The Hawaii Trip
Photo: On the Big Island of Hawaii at the Ocean Entry, where the lava from the Kilauea volcano meets the Pacific Ocean. I'm holding my Canon GL-1 mini DV camera. I was presented with this green lei as a member of the wedding party...
Be careful what you wish for.
As a television producer, I had worked on a few programs about volcanoes in the past but never really found myself up close to one. Then I came up with the idea of the “Best Place To Watch A Volcano” and pitched it around the office.
Next thing I knew I was halfway around the world, in a helicopter, landing next to a bubbling, unpredictable volcano shooting out 2000 degree lava in every direction. It was an incredible experience - to see the birth of new land, to feel the kind of heat that melts rocks.
On the volcano, a strange feeling came over me. I was staring down disaster. Me, the guy who traded scuba diving for sunset photography. Father of two, sedan-driving, mutual fund-buying, throw-the-milk-out-after-it-expires, me. Not exactly your classic risk taker. Suddenly I found myself looking down the throat of an angry volcano. The ground all around me was hot and the smoke was choking. My heart beat wildly. I feel the earth – move – under my feet – and a little voice asks: what the hell am I doing here? But then, gradually, a steadier calm descended on me. This was pretty cool. Hey, anything could happen and yet, here I stand, on the edge of an active volcano.
None too soon, my work was done and I was back in the chopper. My legs shook as the helicopter blades chopped through the hot, heavy air. What in the world motivates people toward such danger? And what keeps them coming back?