Hilo (Sad Little City)
For many years, I've wanted to see molten lava. It was this desire that drove me--by degrees--to Hilo. Hilo, HI is the largest city on the Big Island. Even so, it is small and dead. Every moment spent in Hilo reminded me plainly that the city existed to house tourists. There is little to see and even less to do. Eager to see lava, I quickly rented a car and left without regret.
Night Hikes over Lava (Misery)
Visitors to Hawaii Volcanoes National park are greeted by steam vents and some impressive craters. . . but no molten lava. After setting up camp in one of the few places not covered in lava and steam vents, I headed down the Chain of Craters road to the coast in hopes of catching my first glimpse of molten lava. After hours of hiking over extremely rugged lava, breathing in toxic fumes the whole way, what I got was this:
The experience was admittedly amazing. On the distant slopes I could see small snakes of lava flowing. The smell of ash and the red glow of molten rock gave the whole area a mystical feeling. The forces of fire and water struggled in an epic tale of death and creation.
Still, the experience was a little disappointing. I had to use a zoom to get the above shot, and the distant glow of lava just wasn't what I was hoping for. One side note: if you attempt this at night, bring at least two lights. I brought one with extra batteries, but my light broke and I ended up stumbling back using my phone as a flashlight (an absolutely horrible idea). A gas mask might not hurt either. The fumes and ash from the lava are almost suffocating at times.
Success: Molten Lava
The disappointment of getting only so close stayed with me as I traveled around the island. On my last day on the Big Island, I decided to give the lava another shot. Following a tip I got from a local, I hiked in from the east (outside the park boundary). This route was faster and shorter. At first, I didn't find any molten lava here, either, but as I walked around, following vent holes, the air and ground heated up substantially. Finally, I stumbled upon what I'd been searching for:
I was elated and amazed and just started screaming. It was the most amazing sight I've seen. I was about 4 meters away when I first saw the lava slowly creeping along.
Photographs of the lava tell only part of the story. To really understand what it's like to see molten lava, you must experience the intense heat and hear the popping, cracking noises it makes as it breaks out from under the hardened lava.
I was both amazed and delighted by how close I could get to the lava:
This is where I got the photo for my avatar:
Warnings:
Trying to get this close to lava is probably really stupid. First, the heat is intense and frequently unbearable. Below, I'm turning tail after oncoming lava became too hot for me to stand. The funny look on my face is the look of PAIN.
Second, the outside of the lava forms a hard shell very quickly and it is sometime difficult to tell the old from the new. At one point, I looked down at the lava I was standing on only to find that all the cracks in it were glowing red: 
Needless to say, this was extremely unsettling.
Finally, the new lava is very unstable and frequently collapses into the sea, so doing this:
is really stupid and unnecessarily risky.
To summarize, don't do the things I did.
I highly recommend visiting Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. However, make sure you're prepared. If you need advice about this trip, drop me a line, and I'll be happy to help you out.
Resources
Directions to a Roundabout Route to Lava
To get to lava flows from the east start in Hilo. Take Highway 11 south to 130 south. Close to the end of 130, take a small road named Kiamu Chain of Craters Rd. This branches off in a southwestern direction. Unlike Chain of Craters Rd to the West, when this road is blocked by lava flow, a small dirt road goes up over the lava flow. Maps of this area are below:
In Other News
I've finally finished designing my photo book and am eagerly awaiting the final product. You can drop me a line about this too. Get art. Support a starving artist.
And finally, THE AMAZING FLYING GECKO: 
This little guy dropped down onto the windshild when I was driving at 35 mph. Miraculously, he survived unscathed.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Hawaii Vacation Recomendation: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Trail Recomendation: Young and Dog Lakes
I've included another two page spread in my coffee-table book. This panorama is one of my favorites. I hiked this trail in the hight of summer and was almost completely alone the entire time. I saw one or two people in the first mile, then nothing the rest of the day.
The Young Lake trail starts at Tuolumne Meadows and works its way straight back into the wilderness, crossing creeks and cutting through meadows.
There is an eastern and western route up to the Young Lakes. Be sure to take the eastern route either coming or going, and stop at Dog Lake. The area around dog lake is full of meadows and marshes
perfect for the grazing of dear. The whole area is perfectly peaceful and restorative.
Image at Left: one of the glacier scraped meadows along the trail, surrounded by a crown of distant, jagged peaks.
The National Park Service doesn't have a trail description for the Young Lakes, but Outside Magazine wrote a great article about backpacking to the Lakes titled "Going Backcountry in Yosemite." One note on the article: While backpacking would be a nice option, it is not necessary. I had no difficulty completing the route as a day hike.
Happy Exploring,
B
Thursday, March 13, 2008
"Yosemite" by Benjamin Burner
My coffee table book is in full swing. I've made it to page twelve. I'm still working through the layout though.
The text to the right of this two page spread reads:
Yosemite is neither rocks nor trees nor waterfalls. It is a living, breathing entity described but not encompassed by its features. Yosemite has a soul, a spirit, moods, and a personality. And we must build a relationship with
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
The Wilderness Coffee Table Book
The newest project here at Burner Photography (my one bedroom apartment) is an attempt to put together a coffee table book. I'm going to take entries from my travel journals and pair them with full page photographs. Then, I'll have my very own coffee table book when friends come over. Below is an example of what I'm thinking:
"Between El Capitan and Half Dome lies Yosemite Valley. At this height, the trees that cover the Valley floor look like a thick green carpet, but it is hard to miss on this carpet many open sores that will never heal, roads and buildings hacked through ancient forests by humanity's foolish hands. And how does the Valley react to this ravishment? She allows us to speed between her 2000 foot high grey cliffs in our giant machines.
She allows us access to her very heart, to her most sacred regions. The mountains surround the Valley, crowned in gleaming white snow, like the hair of a wise man. Yet these mountains look on in silence, watching as we desecrate the Valley."
What do you think? Would this make for a good coffee table book? Be honest.
