Volcano meets Rainforest - Big Island Day 4

Life is all about exploration and going down the path of curiosity. I have been looking into a half day hike to the middle of nowhere to see the active volcano of Pu'u o'o. This vent has been going on for most of my life and has built up a 800 foot plus crater in the distant corner of Volcano National Park. This is one of the churches of evolution and one can not help to be in awe of the forces of nature. It was a pleasure to take photos and video as Cristina and I enjoyed this magical place to ourselves. The diversity of this environment made this hike a great experience.

The video above is from the Napau Crater lookout heading back to the parking lot. I wanted to show the diversity of life and rock on the path and a snap shot of what if feels and sounds like on the trail.

This looks like a pathway built for us, but actually it is just part of a lava flow. The different lava rock formations lets the mind wander with creativity. All colors and textures imaginable. Even the sounds of hiking vary greatly from cinder, solid rock, and very porous thin rock.

A small lava bridge off the trail.

The first 3 miles of the trail is all through recent lava flows. The trail winds through the fields and is only marked by small and large rock piles.

A very colorful and porous rock along the path.

Ohelo berries are all along some of the more recent looking lava flows. The plants are prolific even growing in the rock. The berries vary in color from dark maroon red to a peach or apricot color. Flavors also vary from tart like a currant to sweet like a blue berry.

This is Makaopuhi Crater meaning "eel eye" in Hawaiian. It is a reference to the blue colored lava and the lense shape of the crater. One side still is full of ohia trees, ferns, and many shades of green. The other side is crumbling rock and remnants of lava flows from before I was born in the 60 and 70.

Steem along the south west side of the crater shows that heat is still escaping from 30 year old lava flows. Amazing to think this is from eruptions that were going on before I was born.

Cristina taking in this massive earth formation at the edge of a 200 foot cliff.

Looking down at the life at the bottom of the crater. This area was untouched from the recent lava flows.

Once were got to Makaopuhi Crater we were welcomed by the lush rain forest. All the green life in this area almost makes you forget that massive lava flowers surround this entire area.

Cristina standing under a fern archway. Many different ferns make their home in this forest .

Green, green, green....

A tree fern forest (or fern tree according to Cristina) along the trail. This area also has many sink holes of all sizes. From small ones the size of a cup to larger cracks the size of a large car - you need to keep your eye where your feet are going.

As we got further along Napau trail we started to me more and more orchids. The plants sprout out of the dense ferns, sometime as tall as us, with these delicate flowers reaching for the sun.

I had read about this area - the Old Pulu Factory, however, it was still as surprise to see foundation for old structures in what seems like the middle of the forest. Hard to image what this place looked like over 150 years ago. I have not been able to find any historical photos on the internet.

One of the entrances to part of the factory.

More of the walls of the factory.

Back on the trail with ferns and orchids.

An area of death along the trail. It appears the steam vent along this area let the plants know that this is not the best place to set up.

Pu'u O'o in the distant overlooking Napau Crater. This volcano has been active sine 1983 and has been adding land to the island constantly. The Napau trail continues across the crater floor towards the volcano. This will be a journey for another day. I think it would be ideal to camp at the end of the trail and spend even more time in this inspirational area.

The peak of Pu'u o'o looks like a shark fin with a locomotive engine turning out smoke behind it. As we took our lunch at this spot we enjoyed a cool breeze and breathtaking views. In many ways it feels like something from the Lord of the Rings.

This was the biggest hike of our 5 day trip on the Volcano. We saw one couple on the trail near Makaopuhi Crater. We stopped and chatted with them and shared our enjoyment of the hike with them as they headed towards Napau Crater. As we got closer to the parking lot we saw a few more hikers. I was bewildered by the fact that we did not seem more people exploring this dynamic area. Our hike was around 12 miles total and worth every step. Check out some of our other journey on the Big island.

Bike ride to A lava Flow
Hiking Kilauea Iki Trail
Green Sand Beach Journey