Home » United States » Descending to the Volcano's Edge September 30, 2002

To get down to the current Kilauea lava flow, you take Chain of Craters Road. This long, winding drive down the southern slopes of the Kilauea Volcano took us past many newer lava flows. Eruptions from 1969 to 1974 buried 12 miles of this road in lava up to 300 feet deep. Channels have been cut through some of these lava banks to allow the road to pass.
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Descending to the Volcano's Edge September 30, 2002

Ttrealtravels
2005-12-26 14:11:58

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To get down to the current Kilauea lava flow, you take Chain of Craters Road. This long, winding drive down the southern slopes of the Kilauea Volcano took us past many newer lava flows. Eruptions from 1969 to 1974 buried 12 miles of this road in lava up to 300 feet deep. Channels have been cut through some of these lava banks to allow the road to pass.

Lava flows in 1988 again covered parts of the road. In some areas, the road was re-cut through the lava, and in other areas, the road was re-routed. Nature will have her way, and humans just have to deal with it.

Petroglyph Pit Stop

Before we got to the hot lava, we stopped at the Puu Loa Petroglyph Field. These ancient artworks were carved into lava beds by early Hawaiians. This is one of the largest concentration of petroglyphs in all of the islands.

This was also where Hawaiians traditionally buried the umbilical cords of their babies to give the children long lives. It's still a sacred spot to many Hawaiians.

Hot Stuff Coming Through

Chain of Craters Road ends where Kilauea's current lava flow begins. At dusk, streams of tourists climb the glassy rocks to see the Earth's hot blood pulse.

But first, we were teased by a view of the coastline where lava pours directly into the sea. There's no way to view that flow from the ground, so all that's visible is the billowing steam rising from the ocean where boiling hot rock hits water.

Viewing the actual lava was amazing. It felt like standing in a furnace, the air was roastingly hot, despite the on-and-off rain. The lava crackled and roared like a bonfire, especially when raindrops hit it. Too bad we forgot the marshmellows!

Seeing this up close reminds you how powerful and capricious Nature is. Our Earth isn't just the placid soil we till and build our homes upon. Just below the surface, intense heat and pressure crush rock into molten lava, burning red, scalding everything it touches. Yet this same rock eventually cools and enriches the soil, making these islands fertile and lush and overflowing with flowers. Nature seems contradictory, but all of her processes are part of the same grand cycle.

Experiencing hot lava also shows you how little Nature cares for humankind. We are tiny specks of useless matter to her. Lava will flow where it wants, not where you or I would have it. Nature will destroy and rebuild her islands according to her own plan and schedule. Kilauea's eruptions have mowed down countless homes and businesses in the not-so-distant past. And it'll happen again, whether we like it or not.

If only all our world leaders could see and understand the true power of Nature like this. They might realize that their powers are puny in comparison and mean little in the grand scheme of things. Nations will come and go -- Nature will ever remain. Even though we try to fight her and beat her down, we can't stop the incredible forces at work below our feet.