What Does Lava Smell Like?
In May 2017, we hiked over Kilauea’s eastern slopes to intercept the 61G lava flow. The flow, which issued from the Pu’u O’o vent, had been showing stunning displays of activity for several months. Out of my many visits to Kilauea, this would be the first time that we would get to experience an active lava flow, and all the sights, sounds, and smells that came with it. I knew what molten lava looked and sounded like from the thousands of videos I had watched over the years. But I was curious— what does molten lava smell like?
We met a group of friends at the bottom of Chain of Craters Road before the sun had risen. The ocean crashed against the lava cliffs to our east and a swath of stars stretched out in a band overhead. Making sure we each had plenty of water, food, and sunscreen in our packs, we set out in the dark. Only our headlamps and the red rivers of lava cascading down the pali, six miles away, lit our path.
Haleakala On Horseback
There is something inspiring about a sunrise. The golden rays herald in a new day full of hopes and adventures. No two sunrises are ever the same. Watching the golden sunrise over Haleakala’s expansive crater was a sight unlike any other. As the sun rose higher into the eastern sky and began to burn off the clouds that had settled in the crater, the spirit of adventure set in and we were anxious to explore more of Maui’s biggest volcano: Haleakala.
Haleakala Sunrise
The night is as black as pitch as we tiptoe out of our condo and start the car. Stars glitter in the darkness overhead and the arm of the Milky Way stretches from one side of the island of Maui to the other. The silhouette of Haleakala volcano, a shadow in the night, towers 10,000 feet above us.
We navigate through towns that are dark and still at two in the morning. Catching Route 378, we begin the slow drive up the side of the volcano. A cow, roaming free, appears in the headlights and then vanishes just as quickly. A pu’eo swoops down and snatches something off of the highway and flies away into the dark. The narrow beam of our headlights gives us hints at our surroundings, but we can see nothing.
An Interview with Kilauea Volcano
2018 marked the largest volcanic eruption Kilauea volcano has seen this century. Two lava lakes suddenly drained, explosions rocked the summit crater, earthquakes rattled Hawaii island, and a massive fissure eruption took place in Puna. Rivers of lava flooded the landscape and poured into the ocean in a 2 mile wide ocean entry. The fissure eruption finally ended in August, closing out a 35 year eruption on Kilauea volcano.
On the one year anniversary of the fissure eruptions, I thought it would be interesting to sit down with Kilauea volcano herself and get her perspective on life as a volcano, the eruption, and what she has up her sleeve next.