Rather than pour freely, the lava oozes along like an amoeba growing in many different directions, like an enormous lava blob. Small breakout pools of shimmering pahoehoe free themselves periodically from the silvery crusts of cooling lava and fan out into arcing patterns or smooth curves. Within a few minutes a shimmering metallic crust had formed, leaving only a line of orange around the base. Kaye walks right over to the lava, camera in hand, and actually stands atop a recently crusted portion. I’m nervous for him, but he says this is nothing, that scientists at the park go to tremendous lengths to collect lava samples. “Up at Pu’u O’o we used a 2x4 to take samples from a lava lake,” he says. “This here is pretty tame in comparison.”

Perhaps. But for someone like me, who doesn’t live on the edge of the volcano, the proximity is still exhilarating. At Kaye’s urging I walk over to one of the breakout pools and squat down for a picture to document the moment. I hold out for several shots until I feel the hair on my arms starting to singe. Sweating, I swagger back to safety. As dusk wanes into night we sit on a perch just above the flow and watch it spool towards the ocean along a serpentine path. The stars are obscured and the clouds hide the moon. Kaye sniffs the air and says we might want to get going as it could rain. We take one last look as Madame Pele unfurls her hair inexorably to the sea, ensuring that the creation of Hawaii continues apace.

Hawaii Volcano Links

* Eruption Updates
* Where to Stay, General Info
* Flickr Pics

—Alex, 08/21/06