Reading the data it really looked like Saturday would be the day, the USGS forecast was for Saturday, the online chatter agreed… Saturday.
The volcano does what the volcano does… The eruption started Sunday morning.
This time I had followed up on my bet, spending all day Saturday in the park. Arriving well before sunrise, not leaving until well after dark… missing the eruption, but still enjoying the day.
I spent some time on the north rim, the stars bright, Jupiter and Venus bright, it was going to be a lovely day.
For sunrise I headed to Volcano House, setting up the GoPro for a time-lapse and trying some shots of Steaming Bluff in the dawn. There was a small group there doing the same, we watched the dawn and chatted. Everyone had the same question, when does the eruption start?
One gent I spoke with had slept in his car, delaying his return to Oahu, waiting for lava. This was a theme I would hear in conversation several times in the day, folks camped out, betting on the predictions.
As dawn progressed the smells from the hotel kitchen promised better than the trail mix stashed on my camera pack. On to the buffet! Actually pretty good, all you can eat, omelette bar, fresh fruit, Portuguese sausage, for a decent price. I cleared a few plates to provide sustenance for the wait.
I did have one bit of business, getting my annual park pass renewed. With the number of times I have been visiting, this will be well worth it.
May as well go for a walk.
A couple spots along chain of craters road looked good, off trail, exploring some recent lava flows. A pretty day was promised, and that is what we got.
Evening saw me at the Keanakako’i Overlook on the south rim. Again hanging out with a rather dedicated bunch, everyone looking to see red. Some folks had been in the park for a couple days waiting. A fun evening talking volcano, other adventures, just a pleasant evening swapping stories.
I gave up around 9pm, finally walking back to the vehicle and heading through the night to home. I stopped in the saddle to enjoy the stars a bit, a lovely calm night under the Milky Way.
The eruption finally started, about 3am Sunday morning. Checking the cams from the comfort of my bed I watched the lava erupt in a dramatic fountain.
It looks like the high fountains are over. It is likely the shape of the vent has changed, losing the narrow, nozzle like shape that created a jet of lava 1,200 to 1,400 ft in the air. Episode 29 featured a massive, but fairly low fountain that never exceeded a few hundred feet high that emitted an estimated 7 million cubic meters of lava over the course of the 13 hour long eruption.
It will be a few weeks before I can try again, will miss the next cycle. But I probably will try again.
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