. I was surprised to see almost 25 houses out on the lava!

 Out by the houses, this is mostly what you see:

 Bo was told "nothing" would really grow out there by his house. So he planted these sweet white pineapples. He also has mango, papaya, and little bananas growing. He has better cell reception than we had where we were staying. He has reliable internet. He uses the wind and solar power, and makes his own electricity.

 He catches rain water in this 5000 gallon cistern. It is filtered and more than enough for him. There is an outdoor shower area here, but he also has a really cute "normal" bathroom inside.

 Bo's back yard, just next to the ocean.

 The "electricity closet".

 Bo's kitchen. The floors are 'ohi'a wood, pretty much the main tree that naturally grows on volcanoes. (yes, there is a legend with this) He also used natural wood for the counter and shelves. Bo built his house himself, in just about 3 months. He wanted his house to feel like he was out in a tent, camping; yet have all the comforts of a nice home. He found a good balance.

 Bo does have some neighbors, but many of the houses out there are empty. This used to be a housing addition with 124 houses. The average cost of a home there was about $150,000. Then the volcano erupted, covering up homes and everything else in the way. Property values dropped to around $5,000. The government has deemed this environment "uninhabitable". Bo pays $25 a year in property taxes, to live in Hawaii. It's a very different way of life, but also very comfortable.

 Bo's living room:

 Bo chose a basic roof so he can hear the wind and rain, just like he is outdoors.

   I liked visiting here, but I don't think I would actually want to live on the volcano. I would stay there, like a vacation, for a week or so. I think the loud wind would really bother my ears. When we were looking at his house, Bo opened the windows about 2 inches. This was plenty to cool down the whole house. It is his "air conditioning" and the breeze felt nice, but it was loud. He also gave us pop sickles, a great treat after a bit of a lava walk.
  We had been hiking for just over 6 hours, and we were both ready for a bit of a rest. Eric and I said our farewells, thanked Bo for taking us on this adventure, and returned to the house. We got showers, and then both took a long nap. Afterwards, we had to find something to do on our last night on the Big Island... more on that in the next post. For now, we were just talking about the hot, flowing MAGMA and how we got to see an active volcano!