Craig Ellenwood, a Honolulu based photographer, set out on an adventure using MotionX-GPS on his iPhone and his photography equipment to capture the Kilauea lava flow on the Big Island of Hawaii. The lava flow is encroaching on the (mostly abandoned) Royal Gardens subdivision.

Craig heard about a man named Jack Thompson, who remarkably still lives in Royal Gardens and had lava flowing as close as 400 yards from his house. Craig wanted to document Jack’s lifestyle and see what it was like to live so close to an active lava flow.

The only way into the area is by helicopter. The road from Hilo has been cut off by the lava flow. Once on the ground, Jack acquainted Craig with the surroundings and told him that his boots would tell him where to walk. If he couldn’t stand the heat coming through the soles of his boots while walking on the lava field he should move away from that area.

Craig used MotionX-GPS as his sole navigation tool while hiking around the area taking photographs. He set Jack’s house as a waypoint and used the MotionX-Compass to help him back safely. He used the track recorder to tell how far he walked and listened to music with the iPod integration.

“Having MotionX-GPS on my iPhone added a level of security and technology that enabled my expedition to achieve my goals of first, surviving and finding my way out of the lava maze and second, enhancing my journey by keeping track of interesting areas marked as waypoints.” — Craig   www.ellenwoodphotography.com

Jack Thompson’s house surrounded by the lava flow:

How did you use MotionX-GPS during your shoot?

“I was hiking up the mountain towards Pu`u `O`o crater which would require some kind of navigation to get back. The lava snakes around little bits of jungle called kipukas which all look alike after awhile. There are no paths on the lava field and when it’s as active as it was, landmarks can change by the hour. I set Jacks house as a waypoint and noted the elevation which would help me find the correct altitude on my hike out of the lava field. I used the stopwatch to tell how far I’d walked, and listened to some music with the iPod integration. I tested the compass, it was accurate and helpful in a few places, especially in the dark. I as able to find my way back to Jack’s Kipuka and Plumeria St. using MotionX-GPS and the waypoints I set along the way. I marked active lava flows so I could find the breakouts later in the evening. Having MotionX-GPS on my iPhone added a level of security and technology that enabled my expedition to achieve my goals of firstly, surviving and finding my way out of the lava maze and secondly enhancing my journey by keeping track of interesting areas marked as waypoints.” — Craig

Here is an account of his adventure first-hand:

I heard about a man named Jack Thompson who lived in an abandoned subdivision on the side of Kilauea volcano on the Big Island. I did some research and got his phone number, called him, and asked him if I could come stay with him and take some photos. He said sure, come on out and that Madame Pele was pumping tons of lava down the mountainside 400 yards from his house. I spent a week looking at USGS photos, maps, videos and made my reservations to fly in by helicopter arriving on August 5th, under a full moon. All the roads in the subdivision have been covered with lava, so the only way in and out is by helicopter, or a steep 3 mile hike over hellish hot uneven lava. I took a cooler full of meat, a 25 lb. bag of rice, and a large box of powdered milk as Jack requested. He used to ride his motorcycle over the lava to Hilo for supplies, but the recent flow has made that impossible.

The helicopter made a precision landing on a thin but well maintained strip of road in front of a beautiful cedar house with large lanai overlooking the lava field and ocean. My first look out I noticed a lot of smoke coming from about 200 yards in front of the house. Jack didn’t seem worried and explained that the lava had cut a path through the jungle and was burning some vegetation downhill. I asked Jack what was safe to walk on and what wasn’t. He simply said your feet will tell you where you can’t go. With that I strapped on my camera bag, put my hiking boots on and ventured out onto the lava. The only way I can describe walking on top of lava that had been molten magma only hours earlier is like walking on styrofoam sheets. It makes a loud crunch and the top layer sometimes breaks, but you don’t fall through into the molten stuff underneath you, or at least that’s the goal. You can certainly see it though the cracks, it glows a bright orange.

When my shoes began to smoke I knew I was directly on top of the lava tube and over the tip of some hardened lava I saw a fresh breakout. I set my camera up and took a few shots. Trees were falling down on either side of me, the lava chopping them down as efficiently as a chainsaw. As lava covers green wood and leaves, methane accumulates and occasionally explodes, sending fireballs 30 feet into the air. When lava is close and on the move makes a crunchy noise like breaking glass.

As I walked back across the lava the first night I noticed my soles flapping, the glue holding them on had completely melted away. Luckily Jack had ShoeGoo on hand and by morning they were ready for more abuse. I was caught in passing showers in the day and night time, providing me with unbelievably bright rainbows, and lots of rising steam. Probably the most tense moments were Friday night for an hour of complete darkness except for the glow of the lava all around me. The moon rises later each evening and it was 8pm, no sign of the moon. The ground under me was making noises, cooling from the heat of the day. Settling, and making me very unsettled. More methane explosions occasionally lit up the darkened night like a bright strobe. I didn’t dare take a step even with a flashlight. The surfaces were so uneven that a fall would have been disastrous. I stood on a cold patch of lava, leaning on my tripod and gradually I saw the eastern sky lighten, the moon was rising! I took advantage of the beautiful moonlight to take a few more photos, then headed back to Jack’s and had a couple cold beers.

Equipment list:

Canon 5D Mark II
Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM lens
Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens
Manfrotto 055XPROB PRO TRIPOD
Apple iPhone running Fullpower MotionX-GPS app