Hawaii 2013: The Great Circle Route, with Volcano

Off to a late start today after uploading yesterday at snail speed at Cafe Ono. While draining liters of coffee on the front porch there, waiting for the i...n...t...e...r...n...e...t!, we observed two tour groups arrive at the Garden Arts Center. They were getting the tour plus lunch, with wine obviously not for us. Watching these groups was, I think, a fortunate reminder of the many reasons MJ and I prefer to experience a place like Hawai'i on our own. We aren't herded anywhere, we order what we want from the menu, we don't hustle to get a bus seat out of the sun and away from that Chatty Kathy over there, on and on. We have had two extensive walks at Volcano with not another soul present. How would a tour group accomplish all that? And ... we don't have to wear those idiotic name tags that say "Big Kahuna Tours, Inc. - Dave - #6".

We are grateful that, for now, we have good health and are fit enough to do vigorous things, get off the crowded common pathways, and see things that those limited to tour buses and automobiles cannot see. Or hear, smell, feel. That's all, folks, for the preaching.

There is a series of interconnecting hiking trails which visit most of the eastern end of the caldera. We did a 6.3 mile hike, encompassing rain forest, devastation, crater floor, and transition zones. The route is easy to pick out on this map:

Starting at the Devastation Trail, where it intersects Chain of Craters Road (southeast quadrant), we took the left turn through the area behind Pu'u Pua'i which is the vent of the Kilauea Iki Crater, then turned north across Byron Ledge, a heavily forested ledge which separates Kilauea Caldera and Kilauea Iki Crater. From there clockwise along the north rim of Kilauea Iki, to Thurston Lava Tube, then down and west across the floor of Kilauea Iki, then back up, to rejoin and retrace across Byron Ledge to the starting point. What the map doesn't show is the variation in terrain and vegetation. The crater is more than 400 feet deep and the ascents and descents are steep and frequently rough. I guess MJ and I looked happy. We were approached by multiple parties at a number of places along the trail and asked, "Where are you coming from? How much have you done? How much is there? Do you think WE can make it?" We always said, "Sure!" But I'm not sure how they fared.

Byron Ledge is historically important. For centuries, traditional Hawai'ian religion venerated Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes, held to have selected Halema'uma'u as her permanent home after arriving, from somewhere across the mystical western ocean, at the most northern of the islands, and then visiting all the islands one by one. In 1824, Christian missionaries had made inroads and the traditional religion was on the wane. Princess Kapiolani issued a direct challenge to Pele. She stood on the Byron Ledge and ate ohele berries. What she didn't do was toss some into the crater, as an offering to Pele. Such a sacrilegious snub was supposed to ensure Kapiolani's being struck dead on the spot. As word spread in the islands that Kapiolani remained hale and hearty (she weighed over 400 pounds), the decline of the religion of Pele accelerated. NB: Pele's religion is gaining new adherents and reviving older ones, and is on the rise again.

So, here some photos, sequentially along the hike.

Pu'u Pua'i, the vent, in 1959 geysers 1900 feet high

Representin' for Dick's Premiumargarita Mix, superb Tucson product

A few images showing how difficult life must be for the survivors in the crater:`

Finally, Kilauea Iki from its east rim, looking toward Halema'uma'u, taken by a "professional" photographer (MJH) with her very smart phone:

Dinner at Thai Thai, one last look at evening volcano glow, wine and a hot tub soak, then another night of sound sleep in the rain forest.

Since we are leaving for Kealakekua in the morning, and this is our last night at "Nohea," we want to show some images of this wonderful hand-crafted cabin built by master "heartist" Kenneth, with design contributions by renaissance woman Kathryn. It has been a profound privilege to stay here for the last 4 nights. The love and care that went into it's creation seeps into your pores. The craftsmanship is beyond compare. Simply exquisite.