My daughter & I went for a hike the other day in the Thurston Lava Tube, and this photo is of yours truly at the very end of the lava tube, I am sitting on what was originally the flowing lava that filled the "tube" before the flow "petered out" (anyone know where that term came from? It is very fun to say ;}) As you can see, the roof of the tube and the top of the flow meet...I laid on my tummy & could touch the back wall with my fingertips. It is very cool and moist but not wet in the tube and if you turn off your flashlights and just sit for a while you begin to see images in the dark as your eyes struggle to adjust to the total absence of light. And pretty soon you can hear your heart beat, & then the person your with's heart beat...pretty surreal & very cool.
And this is my daughter in the same place...notice our flashlights, most important thing to take on the hike!
This end of the tube is past the "public" area, most people stop at the gate thinking they are not allowed any further. Not true, the gate is not locked and you just need closed toed shoes and flashlights to hike the rest of the way in. There is one good sized gallery that I want to go back and explore further.
The public section is a fun quick hike for most visitors, though I feel that the electric lights and such rob it of some of it's charm...I do understand why it had to be done after watching the dichotomy of people visiting the tube though...one lady even had a oxygen tank!
This hike is worth the trip, and it's especially fun to take the chain of craters road and look at all of the different pukas, Kiluea & Puueo gets all the press but over the years there has been a lot of action on this mountain and it is a good reminder to us all that this system is still alive & kickin.
Check out this link for a neat site I found when surfin around for more info on the Lava Tube Click here and then go to the "where the name came from" link. And this link has some nice photos...
3 comments:
Sounds like a fascinating place to visit. I would very much like to try turning off the lights, looking and listening
Your name fascinates me. My grandfather was a Williams, born at Trevellas Downs, Cornwall. Are we related?
What a fascinating coincidence...probably no relation as Williams is my married name. I am Irish, American Indian & Cajun French. People always ask what my name means? I tell them "It mans my mother has a great imagination!", I am sure it has a meaning (Have no clue), but only in the last few years have I become aware that there are actual places I share my name with, & today I added a new one, Cornwall! Thanks!
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