Gazing into The Caldera
Category: Hawai’i
Exploring the islands
A Changing Landscape
A tale of two lava lakes, of a landscape altered in way so dramatic it is hard to comprehend.
We think of solid rock being the ultimate in permanency, something about the world that should never change, at least in the span of a few months. Geologic change takes thousands of years, not less than one, it just seems wrong when this rule is violated.
Places we once stood, or parked a car, a hiking trail across a plain of solid rock… All gone in a dramatic upheaval. A parking lot the lies upon a block of rock the size of a supertanker, sitting hundreds of feet below where I once parked the car. Change is the reality of an active volcano.
I have seen change on this scale once before when Mt. St. Helens removed a mountain top that stood upon the horizon of childhood memory. Here at Kilauea the change was a bit slower, but no less dramatic.
I look across that caldera and note the places that are the same, the places that are gone. I may understand what has happened and how, but still some parts of my mind insist that this just cannot be true… Solid rock should not disappear or crumble like a cookie.
The return of lava to the crater seems like a return of normalcy. There was lava here for years, there should be lava here. Perhaps the lava will cover over that yawning pit that should not be. Fill the yawning chasm that affronts my senses so.
Perhaps, if the crater continues to fill, flooded to the rim with new lava, a new caldera floor will form, the cycle complete. Perhaps it may be possible to once again walk across the floor of Kilauea Caldera.
Lava Crowd
Visiting the New Lake
The lava burst forth from the crater wall just before Christmas. After two years of quiet the volcano has again erupted. Within hours the lake of water that had been slowly growing had been boiled away in a huge plume of steam.
I knew within minutes that an eruption had begun, tapped into the island grapevine. While I considered making a midnight run across island I had to bow to the needs of life and regretfully went to bed.
Now well into the new year I finally had a chance to photograph the new lava lake.
Continue reading “Visiting the New Lake”Keck and Subaru
2020 in Photos
It is a bit redundant at this point to remark on how troublesome the year 2020 has been. Looking back at the year in photos I can note that I did not get out much. No big trip, mostly staying home, a few photos taken on local hikes just to get out of the house.
Still, I did take a few photos last year…
Big White
Got her.
This pig was one of the two I am trying to catch, all that remains of the original eight in the group. One big white pig and one young black, they have evaded my trap for over a month, sometimes stopping by, but hesitating to step into the wire cage.
A bit of a surprise… Contrary to my assumption big white was female.
While she had been quite shy of going into the trap, a bait tray loaded with banana peels, pineapple scraps, and sweet potato peelings had proven irresistible. The trap slammed shut just after 4am. Lightly dozing I heard the plywood door drop and knew immediately that I had caught another pig. Oddly this pig was silent, no squealing to wake the neighbors.
This time I had help loading the pig, my parents are visiting for the holiday. Trapping and handling a feral pig is another story to tell when they get back home.
There is only one pig left of this pack, a mid-sized black that is the last of the litter mates. He was hanging around when we removed the older female this morning, is still hanging out in the area. Got the trap right back into position and baited in case.
Another Night, Another Pig…
Two in a row!
After going almost two weeks without catching anything I get two pigs in two nights. As usual the pigs came in to check on my compost pile. The sliced up apple proved too much a temptation and into the trap he went.
I have been been using apples from the sales rack our local village market. There is a shelf at the back where spoiled produce is placed at cut rate prices. A bag of bruised apples for a dollar makes good pig bait.
As you can see there is another pig outside the trap in the video below. Actually I think there are three more remaining in the neighborhood after this one. One big white spotted and two more smaller black pigs. The trap will be reset and ready tonight!
Black Friday Deal
Got a deal this Black Friday… A free pig. Deb heard the crashing in the wee hours as the pig expressed his displeasure at being trapped. No screaming this time, but lots of jumping about in the camera view.
The pig war continues.
This makes four, with possibly up to four more to go in our neighborhood drove. The pig damage has definitely abated since the numbers have been reduced. particularly after I got mama a couple weeks ago.
The bait this time was a couple spoiled bananas that must have smelled good, the pig went right into the trap with no hesitation. You can see him push under the trip wire to close the trap.
This pig was removed from the neighborhood, never to eat my tomatoes again.
Pig Problems
I have had it with the pigs, stealing my ripe tomatoes crosses the line!
The pigs have been around for months, but the damage had previously been minor. A mother and a litter of piglets caught on camera.
As the piglets grew in size so has the damage. Thus I find myself in the pig trapping business and learning the art of baiting pigs. It is not easy, pigs are wary critters.
The trap comes from a local guy who works for the village association, the result of a few emails to put us in touch. He stopped by a morning later with a very nicely made pig trap. Every few mornings I send him a text with an update, and occasionally a pic of the latest catch.
Continue reading “Pig Problems”