Kilauea Episode 34 – “Six Hours of Fire”

🕰️ COUNTDOWN TO FIRE USGS had pencilled in 29 Jan for the next show. We spent the night in the parking lot – windows cracked, thermos coffee, YouTube live-stream on split-screen. Every 10 minutes a red ripple: “overflow!” … then nothing. By 06:00 the crater looked asleep – only white fume and our bleary eyes. Plan B: day-hike the caldera, crawl into bed early. Phone on pillow, Volcano Call subscription armed. Five minutes after lights-off – ding. It’s on. 🌋 GO-TIME 22:30 Logic said sleep – history says 10-12 hr runs. But I wanted the start – highest fountains, loudest growl. So sneakers back on, half a granola bar, and we join the red snake of taillights heading into the park. Half the sky is already neon copper. Rangers wave cars through – no tickets, just awe. Park at D-point observation, walk the last 500 m. Every language around us: Korean, German, baby babble, local pidgin. Someone FaceTimes grandma in Manila. A 70-year-old in Volcano-chaser vest says this is his 9th episode. A dad pushes a pram with glow-stick bracelets. Strangers share extra batteries. This is humanity at its most collective. 🔥 THE SHOW Fountains hit 400 m – four football fields straight up. Lava threads spider across the caldera floor, forming a glowing net that pulses with each new pulse. The ground hums like a giant sub-woofer. My camera forgets focus – I stop trying. Chinese uncle beside me laughs into his phone: “May China A-share market erupt like this – forever red-hot!” Instant metaphor, instant memory. 📸 SHOOTING TIPS (that night) Phone: night-mode 3 sec handheld – rest lens on railing for stability. DSLR: ISO 3200, f/2.8, 1/60 sec catches fountain texture without blur. Color temp: leave it auto – orange cast is real. Sound: record 10 sec video – the bass rumble is impossible to describe. 🌡️ FIELD REALITY Wind: trades 20 km/h – hat becomes donation to Pele. Temp: 15 °C at 1,200 m – hoodie + shorts perfect. Gas: vog (volcanic smog) drifts NW – N95 if you’re asthma-sensitive. Time window: fountains peaked 23:00-02:00; by 04:00 activity dropped 50 %. Phones: power-bank – cold + long exposure drains battery fast. 🚗 EXIT STRATEGY By 03:30 fountains shrink to 100 m; crowd thins. We drive out under a copper moon, windows down, sulfur-scented air. Back at hotel 04:15 – sleep comes instantly, dreams still glowing orange. 💡 HOW TO REPEAT (responsibly) Subscribe: USGS “Volcano Notification Service” + YouTube livestream alerts. Pack: hoodie, N95, power-bank, thermos, red-light headlamp (preserves night vision). Drive: park only in designated lots – rangers WILL ticket if you block emergency lane. Respect: stay behind ropes; lava benches collapse without warning. Share: let others pass your tripod spot – we’re all here for the same goose-bumps. 🌅 EPILOGUE Six hours later the crater sleeps again, but the after-image is burned into retinas and memory cards. “Like A-shares” guy is probably still laughing; I’m still editing orange photos that no filter can improve. Kilauea Episode 34 – short, sweet, unforgettable. Until the next ding. #US #Hawaii #Honolulu