As a seven year old kid I had the amazing experience of being able to visit Hawai’i Volcano National Park. I was able to walk across rocks created by hardened lava as well as see the island that had been created by volcanoes only a million years ago. I was amazed to learn that to this day, the earth’s crust is still moving, causing volcanic eruptions to occur, just like the volcanic eruptions millions of years ago that created the Hawaiian Islands I had just spent the last two weeks visiting. Back in 2002 while visiting Hawai’i Volcano National Park, I was able to experience and see firsthand the impact volcanoes can make on the land.
On one of our last days in Hawaii, my parents packed me and my sister Elise in our little rental car and headed off towards the other side of the island to visit the lava fields. While driving towards the park my sister and I, as usual, were annoyed that we had to ride in the car for so long and then spend the whole day walking around doing stuff we deemed “boring” since it didn’t involve getting to swim at the beach all day. At seven and eight years old, my sister and I had no interest in seeing a lava field (whatever that was) but instead wanted to go back to the black sand beach and see the sea turtles we had taken a picture with just the day before. As we drove along the road, our path was suddenly blocked by something big and black. My parents quickly informed me and my sister that we had arrived at our destination. We were at a lava field where hardened lava had spilled over the road.
As my family and I walked along the rocks, my parents explained that the hardened lava we were walking on came from a recent volcanic eruption that was still slowly flowing. When we looked towards the ocean we could see steam rising where molten lava, burning hot, was flowing into the water. As I looked around, I was amazed at how far the lava field stretched and how much it had changed the landscape. I was witnessing the creation of land. This process, over millions of years, would turn these black rocks into land where plants would grow and animals, as well as humans, would make their home. Being at this park, seeing the steam rising from the ocean and the lava blocking the road, was an experience I will never forget. Knowing and being able to see for myself that the earth and the ground beneath us is constantly moving, changed how I viewed the world. Having this experience and going to that lava field gave me a new appreciation of the beautiful world around me that I will never forget.
