On Friday, March 16, 218, four faculty and 21 students arrived in Kona, Hawaii where they spent the night at the Kona Seaside Hotel. The next day the group traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park-Punaluu Black Sand Beach, and Mahana Bay South Point where they explored the volcanic slopes of Kilauea, a little over a month before it’s big 2018 eruption. The next morning included a trip to the Visitor Center, Sulpur Banks, Thurston Lava Tube, Chain of Craters Road, and Kilauea Iki for a hike through the crater platform, followed by an evening visit to the Hawaii Volcano Observatory. The last three days included: snorkeling in coral reefs, hiking around the Keeling Weather Station at over 11,000 feet on Mauna Loa and examining the massive landslides of Kohala.

March 23, 2018