This is some of the kids getting smarmy for the camera when we hiked out to the Lava flow...it was like a whose who of Hawaii out there that Sunday, everyone was stopping to visit with family/friends/neighbors/co-workers, etc... all we needed was cold beer & pupus to make it a right old party! Yes it was a little irreverent but there was actually a lot of awe & respect for the power of Mother Nature/Pele/God, etc...and people were watching out for each other, so that was cool.
One commenter asked if it was safe to be this close? Excellent questions with a quick answer...NO! It falls under the category of acceptable risk and that's a personal choice. People always want you to tell them that it's going to be A-ok and no one will ever get hurt...well, that's just not true. This volcano is not "TAME" or safe, or dependable, etc... we really do not know what it is going to do next, Click Here for article. And we need to keep that up most in our minds, even when we are trekking out to be amazed!
And yes, I felt a lot safer than if I were, oh, say... skydiving or something...but that's just me...
