Happy Anniversary Pu'u O'o Eruption

January 3rd marked the 35th anniversary of the Pu'u O'o eruption. Most of the time, lava was accessible in some way. Pele created and also destroyed. About 54 square miles of land has been covered by lava since then and a lot of new coastlines have been created.
I had an amazing year out at the lava of the 61g flow on the East Rift Zone, originating from Pu'u O'o. Even though my journey was just a little part of the 35-year long eruptive history, it was wonderful to be part of it. The world's most active volcano definitely knows how to put on a show throughout the years.

New Years Eve Lava Trip, December 31, 2017

Let's the year ring out with some lava. I had an amazing year on the flows and for that reason, I wanted to spend the last day of 2017 with Pele. And what a way to end the year. This last trip out to Pele sums up most of the year for sure. It was simply amazing and lava-ly!!! I couldn't ask for anything better.
Pele was super active today on the western flow close to the park boundary and was rocking it. There were breakouts everywhere. A wonderful day out with Pele to enjoy her latest creations.

Pele's Christmas Surprise

For me it is always a special treat to hike out to the lava flow on holidays. So it was no question for me what I would do on Christmas morning because I really like to spend the holiday with Pele. Today's trip wasn't different. There were good rivers of lava coming down the former boundary Kipuka, but they were a bit tucked away and hard to see at first. It was nice to be out there and to enjoy the view. It was for sure a great way to spend Christmas morning.

Mele Kalikimaka - White Christmas on The Big Island

Yes, it snows here in Hawai'i. Even though you might think that being so close to the equator it is always nice and warm, you're wrong. The Big Island of Hawai'i can get quite a bit of snow. You can even go skiing and snowboarding here if there is enough of the white stuff.  The climate is so diverse that we have 10 out of the world's 14 climate zones just here on that single island. And because Mauna Kea rises to almost 14,000 feet, the top of the mountain consists of a harsh tundra climate. It can snow any time of the year.
A few days before Christmas we had an impressive winter storm that dumped quite a bit of snow on our mountains. And Mauna Kea got its white cap again.

A day out with Pele, December 24, 2017

The days around the holidays are always the best to venture out and pay Pele a visit. So I decided to head back out to the flow and see what was left of the former boundary Kipuka. It was a pretty fast trip out on a clear night and I arrived pretty early.
Activity was all over the place on the Pali as well as inside the park. Rivers of lava were coming down and there were several huge breakouts on the base of the Pali and on the middle part of it. I was literally running up and down all the time in search of the best flows. As daylight came I saw that almost everything of the former boundary Kipuka was gone now. This would take a while to get used to the new scenery and completely changed landscape.

Action on the Pali

Tumulus Mount Breakout