Pele (Pronounced 'pay-lay')

The Goddess of fire, lightening, wind, and volcanoes.  Described in ancient Hawaiian chants as "She Who Shapes the Sacred Land"

Pele the Goddess who was passionate, volatile, and capricious (impulsive, quirky, unpredictable) Sound familiar? 

I was working the late shift when I decided "tomorrow is going to be the day I hike the volcano." I didn't care about my overflowing laundry basket, my naked fridge, or how exhausted I was going to be...this girl was on a mission. It was time to embrace Pele. As midnight rolled around, my mind was racing on who I could convince to join me on my excursion. The harder I thought, the deeper my forehead wrinkle became, accompanied by a double "stink" eye. Hmmm....out of the 5 people I know here, all 5 are working tomorrow. That's when my lovely co-worker, Angela, gave me permission to "steal" her boyfriend for the day. Even though my night at work was like fingernails on a chalkboard, I couldn't help but drive home with full perma-grin on display. 


As I awoke to the frogs catastrophic melody, the rain lightly brushing my lanai door, my forehead wrinkle still lingering (this time from fatigue instead of deep thought), with George nowhere to be found, and my mind and body cursing me, "go back to bed" while my heart was pleading, "Get up and get your hike on." I couldn't help but follow my heart. My soul. My passion.


Nothing a few 'power' stretches can't fix. With my hands overhead in attempts to touch the wall, and my feet, stretching, searching, for the end of the bed, a stretch when you feel like you can't elongate any more, then you get one more centimeter, one more breathe, until it causes you to elongate so much, you can't help but squeal...(go ahead, lay down and try it. The squeal makes all the difference in the world. Come on, one more time. You have to stretch until your body naturally gives out a squeal, a purr of sorts.) After five perfect squeals, it was time to hit the road.


Kona coffee: check. Full gas tank: check. Water: check. Backpack: check. Camera: check. New friend, Billy: check. Someone who can read a map: Uncheck.

After a 45 minute drive in the pouring rain, two strangers making a pact: "Rain or shine, we are doing this.", and convincing Pele to offer us some sun, we had arrived. Nothing like two directionally challenged people, in a "foreign" land, ready to take on what lies ahead... Naive? Maybe. But sometimes innocence is power. Other times...well, knowledge is. 


We quickly discovered upon entering the park, that there were no tour guides to follow. We stopped at the visitor center, picked up a few maps, (can't hurt, right?) received some advice, and were off. Having no idea what would lie ahead. The good news was: There was only 1 way in and 1 way out. The Rangers convinced us there was no way of getting lost. (Obviously, they hadn't met me yet.) 


Butterflies. Excitement. Two fist pumps and a donkey kick. One would think we had just discovered the pot at the end of the rainbow. Nope. We were just high on life.


There are times in life where silence speaks louder than words. And this my friends, is one of those times. The photos can tell the story better than I.

Passionate. Volatile. Capricious.

Go to a quiet room, read each word and feel them roll of your tongue, lips.

SILENCE. Deafening silence. Lub-dub. lub-dub. Blink. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Breathe.

How do we get down there??? We are on a cliff high above.

BREATHTAKING. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Blink. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Breathe. Lub-dub. Lub-dub...

Wind. Rain. Darkness. Brilliance.

Entrance to the Lava Tube.

Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Blink. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Breathe. Cough. Sulfur. Lub-dub. Lub-dub...

Desolate.

Death.

Life.

Water.

Stillness.

Triumph.

Steam.

Eeriness.

Solitude.

Ancient.

Aura.

6.5 mile hike to pure isolation.

 Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Blink. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Breathe. Cough. Sulfur. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Thirst. Lub-dub. Lub-dub...

SILENCE. WIND. RAIN. STEAM. HEAT.

A fork in the road...

Devastation Trail: Named for its high winds, heavy rains. You walk in 'on top of the world' and leave devastated and defeated by Pele.

Yay! found the car.

Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Blink. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Breathe. Cough. Sulfur. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Thirst. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Eyes burning. Lub-dub. Lub-dub...
 

MORE SILENCE. WINDING ROADS. BREATH TAKING SCENERY.

Road to the Chain of Craters.

Crashing waves. Demanding attention.

Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Blink. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Breathe. Cough. Sulfur. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Thirst. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Eyes burning. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Ears buzzing from the silence. Lub-dub. Lub-dub...

Holei Sea Arch

Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Blink. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Breathe. Cough. Sulfur. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Thirst. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Eyes burning. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Ears buzzing from the silence. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Hunger. Lub-lub. Lub-dub.

 STUNNING. STILLNESS. CRASHING. SILENCE.

The entrance to hike the Most Active Volcano in the World. Warning: NO Ranger past this point. Hike at your own risk.

Awaiting sunset.

Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Blink. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Breathe. Cough. Sufur. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Thirst. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Eyes burning. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Ears buzzing from the silence. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Hunger. Lub-lub. Lub-dub. Anticipation. Lub-dub. Lub-dub...

Lub-dub. Lub-dub.

As the sun slowly deserted the sky, the crowd began to accumulate, much like the lava flowed out of the volcano.

After a long day of sun, wind, rain, and adrenaline. We sat. Waited. In Silence. And watched the day come to an end. The beauty unfold before our eyes.

Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Blink. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Breathe. Cough. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Thirst. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Eyes burning. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Ears buzzing from the silence. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Hunger. Lub-lub. Lub-dub. Fatigue.

As the stillness and darkness demanded the sky, the silence made the sky seem even more endless, the stars even more illuminated, and the lava blazing even more powerful. 

Funny how in life, when surrounded by pure silence, how magnified the world becomes. Life appears to be in slow motion, forcing us to take note of our breathing. Our hearts beating. Our ears ringing. Our eyes blinking. Our emotions feeling. Our minds dreaming. Our souls searching. Our life in that moment.


Breathtaking. Astonishing. Mind boggling.   


Although not perfect weather. A perfect day. A perfect memory. A perfect experience. I plan to go back and hike the 6 hour round trip "Hike at your own risk. NO ranger on duty." portion next visit. Just gotta find another partner in crime.

Fire. Lightening. Wind. Volcanoes...Pele. All can be violent, viscous, controlling...yet gentle, passive, tranquil. Depends on the mood, the setting, the force. Kind of like life.

I will end with this thought in mind: The tradition of Pele directly relates to life as we know it. She encompasses all aspects of our existence. Passionate. Volatile. Unpredictable. Unknown. As Pele is the Goddess "Who Shapes the Sacred Land", We are the 'Peles: "Who Shape Our Lives.' 

Life is unpredictable. Full of surprises. Passion. Heart Ache. Forks in the road. Decisions. We must chose a path. Never look back. Question. Wonder...what if? But to know, we are all right where we are supposed to be. Single. Married. Widowed. Blessed. 

Silence. Peace. Tranquility.

Tonight: I challenge you to 15 minutes of silence. Meditate. Reflect. I bet you notice your eyes blinking, your heart beating, your lungs inhaling, your muscles relaxing. I bet you have moments of fire, lightening, wind, volcano...followed by tranquility.


Tomorrow: Make it part of your daily routine. 15 minutes of silence. To cleanse. Detoxify the mind, the soul. I promise you, you won't regret it.