Pele's Call, February 11, 2018

Pele's Call
This morning I did another trip up to the Pali. For some reason, I really love it up there. A wonderful clear night welcomed me as I started my hike. I felt great. I kept going and going, the closer I got to the Pali, the faster I went. It seemed that Pele was calling me... "come up, come up." It couldn't resist but just kept going. 
Up to the Pali, up to the steep part. Lights were glowing down on the coastal plains, it seems a lot of people were out at the lava flow this morning. An almost crescent moon was hanging brightly in the sky, surrounded by stars. Shooting stars were flying by and their tails left a glowing trail. And Pele kept calling me. I pushed more, I still had several hundred feet to climb. I could already see the glow in the distance, I was so close right now. 
And then I reached Pele's latest creations. Hot rising air welcomed me, as well as a sizzling hot river of lava. Pele let her hair down for me. She smiled, she created, she was there. It was so beautiful and peaceful up there, just me and the flow. Sizzling hot lava, scraping sounds of molten rock moving along cooled surfaces.
 It was mesmerizing, it was beautiful. I'm glad I followed Pele's call on this magical morning.

nice sunrise this morning

Pele's Teaser, February 8, 2018

Pele’s Teaser

For days now I saw the massive flows behind the crest of Pulama Pali, where Pele was really teasing me all the time to come and see her latest creations. All the other days did not seem right, but today I decided to climb up. I started early so I would be up on the Pali in the dark. 
It was a fast and steep ascend but Pele welcomed me with wonderful flows. There were tumuli breakouts and fluid pahoehoe flows as well as a widespread area of new activity. It was a long day of scouting but I’m really glad I went. 

massive flows

sunrise high on the Pali

A night in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park during the Lunar Eclipse, January 31, 2018

While everyone was shooting the lunar eclipse tonight, I enjoyed it in my own way.  The moon was way too high in the sky anyway and I did not want to take pictures of the moon in a black sky.  But the view towards Halema'uma'u crater was so beautiful so I went to Kilauea Iki parking lot.  The moon with the layer of fog down at the bottom of Kilauea Iki was for sure a special moment. The moon added a nice touch to the scenery and I used it as an inclusion to the landscape. After dark in the park is always a wonderful experience.

Lunar Eclipse

A Day in Waikoloa, January 25

It was raining for days right now and at one point I was getting a bit weary of it. I really needed a bit of sunshine. The Waikoloa and Kona areas on the west coast of the Big island looked pretty good, so I decided to head over for a day and enjoy the nice weather.
I started early in the morning and added a few stops along the old Saddle Road. I hoped to find any Pueo's (Hawaiian Owls) hanging around, but none were out this morning.  Despite the lack of wildlife, the old Saddle Road was a nice stop. The early morning light was so nice and impressive Mauna Loa in the distance was for sure an eye-catcher.

up in the high country with Mauna Loa in the distance

I went to the Fairmond Orchid area and parked at the Holoholkai Beach Park and walked along the Coastal Trail. Der trail along the coast is always a pleasure and there is so much to see.

Soon after I saw a Black Crowned Night Heron sitting on a rock. As I came closer he dived into the water and came back with a fish in its beak. He flew to a rock and sat there for a while, posing motionless for me. It was pretty cool and I was able to catch a few really nice shots.

Big Gulp

I walked all the way to the Mauna Lani Resort, with several stops along the wonderful coast.
This was for sure a walk I could do over and over again.

Past Mauna Lani the coast was getting more rugged and even a few whales were flapping their tails out of the water. 

Later that evening I was treated to a nice sunset at my favorite spot. For sure a nice day and definitely no rain.

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