Day Five

March 9, 2007, Friday

Back in Whittier, our most famous waterfall is the Horsetail Falls. Here in Hawaii, we visited the Akaka Falls. It seemed like it was twice as tall as Horsetail Falls back at home. At the bottom, there was actually a large cloud of mist floating about. At the viewing spot, the group used the ASOF probes to analyze the area’s conditions. The more practice we get, the better we get at using the equipments.

When we arrived in Hilo, we finally got our perfect chance to get some spiffy souvenirs. We stopped at a store and bought various gifts. Some of us bought the legendary 100 percent Kona coffee beans, and pearls from oysters. For myself, Wayne, I was slightly lucky to get two pink pearls in one oyster. Plus, I only paid nine dollars to get those precious jewels.

Later in the night, our group and the local students hiked through the lava field. Don’t worry; we didn’t walk on top of hot lava. However, It was not easy to hike at night, especially if there was one flashlight for every two or three people. It was dark, somewhat hot, the trail was dangerous, and some people were getting dehydrated. I believe everyone at least fell two or three times during the five-hour roundtrip. When you fall, you don’t only impact against the ground, but you also scratch up your skin. There was sweat and blood dripping down the bare skin.

We started hiking in Lava National Park around 6:00pm or 7:00pm. Our bodies made it back at 12:30am. Yes, the hike was long and difficult. From all my experience, this was the toughest hike I ever been. It was dark and hot! The trail had rocks that had small, sharp edges. No one made it out with a scrape.

However, at the end of the trail, we got to see a slow-moving lava flow. The bright orange glowed throughout the night. The cooling stage crackled, while flowing in and out of our ears. When you get within 10 feet of the lava flow, you could feel the increase of temperature. It was only possible for us to get as close as three feet. Anyways, the lava flow was somewhat disappointing, but I could brag, “I saw molten lava!”

I’m really tired and scratched up from the intense hike. We’re here in KMC, which is a military camp. It’s not like the boot camp barracks. In fact, it’s a pretty nice place. Alright, good night.