Kilauea

I visited Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in 1998. It was beautiful in so many ways. A little bit of life peeks out here and there through the cracks in the lava. It amazes me still to think that even in a vast crater of hardened lava there is new, albeit delicate, life.

The locals leave flowers at certain memorial sites; there is a striking contrast between the simple flower and cold hard lava. Then you walk a little further and you can see lava spurting out in the distance and to know that you are standing so close to something so powerful gives you a chill.

Can't go in the forseeable future? Take an e-trip on the National Park's web site.

I saw a picture of new lava flow in the MSN pictures of the week that reminded me of the beauty of this park. The hiking is very physical but well worth the effort.