Steam rising from the crater of Mount Kilauea.
The landscape at Volcanoes National Park was one of the most primeval, uncompromising landscapes that I have ever seen. It was truly incredible to see how the earth was formed, and an incredible lesson in the vibrancy and sheer determination of life. Once a lava flow has hardened to rock, sediment and nutrients gather in the cracks and plants like the fern below take up residency, their roots slowly cracking the rock, creating an environment for other plants.
We took an early morning hike through the mist down the ridge of a crater, and then straight through the middle of the lava field. Being the only people on the trail made the landscape seem even more desolate, and it really made me wonder why the early Hawaiians decided to make this place their home, when just the other side of the island is a lush, tropical rainforest. But our homes mean more to us than the sum of the productivity of the land - we adjust, we adapt, we slave over the land to make it livable simply because it's our home, and where else would we want to live but home?
The desolate landscape.
Ferns.
Plants eke out a living in cracks on a lava field.
Steam vents.
Path through the lava field.
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