Page 1371 - Dive the Seas and More-2
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Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, and compare it to Yellowstone National
absolutely dwarfs ALL of these major Park.
mountains in size and height. In fact it is
far, far more massive than all of them put In 2007 I visited Hawaii Volcanoes
together. It is not only the biggest feature National Park twice and explored it
of Hawaii volcanoes National Park, it is thoroughly. The first visit was with my
the biggest feature of the whole of planet wife, but the second visit was alone,
Earth! Of course, I depicted the mountain enabling me to wear myself out on long
comparison and put it on Franko’s Hawaii hikes. My favorite hike at started at the
National Park Guide Map. When I Volcano House Hotel, went along the
walked across the Kau Desert downwind Earthquake Trail (which used to be a road
from Kilauea Caldera I found it until a big earthquake in 1983), over to
interesting that here is a place that gets a Thurston Lava Tube, through the tube,
large amount of precipitation, yet appears then down into the Kilauea Iki Crater,
to be a desolate. The reason for this goes across the crater along the Waldron
back to those steam-spewing holes and Ledge, down to the edge of the massive
fissures in and around the caldera. It turns Kilauea Crater (it is 3-miles across), and
out that that steam is not so good for living up the Halemaumau Trail to the Volcano
things. The rains turn acidic, and thus House Hotel again. When I was on the
only a few hardy plants can continually broad floor of the Kilauea Iki Crater I
survive Kilauea’s downwind climate. pictured it as it was in 1959, with lava
jetting out of its southwest corner 1900
A favorite Hawaii Volcanoes National feet high, splattering against the opposite
Park experience was when Mrs. Franko wall of the huge crater, forming a deep,
and I drove to the end of Chain of Craters molten lava lake. The still-cooling lava
Road (you can see it on side 1 of Franko’s vents of Kilauea Iki Crater let off steam to
Hawaii National Park Guide Map). We this day, and it could erupt to form a new
got to witness a live lava flow streaming lava lake in the future. This was
down the flank of the mountain to the sea. approximately a 7-mile trek, with lots of
We arrived at the end of the road at sunset ups and downs and some rugged
and saw the brilliant glow in the dark. conditions, but I saw some fairly feeble
Earlier in the day we hiked across the old folks and well as some kids enjoying
shiny black lava from the upwind side to various parts of the hike, so it offers
see the explosion of steam where the lava something for nearly everybody. I took
entered the sea. Of course, all of this 200 photos and managed the hike in 1
changes daily and every experience at the hour and 45 minutes. This is a
ever changing, growing and evolving ridiculously fast pace, in fact I jogged
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is some of it, but I still had lots and lots to
unique. That is why I call it “dynamic” see that day.
