Hawai`i Part IV: Mind over Molten Matter

I demanded that the boys stay close behind me and follow in my exact footsteps. A side step could stumble them into a deep crevice. The shallowness of our breaths captured the hope and the strain of our journey. As we got further out, the flashlights from other hikers decreased and became almost non-existent.

Our path was a solitary one.

The red lava snaked high up the face of the mountain and disappeared, reappearing just before the cliff into the ocean. It became evident that we’d made our final turn when we could see the cliff, the best viewing point on the island, ahead about 300 yards. 

Our steps and strides quickened and we approached the edge where we saw three people clustered together under a blanket. We walked up to them and felt the dark ocean breeze clog our throats. We peered over the edge.

It was amazing.    

The lava river slid down the cliff and along a short beach, seemingly innocently, only to explode furiously upon contact with the cold, ocean water. It was a reddish, orange firework-like explosion, which nicely lighted our view. Some of the lava returned to the shore in a black and red steaming wave. White steam constantly formed a cloudy vertical line into the sky from the beach. The ocean whispered its breeze on our necks, tousling our hair. 

A cruise ship in the distance was a constant stream of tiny flashbulbs, trying to capture the scene from their perspective. I wondered if the passengers even imagined we were sitting on the shadowed cliff they were ogling. I’ve read that on any given night, the most stars the naked eye can view are around 2000. Surrounded by the mysterious night and landscape, I’d say we could see at least 1900 of ’em. 

Watching the constant confrontation between lava and water was mesmerizing. This is how land is created—the beginning. All of my senses were heightened. 

The two boys pulled out their cell phones and I guffawed, “How can you be on your phones at a moment like this?” I was about to launch into a lecture before they explained that they were just trying to utilize the camera function to take a picture. “Oh,” I replied.