What’s the most amazing natural phenomenon you’ve witnessed or experienced? Over the years, I’ve seen a few total lunar and solar eclipses, the incredible Milky Way, and the dancing Aurora Borealis (Northern lights), to name a few. One experience that left me with a warm feeling for a long while was the episode 33 eruption of Kīlauea volcano at Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park (HVNP) on Hawai’i Island (Big Island).
My vacation had already been planned for Maui and Kaua’i, with a return home date set for September 18th. I was following the United States Geological Survey (USGS) updates about Kīlauea, and saw predictions of another fountaining event expected between the 18th and 20th. I convinced my partner to change our flight home and instead flew to Hilo, Hawai’i Island. Luckily, we were able to rent a reasonably priced home in Volcano Village for 3 nights, and I kept my fingers crossed for the eruption to happen during that timeframe.
We picked up the rental car, went to a nearby grocery store for food items, and then drove to Volcano. After settling in, we had dinner at a restaurant two blocks away. There were TV screens with a live video of Kīlauea. The splattering was more frequent, and I thought that fountaining was sure to happen that Friday night. Although I was exhausted, I was too excited about the possibility of seeing a volcanic eruption, so I kept waking up every hour to check the live feed for updates. At around 3 a.m., I woke and noticed the splattering was at a higher volume, and I knew then that fountaining would be happening soon. We got ready, grabbed our bags, got into the car, and drove up to HVNP. As we turned onto Highway 11, we saw a big red plume in the sky ahead of us. WOW!! My excitement grew even bigger!
Since it was so early in the morning and we were staying just outside the park, we didn’t encounter any traffic. We entered the park and decided to park the car in the temporary lot next to Kīlauea Military Camp. From there, we walked to Crater Rim Trail and got our first glimpse of the fountain. We stood in amazement and then took a few pictures and videos. As the time went by, we would take in the views from different parts of the rim trail and marvel at God’s creation. It felt like a spiritual event throughout the morning with the stars glistening in the red sky, the birds flying around the volcano, and the magical sunrise in the opposite direction.
At daylight, more people arrived to witness this spectacular event. The fountains had peaked at 800ft (roughly 243 meters), there was more tephra being ejected, and we were desperately in need of sleep. We left the park at 9:30 a.m. after an incredible experience. As much as I loved the photos I took, they don’t capture the full beauty of what my eyes saw in person that day.
As I write this post, episode 44 is predicted to happen in roughly two to three weeks. I follow the daily USGS updates to see what Kīlauea is up to (I’m somewhat obsessed, haha). I wouldn’t be opposed to making another visit during an eruption 
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Some tips for enjoying this natural event in case you plan to visit:
•Respect the land
•Do not cross barriers
•Carry a mask in case the wind blows vog in your direction
•Have patience and enjoy the occasion
•If one spot is crowded, walk a little further away and enjoy the view.
How about you? Have you seen a volcanic eruption in person? What was your experience? If you haven’t, is this something you think you would like to experience?
. Thanks for reading! I’m glad you enjoyed it 
