Lava Hike

Lunel - nose into the trade winds, ready for hike

Shortly after Hurricane Iselle hit us, in the summer of 2014, lava from nearby Pu'u O'o vent began to flow directly toward our subdivision just south of Pahoa Village. At that time our focus was survival and safety and everyone was hugely relieved when, just a few yards before dividing Pahoa in half, the flow stopped, and began to flow toward the ocean again, to the south of Kalapana. Whew! (click any photo for bigger view)

Huge section of lava shelf fell off in December, and continues to crumble

Here is the newly revised four-mile trail out to view

After Lunel's knee injury in 2015, surgery and following recovery, we were not much interested in a dangerous hike out to where lava was flowing into the ocean. We heard wonderful stories about it from friends and neighbors. Finally, this week, at the invitation of a friend, and because shuttles are available for part of the trek, it seemed the right time.

Photo by Leigh Hilbert -- looking up the pali -- toward the Pu'u O'o vent -- flowing from Kilauea Volcano

Since the flow path returned to the ocean, several large lava "shelves" have broken off and fallen into the ocean, creating danger for hikers resulting in re-routing for site seers. It is a job the park services and county take very seriously. While bikes are available, it seemed smart to take a shuttle out to the drop off point where the hike began. From there it was over four miles out (one-way) to see the flow.
Most people had already been out during the day and now were returning -- wearing headlamps or riding well lit bicycles. Very few people were going out, maybe because it was dark, but we wanted to take full advantage of the dusk-to-dark ambiance for full impact.

Once there, we had the option of turning right to follow the glowing river up the pali (cliffs) or left toward the ocean. We joined small groups of people clustered around, quietly humbled at the raw power as we watched streams of lava pour into the sea. Knowing we faced the return four-mile hike, we did not linger long and were surprised by a gentle rain shower as we began the trek back. We have to give a shout out to Kalapana Cultural Tours who provide a variety of safe, informative services. Mahalo especially to Dwayne!