Volcano National Park

For two nights I will be near Volcano National Park. I'm staying in a garden house about 500m from the park entrance. Upon arrival, I immediately drove into the park and got an overview. I also did some short hikes, including the Pu'u Loa Petroglyphs, the Steam Vents, and seeing the Halema'uma'u Crater from the Jagger Museum.

The next day was going to be a very long day. But first, I had to do some laundry. I left for the park at 10:00 AM.

I started with the Halema'uma'u Trail, then the Sulphur Banks, 'Iliahi Trail, Crater Rim Trail, Thurston Lava Tube, Kilauea Iki Trail into the crater, and the footpath to the flowing lava that flows into the sea. The distance to the flowing lava was 13km round trip. But to see the lava flowing into the sea, you have to walk another 6km. That's the most unpleasant part, it's hot and you can feel the lava flowing under the cooled layer. I felt hot steam two or three times, then the lava was visible through a crack. There weren't many people taking this path in the dark, but you can see the lava flowing into the sea better. This undertaking was not entirely safe. Anyway, I made it, and I was very happy that I could walk on the boring road with thick gravel again at sunset. I hiked more than 32km and was completely exhausted. Nevertheless, I went back to the Halema'uma'u Crater to see the lava being thrown out of the crater again. It was very cold and it had started raining. On top of that, I received messages on my phone about floods in the area. Somehow agitated, but still tired, I drove back to my accommodation.

All of this was a very moving and impressive experience.