During an eruption anything can happen. Anywhere. Without warning. Nothing can be taken for granted. Your every action depends on your experience and how you read the situation.

Here all your senses are on alert. You must be acutely aware of changes. Changes in the ever-present roar, changes in wind direction, changes in fountain height and shape, changes in the heat. The heat is everywhere. It sears your skin, scorches your clothes, and tries to set your feet on fire.

In your mind you keep asking: Can I still get out of here the way I got in? What do I do, where do I run...if it breaks out behind me, if the wind shifts, if the forest ignites. Panic and you've had it.

It's intense, whether it's your first or fortieth trip. The experience is always hard to describe, for there is little in our world to compare it to. This video will help you feel what it's really like to be out there.

Aloha

John, Ken, Cheryl, and Jenda