Everyone agrees that writing a journal or blog takes a lot of effort, and sometimes also involves a lot of cost. But the reason for doing it varies from person to person, and each blogger likely has more than one objective as well. All this influences what people actually write in a blog, and we have often thought of the thousands of topics that actually could and do get covered.

All these are thoughts that came to the fore when I put the latest lava report into the "Oh, Oh Pahoa" page. Realizing that we would no doubt end up cycling to the edge of the lava, or as close as we can get, I recalled the last time we did something like that. I thought the memories were still pretty clear, but I could not recall the exact year.

As it happens, the year was 1988, a little before blogging online became very common. But, we did have a paper journal. We had it with the help of our then sixteen year old daughter Laurie, who presented us with a log book before we left. On the first page of the book Laurie had put an inscription, one which remains a good inspiration for us, and perhaps for other bloggers. This is what she wrote:

With Love to Mom and Dad,

I got this journal so that you could write down everything that you do. You could even pretend you're talking right to us if you like! Maybe then you won't miss us or worry too much! Remember the most important thing is to have fun!

Love now and forever,

Laurie

The journal turned out to record not just the helicopter flight and lava walk to the sea, but quite a few other adventures and encounters which are now forgotten, or only dimly remembered. It is not clear that the kids actually read this stuff, since a hand written journal is hard to scan through, speed read, or share. But here is one sample of what is in there:

" About 11:30 we set off to scout the trail to Napau Crater, which we are considering for an overnight.The trail passes between Pu'u Huluhulu and Mauna Ulu. The former is a small hill and the latter is the cone from which the massive lava that covers the southeast slopes came from in 1969-74. The whole area is like a frozen sea, with hills and valleys of lava. The weather was variable but mostly hard rain driven by high wind. Our rainshells got a workout.

The scene was eerie, and eerier yet because the rain was usually joined by steam from numerous vents. It was like a movie set with smoke machines and fans. Off the trail were signs in four languages saying "hazardous area - keep out". However the cone of Mauna Ulu with smoke coming from the top looked so interesting that we went for it.

At the top was an immensely deep and vertically sided crater. The steam was noticeably hot, and we were aware that we were on one of the most active spots, within walking distance of the current eruption. As I took a photo and putting the camera away, Dodie edged close to the rim for a better look. "Stop, Stop!" I shouted. Don't move! No, no, no, no!", but she kept stealing inches toward the edge. I held her arm with two hands and we moved just a little closer. The wind, at about 45 mph was blowing straight toward the crater.

I pointed out the fractured edge and recalled the number of climbers who had broken through snow cornices. We retreated, but this little climb had been a big thrill."

With any luck, this current blog (once it really gets going) will not be quite as exciting as the 1988 one. On the other hand we are remembering all the interesting things we had found in Hawaii and are really anticipating having another look at it, this time from our trusty bikes.

Heart

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