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DAY 5 - from the rim of the kilauea caldera, we descended through rain forest to the floor of the kilauea iki crater. kilauea is an active volcano and its steam vents dutifully release hot, sulfurous fumes. here, pedro is seen emerging from a thick blanket of fumes.
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we followed directions that a motel owner, also a lava aficionado, had imparted to us the night before. after two hours of travel over smooth pahoehoe and shoe-shredding a'a, we arrived at the toe of the then active lava flow. (the flow in march was much smaller and slower than that of summer 2002. click here for current information on the volcanic activities in the park.) a careful look around us revealed several hot spots. as night fell, their glowing red against the bluish gray sky became impossible to miss. we played with the lava for a few hours before hiking back over treacherous terrain, guided only by the light of our headlamps and the sound of the distant ocean.
click here to see Ann lava jumping (QuickTime 1.1MB).
DAY 4 - the chain of craters road leads to the terminus of the famous lava flows in hawaii volcanoes national park. a natural phenomenon aptly named the sea arch stands just a few miles before the road abruptly ends at the lava crossing.
DAY 2 - waipi'o valley was the promise land in "waterworld." reaching it by land also proved to be an adventure. we descended a very steep, tortuous and narrow road in our 4WD rental and continued offroading on the valley floor until every turn took us to a private road. then, we hiked to waterfalls along the rocky coast.
DAY 3 - we bid adieu to sunny kona and traversed the island to the lush eastern side, centered at hilo. on the way, we drove up to mauna kea, the white mountain, home to observatories from around the world.
DAY 1 - our exploration of the big island began with a visit to the pololu valley near kona. at the trailhead, we were greeted by grazing donkeys and a view of the breathtaking coastline. a short hike later, we reached the idyllic valley floor.