Forces of Nature
Today's day to the lava flow let me experience all the forces of nature again. Fire, water, steam, thunder, and lightning. It was a pretty intense but also amazingly beautiful day. You really need to like being out in intense weather like today, and for some reason, these are normally my favorite days.
It all started that my tour was being late this morning. Normally I would be pretty annoyed about it, but it turned out that it was a really good thing in the long end. An intense lightning storm suddenly popped up with some massive cloud to ground lightning strikes. Normally I would already be out in the field and on my hike to the lava, but today I was still on my way down to the Kalapana area when the storm hit. I couldn't think of a better place to be in a storm like this one than in my car. It was a short but pretty intense lightning storm. As soon as we pulled into the parking area the storm was gone and it was just pouring down.
The hike was a really wet one with a lot of steam out in the field. There were some local whiteouts, but I safely guided my group around it and arrived at the base of the Pali after about an hour of hiking. It was still coming down pretty hard. For some reason, I always picked the wettest days to be out here. After a while, the rain let go for a bit and lava was pushing forward instead. A big push of pressure opened a huge tumulus mount and a river of hot molten rock poured out and down to the base of the Pali. The hot red-orange snake of liquid rock advanced fast, creating a glowing trail on the old black lava rock.
It all started that my tour was being late this morning. Normally I would be pretty annoyed about it, but it turned out that it was a really good thing in the long end. An intense lightning storm suddenly popped up with some massive cloud to ground lightning strikes. Normally I would already be out in the field and on my hike to the lava, but today I was still on my way down to the Kalapana area when the storm hit. I couldn't think of a better place to be in a storm like this one than in my car. It was a short but pretty intense lightning storm. As soon as we pulled into the parking area the storm was gone and it was just pouring down.
The hike was a really wet one with a lot of steam out in the field. There were some local whiteouts, but I safely guided my group around it and arrived at the base of the Pali after about an hour of hiking. It was still coming down pretty hard. For some reason, I always picked the wettest days to be out here. After a while, the rain let go for a bit and lava was pushing forward instead. A big push of pressure opened a huge tumulus mount and a river of hot molten rock poured out and down to the base of the Pali. The hot red-orange snake of liquid rock advanced fast, creating a glowing trail on the old black lava rock.
Some steam was creeping up the Pali on the backside, creating an eerie scenery which reminded me of a movie setup. It was wet, it was hot, it was intense out here. But most of all, it was beautiful.
Rainy days aren't necessarily bad days to be out, but they are for sure days to be aware of all your surroundings. Things can deteriorate within seconds. My group and I had a blast with Pele's latest creations, but the rain started to come down pretty hard after a while. When cold rain hits the heated surface and hot ground, it creates a lot of steam. And in many cases, this steam creates whiteout situations with literally no sight at all. They are often short-lived but can last for hours. I knew right away that this one wouldn't move out fast, so we hurried up and hiked out along the edge of the steam cloud.
Rainy days aren't necessarily bad days to be out, but they are for sure days to be aware of all your surroundings. Things can deteriorate within seconds. My group and I had a blast with Pele's latest creations, but the rain started to come down pretty hard after a while. When cold rain hits the heated surface and hot ground, it creates a lot of steam. And in many cases, this steam creates whiteout situations with literally no sight at all. They are often short-lived but can last for hours. I knew right away that this one wouldn't move out fast, so we hurried up and hiked out along the edge of the steam cloud.
Rain hit us in full force, and a cold breeze felt like a slap in the face. We were out of the whiteout before it could completely develop around us and safely hiked back to the cars.
I really enjoyed this day a lot but it also showed that conditions can change within seconds. And no matter how amazing and mesmerizing the lava flow is, when you know it's time to go you do not ask but get your butt out of it. It felt great to cut the line at the right moment but also great to be out in the field and enjoy the flow with all the steam and rain. It was by far the wettest day I ever had out at the surface flow in all the 150+ trips I've done so far. Days like today are only for experienced guides and hikers who exactly know what is going on and know when it's time to leave.
I really enjoyed this day a lot but it also showed that conditions can change within seconds. And no matter how amazing and mesmerizing the lava flow is, when you know it's time to go you do not ask but get your butt out of it. It felt great to cut the line at the right moment but also great to be out in the field and enjoy the flow with all the steam and rain. It was by far the wettest day I ever had out at the surface flow in all the 150+ trips I've done so far. Days like today are only for experienced guides and hikers who exactly know what is going on and know when it's time to leave.
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