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We were blown away by the contrast of the lava fields, the destruction, the rebirth, and the beautiful tropical ocean.

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This is another view of the lava flows from Kilaeua.

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Palm trees that survived the wrath of the lava flows.

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Another amusing sign in Hawaii.

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Yet another amusing sign, and this one too is deadly serious.

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Our real hike to the lava entry points started at the point where Chain of Craters Road is covered by lava.

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Jen posing for a quick shot before embarking on the 2.5 mile (each way!) hike over the lava flows.

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A look up at the lava flows. At the right of the picture are the current flows. We couldn\'t tell during the day, but at night we could see the incandescent flows heading down the hillside.

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The first part of the trail was well marked with yellow reflectors- follow the yellow brick road!

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We saw part of the road later on, following the trail.

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Looking back towards Chain of Crater Road.

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This is what most of our hike looked like- lots of uneven flows of lava. Easy to see during the day (if not strenuous), but tough at night with no moonlight and only a flashlight.

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A sign that got trapped in the lava, singed, and then modified by a hiker.

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The shadows of Owen & Jen from the top of a rise in the old lava flow.

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Owen resting during the hike. This picture shows a bit of the trail we followed.

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We followed the \'\'yellow brick road\'\' reflectors until... the trail ended. This was about 3/4 mile, and we were left to forge our own trails for the remaining distance. There were lighted beacons which marked the general path of the trail, but they were well spread apart.

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Off in the distance, the lava entry points of East Lae\'apuki (front) and the Kamokuna just became visible.

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This is the 2nd beacon (we hiked to just past the 5th). This one came with a slight warning. Yes, we saw this and decided to press on!

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We were blown away by the contrast of the lava fields, the destruction, the rebirth, and the beautiful tropical ocean.

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