Happy Holidays!

I added several new images to my Volcano Fine Art Gallery on my website.

The images are from the three previous lava hikes. More from the Lunar eclipse will be added once I test print them. They are all composed so you’re seeing what I saw. No typical zoomed in shots. These are better appreciated in larger sizes to allow the stars and planets to be seen. Image #393.

Additional images from sunrise that morning with lava streaming over the old sea cliff and small lava spigots entering the ocean below. Start with image #388. There several variations available until I narrow them down to a few choices.

Also, from my 12-05-11 lava hike this image. #386 showing the stark contrast between the large A’a lava flow front and the distant sunlit vegetation. The image is blurred by the intense heat. It was shot this way intentionally.

From my 12-01-11 hike to the 1270′ elevation. #384. It’s the morning twilight image with lava flowing through a small Kipuka of trees. The tree tops are showing motion from the strong northerly winds that day. The contrast of the lava and the glow on the trees with the deep blue twilight sky is beautiful on Kodak’s Professional Metallic Paper. Its even more stunning printed on Metal. Prints are or will soon be available at the local retailers here on the Big Island. Trudy’s Island Arts, Krazy About Kona, Kona Mountain Coffee and The Volcano Art Center.

Enjoy. As always your opinion is welcome. Either here on my blog or on my website directly at each image.

Aloha,

Bryan Lowry
lavapix.com

All text and images are copyright protected ©Bryan Lowry/lavapix.com. Use without my permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

I’ve been a bit busy so, I’m way behind on posting anything. This post will cover two separate lava flow hikes.

The first was on Dec. 5th when the lava flow was blasting through the lower part of the long ago abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision. Now let me set the facts straight to begin this. Jack Thompson, the lone resident wasn’t evacuated. It’s funny how these rumors come about. He had a dentist appointment. His place remains elevated enough to protect him from lava flows.

I wasn’t able to arrive early like usual so, I did miss the sunrise. On this hike I also chose to stay at the flats and the leading edge of the huge A’a flow at the base of the pali. Having witnessed many flows like this over the years it wasn’t a big deal not heading up the pali. Beside, I had a newbie with me who didn’t have the best footwear for an adventure like that. But, the growing A’a flow was quite a sight. The large streams flowing down the steep pali would merge into one area forming a large moving pool of A’a lava. Sometimes it would advance slowly and other times it would burst open with large gushes of lava. This is the typical scenario with these pali flows. Soon fast-moving pahoehoe flows would advance out of the large A’a pool. For now it was a relaxing day with the A’a lava. If you haven’t ever had the experience of seeing one up close, let me tell you the heat radiating from these types of flows is tremendous. Its nothing like the visitor friendly pahoehoe flows most people are used to. It was also for the most part a nice cloudy day which allows for better lava viewing. I took only a few photos. I have many from similar events in the past. At that same location too. The flow pretty much did what I expected it to after my Dec 1st hike. Our hike back had persistent rain the entire way. It felt great.

I returned to the lava flows for the total Lunar eclipse Dec. 10th. On this hike I hiked straight out across the flat until I hit the lava flow. At the time I wasn’t sure if there was a new ocean entry or not. The bright light of the full moon dominated and no glow was visible away from the pali. At times I was wondering if maybe the flow had stopped. Finally after two hours I could see a rather large slabby pahoehoe flow heading away from the pali and then to my left towards the ocean I saw a faint glow and knew right away it was an ocean entry.

I was about 30 minutes mauka at the time but, got there in a hurry as my adrenalin began to take over. Oh, forgot to mention it was freezing that night. The sky was as clear as it could be and the wind was howling out of the NE. I couldn’t wait to get next to some hot lava to warm up. The new ocean entry was at the Ka’ili’ili area. An eruption from 10 years ago left a sizable chunk of stable new land attached to the old coastline and the lava had flow over it first before hitting the ocean. There was a second separate ocean entry a short distance to the west. Did I mention it was windy? It usually is out there but, it was exceptionable this night. The ocean entry wasn’t visible from the Kalapana side due to the landscape. I would be the only one out there during my 8.5 hour stay. Only the Lava Ocean Adventures tour boat would show up at sunrise. They had a great view. We would talk back and forth on occasion. This area near the coast drops off very quickly with 30′-40′ sea cliffs. It makes for dramatic lava falls. There always best viewed at the start as one can get up close and personal without worry.

Just in case I forgot to mention it, it was windy! Had a few things blow away down onto the new bench. If you let it go for a second, it was gone. My goal for this hike was the Lunar eclipse but, what I had in mind wasn’t possible due to the landscape and how high the moon was in the sky. So, my only option was wider angle shots where the moon would be small in the image. The viewing of the eclipse was perfect. As the total eclipse neared the surface flows above the ocean entry started to fade and I was quickly losing my beautiful foreground. So, my few total eclipse images have only a small bit of glowing lava. As the eclipse waned I went to the wider shots so, I could capture the ocean entry and the moon. Of course this meant the moon would be small but, printed at a larger size it would be just like your standing there. I like how that perspective turned out.

Viewing the ocean entry from the east wasn’t very good as the old bench and the growing one were facing away to the SW. So, before morning twilight I decided to try and cross the shallow hot flow for a view from the west. Now let me say, don’t ever try this with such a hot flow. I have lots of experience crossing these types of flows. It’s an art in its self. Certainly there’s no stopping and sometimes no turning back. There were many surface flows breaking out so, timing was everything. It was most definitely hot but, I did make it and only part of my new shoe lift melted loose. I carry screws and a screw driver to fix it. Ok, so now I’m on the western side and the view is fantastic. Lots of steam but, the strong winds keep it low to the ocean most of the time. The fast growing bench could be clearly seen along with the many cascades of lava pouring over the sea cliff.

Clouds started to appear on the distant horizon and I knew it would be a nice sunrise. Morning twilight and sunrise were all I could ask for. I stopped taking eclipse images as the setting moon was now behind me along with a dark landscape. The more western ocean entry was to my right. Cell phone reception was spotty out there and even when I could get a call through the wind made it nearly impossible to talk. I always have to let mom know I’m fine and I send here video and photos. She usually knows about lava flow events before most of the people who live here. Of course from me. Right around sunrise a real nice stream of lava broke out and started pouring over the sea cliff where I could stand right next to it. Well, as close as the heat would allow. The strong winds worked in my favor as they kept the extreme heat low to the ground. This also helped when crossing the flow. I did manage to capture some nice images of this event with the sunrise. Test prints have been ordered along with the Lunar eclipse images. I will have them for this weekends art fairs. More on them later.

Now it came time to make my way back over the hot shallow flow back to the east side. This would prove to be even more difficult as the flow was much more active. Theres no worry of falling through as it’s an inflating pahoehoe flow. It’s just hot. I got across without incident and spent a few more hours there.  I would spend the entire morning enjoying the activity. Now it was time to head back. For once I had a nice cool gale force wind that felt really good. The entire hike back was like a trip down memory lane as I passed by and over older lava flows. My Goal Zero portable speaker and mp3 player entertained me. I’m really liking having music playing on my hikes. This was more like a leisurely walk compared to most of my other hikes. About 15 minutes from my Jeep the first part of the heavy rain hit. It also felt great. About the time I started to drive away, the torrent of rain started that would last for days. My timing was perfect. Thank you mother nature!

With this I don’t really need to give my “Don’t try and do what I do” speech. This is no different then years past when lava was in the park. It’s all about common sense. Stay off of the new land. It’s a long walk so be prepared. If you think you might get lost, don’t go!! Carry plenty of water and good flashlights. One per person. I think its best viewed from the National Park side. You don’t even need to hike the entire way. Maybe as far as the old Laeapuki ocean entry. You will be about 2 miles away but, you will have a direct view. One warning is to stay away from the immediate coastline as the sea cliffs are unstable. Check in at the park visitors center before attempting this hike to be sure there aren’t any restrictions. This helps you to avoid the hassle of driving to Kalapana and the limited parking issues. How long will this new ocean entry last? Who knows at this point.

Images from both hikes can be seen at the following links. 12-05-11 Royal Gardens and 12-10-11 Ka’ili’ili Ocean Entry Lunar Eclipse

As I mentioned earlier, I will be doing two fairs this weekend the 17th and 18th. The 17th will be at the Keauhou Sheraton and the 18th is the monthly Kona Stroll.

The Sheraton is from 9:30am to 7pm and the stroll is 1pm to 6pm. This is my first time doing the Sheraton event. I will have a nicer set up as we have much more time to get everything together.

I have plenty more adventures planned now that I’m back in prime shape. Theres also video from these hikes but, who knows when I’ll ever find the time to edit them. For these hikes I went back to my F-Stop Tilopa camera backpack as its so easy to load and access my gear. To make the torso length fit better I added 2 inches of memory foam to each should harness. It worked out great.

Streams of lava and an advancing A'a lava flow

Ka'ili'ili Ocean Entry & The Lunar Eclipse

Aloha,

Bryan Lowry
lavapix.com

All text and images are copyright protected ©Bryan Lowry/lavapix.com. Use without my permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

I made another visit to the current lava flow. The lava has made its way into the upper remaining Kipuka’s that have small sections of pavement. My goal was to hike to those streets but, once I arrived at the flow front I could tell there was no reason to hike up any farther.

It was a cold clear night with a strong north wind. My favorite time for any photography as it leads to stunningly clear skies and horizons. I’ll take a great clear morning twilight image over any sunrise or sunset. This is why I hike all night to my destinations. Overall the flow isn’t all that large but, its headed directly towards a large gulch area between a kipuka and the high area created by the past 3 years lava flows. Once in this low channeled area it will consolidate and pick up speed. Also the terrain gets much steeper. (Since my visit, the flow has progressed rapidly)

I didn’t take many photos during my 6 hours up there. I mostly shot video with my GoPro HD Hero 2 camera. (Be sure and watch the GoPro opening page video) When I’ll ever get that processed who knows. I need a new PC to handle the large files. It was a pretty cold night and very windy. Had to stay close to the flow to stay warm. Morning twilight was beautiful. Can you guess which image is my favorite from the hike? I was situated at the bottom of a steep grade. The flow was being steered towards the south southeast by the higher terrain that’s covered by a very large A’a flow from the 1980′s.

I decided to hike straight down the path I expect the lava to head down. This would take me to Jack Thompsons street. This is a steady down slope that turns near vertical the last 400′-500′ of elevation. I’ve hiked this many times before so, I knew what to expect. That vertical wall is very tricky. I advise people to avoid this area. One fall and your in serious trouble. My last video battery died just as I got to that last big drop. I did have my great Goal Zero solar charger but, I forgot the GoPro’s cable. I also had my Goal Zero Portable speaker for the hike. First time I ever hiked with anything other than the voices in my head Its absolutely great. Just plug your MP3 player into it and close and listen. It lasted the entire 9 hours of actual hiking. I even dropped it several times. I had in the top of my pack at night and in my chest pack on the hike back. All in all it was a great hike. My new Merrel hiking shoes were a bit of a challenge but, nothing new laces and different socks shouldn’t cure. Not one blister! 3 hours non-stop up and 4 hours back due to my challenging route choice. I enjoy challenges.

Its appears the flow will again come close to the last residents location. Jack is still perched at a slightly higher elevation then where the lava is heading but, his worry could be fire depending on the weather and the duration of this lava flow. We will know soon enough.

Yes, its the Don’t try and do what I do time.

This hike and area have many hidden dangers as I’ve shown on the USGS image that was posted today. Also the flow will move very fast once it hits the very steep section from the 700′ elevation on down. You can’t out run it. The area I marked slightly east is full of shallow and hollow lava tubes from the 2008-2010 lava flows. Not too mention this flow is still a very long hike. On this day I had the worse hiking conditions you can have. Bright sunny skies with what I called a Thermo Nuclear wind blowing in my face the entire way back. Heat stroke is a real danger. I strongly advise against people doing tours to the flow if it stays miles from the end of 130. Can you carry someone back if they pass out? I’m a strong seasoned hiker and those conditions still have a great effect on me. Even with me being completely prepared. Nothing worse than the inexperienced leading the even more inexperienced into an area like this. Like I’ve said before, this isn’t the half an hour walk to the past 3 years lava flows. This gets serious. Those that really know me and what I have done over the years will take my advice seriously. I wish the flow had gone further to the west closer to Chain of Craters road in the National park. I hate to see the Kalapana circus come back to life. Its probably a love hate thing for the few residents of the area.

Like I said, I took very few photos. You can see them here. 12-01-11 Royal Gardens Lava

I had more to say but, I can’t remember it right now

Lava flowing through a Kipuka of trees

My new Merrell hiking shoes. Right one has my homemade 5/8 lift. I'm way more messed up than I appear. © Bryan Lowry / lavapix.com

USGS Image 12-02-11. The X at 12-01-11 shows where I was.

Aloha,

Bryan Lowry
lavapix.com

All text and images are copyright protected ©Bryan Lowry/lavapix.com. Use without my permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Two spigots of lava pour into the ocean

 

Aloha,

Bryan Lowry
lavapix.com

All text and images are copyright protected ©Bryan Lowry/lavapix.com. Use without my permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Last week I decided to visit the current Pu’u O’o vent lava flow front. I wanted 11-11-11 lava flow images and I figured I most likely would be the only person on the ground way up there.

You see, its a very very long and difficult hike. One I’ve done many times before during past eruptions. This time the many new shields would dictate where I could go and what route I took. I’m sure some of you have noticed I haven’t been doing any hikes for the past few months. I’ll keep this short and to the point. A kidney stone was unknowingly causing all sorts of health issues for me that kept me at home way too much. Severe back aches. It was a bummer as I was wanting to hike to a few of these great eruptive events. Oh well, now that I passed the little/big bugger I feel better than I have in 4+ years. As you can imagine I was more than ready for a serious adventure and I surely got one on this hike.

The current lava flow has been slowly advancing towards the abandoned Royal Gardens subdivision since September. The line of shields that were built during the 2007-2011 eruption are keeping the flow directed towards the remnants of RG. The forecast last Thursday the 10th was for heavy rains and strong winds. I didn’t matter. I was going regardless. The hike started great with the bright full moon lighting up the old lava flows. The wind was strong but, the rain stayed to the east. I could spot a faint glow from where I parked but, I couldn’t tell for sure if it was from the flow front or the new skylight near Pu’u O’o or if it was Pu’u O’o its self. It gave me hope the flow was still going. That was the last time I would see a glow until I arrived at the flow.

The hike was as difficult as ever. Especially with the newer flows since my last venture up the pali. This is where experience is very important. I’ve hiked the entire area so many times I’m always able to recognize exactly where I am and I’m able to know what lies ahead. This really saves time and hassles of A’a lava crossings and slabby pahoehoe too. I power hiked non-stop and made my way to the flow front in 4 hours flat. Uphill hill hiking is my strongest ability. I struggle on the descent due to a bad foot. I was about 1/2 mile away when I first spotted specs of flowing lava. I would need to cross a few stagnant fingers of fresh lava to reach the area. The smell of the flow and to feel the heat was great after so long. Hard to explain if you haven’t spent much time doing what I do. I was between the 2000′ and 2100′ elevation to the west of the old lava shields. The few remaining Kipukas were in the path of the flow. It was about 500′ wide and moving at a normal rate. This area is what I call the upper flats. Its the area you can’t see from the coast. The climb is much higher and more difficult than you can imagine. My luck with no rain would last until sunrise and then the weather moved in. I was able to capture typical pahoehoe flows with the setting full moon at morning twilight. I took very few photos but, did shoot some video too. Shot a short time lapse also. The weather was horrible but, I expected it. Really was fortunate that I had the clear night. The rain was horizontal with the strong winds when it arrived. My other goal was an image at 11:11:11am. I had to kill 7 hrs waiting for that moment.

As its nearing time for that 11:11:11am  photo the rain is getting intense. I set up for a small flow heading into some old fallen trees. Didn’t have too many choices as I needed to keep the rain at my back. By this time my umbrella was destroyed. Had my video camera set up to record it all. Its water proof so, no worries there. Just as it was the magic minute the flow sealed up. Of course only having 1 second to get the flowing lava shot, it was too late to try and move. Add in the rain and the slowed activity overall and it just wasn’t to be. But, I did have that great night and got the nice setting full moon shot. I do have a 11:11:11am shot. Its just not anything special other then the time it was captured. From that point on the rain only got worse and there was no use in putting on my rain gear. The entire hike back was with very limited visibility and I had to stop a few times to empty the water from my boots. I finally gave up. I’m not sure if anyone will ever truly appreciate what I go through to get most of my unique images. No one goes to the extremes I do for Kilauea lava flow images.

This brings me to the “Don’t try and do what I do” statement. I can’t stress enough just how desolate this area is. You always have to ask yourself, “Can I navigate these areas with little or no visibility?’ If your unsure, then you should stay away. The upper pali areas can have little or no visibility for days at a time. There are lots of nasty slabby and shelly flows all over and the occasional A’a flows. Sure, you would eventually find your way (maybe) but, will you be prepared for the amount of time you’ll be out there? I hiked for 9 hours total (that would be 12+ for the average person) and explored at least 6 of the 7 hours up there. As always I had plenty of food and water. That kidney stone had been messing up my previous hikes without me knowing that was the issue. I’ll give details to anyone who wants to know. On this hike I felt great and was able to handle it.

The flow was moving along in surges and doing lots of inflating. Hiding behind old tumulus’s next to inflating flows kept me nice and warm. Until the hike down. I was freezing.

The map is a NASA satellite map from Oct 29, 2011. I’ve marked notable locations and landmarks. This hike was short compared to my past Kupaianaha and TEB shield hikes. With zigzagging and exploring my estimates are between 16 and 18 miles round trip. In other words, its not the half an hour walk to the Waikupanaha ocean entry everyone was use to for 3+ years. I started at the end of Hwy 130.

Like I said, I took few photos. They can be seen here. The first similar ones are a short time lapse video.

Hopefully I can get the GoPro video footage done this year

NASA satellite map

Might be the only 11-11-11 lava flow images captured from the ground in Hawaii

Aloha,

Bryan Lowry
lavapix.com

All text and images are copyright protected ©Bryan Lowry/lavapix.com. Use without my permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

No, not my wedding. I would wear a GoPro for that

Now, traditional weddings really aren’t my thing. But, when a long time close friend asked if I would shoot his I said “Only if its simple and interesting”.

He and his fiance had an idea of what they wanted but, of course time of year and weather played into the final decisions. Yes, decisions. We shot them reciting their wedding vows in Pololu valley at sunrise and the real wedding a few days later by Waipio valley at the Cliff House. If I was ever thinking of photographing weddings, this would be the type I’d prefer.

The Pololu valley shoot presented some real challenges. The first was getting up at 2am. For those of you not fimilair with the Big Island, Pololu is about one and a half hours from Kona. Then you need to hike down into the valley and hope it doesn’t rain at sunrise. Everything was going great time wise. A friend was along to shoot some very amateur type video. We were down on the beach with plenty of time before sunrise. The bride and groom weren’t there yet. The first and really only issue was his video tripod was broken. I swear I told him to check it before we left (smile). So, being that I’m the one who is in the best shape, I made the decision to run back up to my Jeep for the spare I carry. Halfway up I passed Jim and LaRen. They asked if everything was fine. I said “sure, other than the fact I have to run up and down the trail”. Not a big deal. There was still plenty of time.

Once everything was set with where the photos would be taken, all we needed was some luck with the weather. The issue was the dark and gloomy sky. Lucky for us there was a brief moment of color at the horizon when needed. I wanted to keep everything as natural as possible so, a flash was only used when absolutely needed. We also kept the posing simple as we had little time. Did I mention it was cold too? Worse for them as they went in the ocean after the reading of the vows. All in all it went very well. My video friend and I even did a hike deep into the valley afterwards.

Three days later I shot the wedding ceremony by Waipio valley.

This was a late afternoon event. A small wedding with a short ceremony. There was very little time for photos so, I again kept it simple and I shot when the sun would come out. Being that it was late in the day, the sun gave that real nice glow to everything. Deep blue skies to the east and dark gloomy clouds over the valley. We were situated right at the cliffs edge at the Waipio Cliff House. Also the edge of the clouds. Of course like most planned events the ceremony started late. I’m not one to get nervous or freak out so, all was fine. You do what you can with what you have. Just like the Pololu shoot, everything worked out great.

Would I be willing to shoot weddings or events like this in the future? Only if its something or somewhere unique that requires some effort to get there. I won’t give a price for shoots like this as it all depends on where and when. If anyone’s ever interested, email me with details on what you have in mind and we can go from there. Need ideas? I know this island as well as anyone.

The images below are samples of what I got. Click on the images to visit the galleries.

Wedding Vows

Wedding

Aloha,

Bryan Lowry
lavapix.com

All text and images are copyright protected ©Bryan Lowry/lavapix.com. Use without my permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Its funny how sometimes you can rediscover an old photo. This isn’t exactly a forgotten image by any means. Its been my best seller for the past 5 years. But, recently a customer asked if it could be printed at the new and popular 12×24 size. I really hadn’t even given it much thought until then. So, I gave it a try and I do like the look. So, now #1 Fire and Ice is available as #1c at 12×24, 18×36 and 24×48. On metallic paper, metal and glass.
Check it out here. #1c Fire & Ice.

Aloha,

Bryan Lowry
lavapix.com

All text and images are copyright protected ©Bryan Lowry/lavapix.com. Use without my permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Vegas isn’t a place I thought I’d ever return to after my first visit back in 1987 but, my two month odyssey of travel last fall led me there for a few days.

One thing that can be said about Vegas is it’s a playground for a photographer. I could have taken photos non-stop 24-7 but, that’s not what I was there for. Unfortunately I didn’t have my new tripod with me. Its was in Colorado. So, I made good use of the many trash cans in the area for my low light no light shots. My images of the strip from above were taken from the 45th floor of the Rio Casino and Resort. Shot through the glass. Overall the weather was uncharacteristically bad. Rain cloudy and cool except for a day or 2. This cloudy weather did allow for both a stunning sunrise and sunset. I even encountered an erupting volcano. Lucky for me I have experience photographing these things so, I captured some nice shots. Overall it was a fun trip with lots of great food. The NY NY casino roller coaster is a must do when visiting. Especially at night. The one thing that was a huge turn off was the cigarette smoke. It’s everywhere. Thankfully the tower I was in at the Rio was a no smoking area. It’s a crazy place for sure. I didn’t gamble until the last morning and it was small time 21 on the machines. Made a few bucks. I’m not a gambler. I work too hard for my $ to just let it go so easily. I really had one day to take photos so, I got what I could.

Click here to view the images I captured or just click on the image below.

Images of Las Vegas - 2010 © Bryan Lowry / lavapix.com

Aloha,

Bryan Lowry
lavapix.com

All text and images are copyright protected ©Bryan Lowry/lavapix.com. Use without my permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

Here’s a post on lava rivers/streams. Since Pu’u O’o vent has been sending streams out from the new fissure on its east spillway, I decided it was time to explain the difference between this type of river vs the more normal lava tube breakout. People have asked a lot lately if I’ve been out there yet. I haven’t and the reason is, this type of river and its location are just too dangerous. Plus the area is very difficult to hike due to the horrible lava I explained in a earlier post. The east spillway of Pu’u O’o is very steep so, the flows move very fast up there. They also overflow their banks at anytime and any location so, getting close even if you made it that far is too risky. If the lava can move faster than you can, it’s too dangerous! Also, the lava can easily overflow suddenly from Pu’u O’o vent again and engulf this entire area like it did when this all started. Not to mention that much of this lava flows very fast and hollow leaving that nasty shelly pahoehoe or A’a lava flows that can be well over 15′ high. Stay away!!!

The samples I show in my photos here are from lava tube overflows. The main tube gets over-capacitated and a weak section of its roof is lifted away allowing the lava to escape. The section lifted away is called the “Manhole Cover”. I have witnessed this before on a large-scale. Included is a very rare photo of one that survived the overflow. 99% of the time the section is swept away by the powerful surge of lava. The higher elevations are the best for these lava tube overflows. They’re generally more powerful and much larger than on the flats. Getting caught by an event like this is one of the many occurring dangers that can kill you out there. Hiking active lava flows is an art that is learned carefully over a period of several years. Hiking a mature lava tube is one of my most favorite adventures to do. You have to know what you’re doing. Its nothing like the short walks to ocean entries.

The Manhole Cover image of course has a lava tube skylight. This was left over as the overflow was very brief and at a sudden 10′-15′ drop that allowed the lava to have an intense internal lavafall. The breakout occurred at the highest of the many small pali’s. I spent 8 hrs at this location. The following week I went on a skylight exploration hike and found 21 active ones. By far the most I’d ever seen on one hike. A week later they were all sealed up. These were 4-5 hr one way hikes. My next post will show some of my images. Or you can ck out my website to view many of them now.http://lavapix.com/2/348f7/c1692a/#/gallery/hvnp-lava-surface-flows-stock/a44/ If you find this post of interest, be sure and +1 or share it with your g+ or fb friends.  Be sure and add me to your google+ circles or Like my Facebook Fan Page for quicker and more frequent updates.

Lava rivers from previous hikes

Skylight Manhole cover

Aloha,

Bryan Lowry
lavapix.com

All text and images are copyright protected ©Bryan Lowry/lavapix.com. Use without my permission is prohibited. All rights reserved.

I’m writing this to help clear up some things appearing on blogs. People tend to get their info wrong or they have opinions based what I don’t know. The new flows, yes now it has branched into 2 flows for now, have only moved less than 2 miles from Puu Oo. This isn’t very far at all when you factor in just how large of an area it is above the pali. I wouldn’t get too excited about a flow on the flats leading to the ocean just yet. There are factors working against that. Lets look back at the early Aug big flow event first. This started with a similar sudden surge of magma but, was quickly followed by a large deflation and collapse of Puu Oo’s floor. Seems it just wasn’t stable enough yet after re-filling from March’s episode and maybe lots of trapped gases. More of a small hiccup. Weds mornings surge held steady and lava flowed in a more continuous stream vs a sudden surge and Puu Oo’s floor held steady. But, the magma has since been on a slow steady deflation (ck the tilt graph below) and if it continues all the way back below where this all started, this flow could slowly die out long before it really goes anywhere. To get a better idea of what this flow has to overcome on its travels, one has to know the terrain.

There are many obstacles along the way. Many very near Puu Oo’s base which spans quite a distance. The east spillway of Puu Oo is still steep and broad so, it allowed the flow to initially move a good distance. Once it made its way to the upper flats that are full of old shields and a very large old A’a flow, its progress quickly slowed. It also cools and spreads at the front. Although this flow is of decent size its nothing like flowing lava channels of past episodes.  It will rely on another surge or the deflation to stop at a higher level than when all of this started. It works sort of like plumbing with pressure as it’s fuel to some degree. Will have to wait and see if an actual vent forms on Puu Oo’s east spillway.

No, I’m not a volcanologist. I do have 20 years of field experience and these are my personal observations based on previous experience with eruption episodes. Not just ocean entries. Everything from the source to the ocean. I do know the area this flow is traveling through. Its rugged and remote. I’ve hiked it a few times. Much of it is horrible shelly Pahoehoe and huge A’a lava flows. Don’t even think of trying to hike to it. You wouldn’t get close anyways, even if you could stand to hike that far. Besides, if a sudden new surge broke out above you, your history. Back to the flows future. While its definitely interesting and well worth a visitor taking a heli tour, this could very well be yet another short-lived event. As I stated way back in March during the Kamoamoa eruption, this could be the pattern the eruption is falling into for many years. There have been periods of over 10 years in the past without ocean entries and short-lived episodes like this.

There was a string of small quakes just southeast of Halemaumau as the magma flow made its way to Puu Oo. I’m surprised it didn’t lead to an eruption in that area. Maybe its leading up to something like that. If this episode does die out slowly, solidifying lava could cause blockages around Puu Oo. This could cause the next magma surge to be forced out somewhere else along its way towards Puu Oo. It’s all really interesting because no one knows for sure until you see the lava appear in a new area. The instruments tell lots but, in the end it can erupt most anywhere along the rifts.

Again, I’m not a volcanologist but, I have hiked that entire upper pali area many times over and I do know what any new flow is in for when trying to advance up there. Compare this to the July 2007 episode and its very small in comparison. In 07 an actual 2 mile long fissure opened up and pooled to the west of Kupaianaha and then channeled to the north before eventually forming shields and we all know what it did for the next 3.5 years. I was up on Puu Oo within hours of that eruption and was lucky enough to see in person the 2 mile long wall of spattering lava ending in a tremendously huge boiling lava lake. An amazing unforgettable sight. Unfortunately that was a fleeting view of less than a minute. The area was locked in a dense fog with fierce lightning over near Mauna Loa. Imagine hiking over 15 miles for less than a 1 minute view. So, instead of waiting for a chance of maybe capturing some photos, I chose to hike back to my Jeep and head up to Kupaianaha via Kalapana for a close up view. If you look at a map you will see this was no small feat. 38 miles in 2 days/night plus the 150+ miles of one way driving. A friend tagged along on the Kupaianaha venture. The fissures had stopped spattering leaving 3 growing perched lava lakes. This was the beginnings of the TEB episode. Check out the images here from that adventure and a few in the following months. Glow from that episode can be seen in this image.

I mention this so, one can understand I do have real world experiences of nearly every episode spanning from 1991 to the present. Does it mean I’m 100% correct, of course not. I do base my adventures on my experience and its served me very well when getting images of great lava flow events. It’s also stopped me from ever trying to view many eruptions too. Its more important knowing when not to go. A new video from Blue Hawaiian heli tours can be seen here on KHNL’s website. Watch it and you will get an idea of the vast terrain between Puu Oo and the pali and that the flow has a long ways to go. What appears to be smooth surrounding old lava is anything but. It’s the shelly stuff that will cut you up in a bad way. It also doesn’t allow for a quick retreat if needed.  Personally I would like to see this stall and die out. I’d rather have lava return to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in some way. Just a side note. When viewing the USGS web-cams, they are set to be overexposed so, faint glow of lava can be seen. This makes a normal flow look way more intense than it really is.

Happy viewing for those doing heli tours.

A reminder to check out my prints at some island galleries. The great shots of the first perched lava lake inside of Puu Oo vent are a must see. Trudy’s Island Arts in the Kona International Market, Krazy About Kona in the Kona Inn Shopping Village ( ck out the new print of Fire and Ice on glass. More on that later), Kona Mountain Coffee on Queen K hwy and Oahu (Waikiki) and the Volcano Art Center in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Also look for my images on official park gifts at the visitors centers. My Fire and Ice poster and the terrific new stainless steel water bottles. Magnets, postcards etc… Tell them you want to see more of my work on the gifts.

Updated Graph 9-25-11 Continued Deflation

Blue line is Puu Oo and green the summit. Note the blue line slowly dropping.

Available at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park visitors centers

Aloha,

Puu Oo had a sudden large surge of magma hit after midnight sending a very large channelized flow to the east. Nearly a 50 microdon inflation of magma. Still waiting on an official update to see how far it has traveled. Easily over 2 miles. Depending on whether the flow was able to get through the area of large shields it may stay to the west of what’s left of Royal Gardens. This would take it in the direction of Jack Thompson’s place. Or it could just as easily die out before it ever gets much further. Follow me on facebook and or google+ for quicker updates. I’m usually the first to report. This should be common sense but, stay away from this area! There could be a lot more events before this settles down. Besides, it’s a very long hike to this area and never hike up from below to a flow like this. The terrain in this area is un-hike-able due to all the shield building activity from earlier eruptions.

Aloha,

Bryan Lowry
lavapix.com

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