The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: February seventh, visiting a volcano.

The Big Island of Hawaii is big and still growing. It's fed from within by molten rock which oozes up from deep cracks in the earth's crust. Propelled by plate tectonics, two great volcanic elevations have acccreted this island over the last few million years. Rather than single cones, these are shield volcanos, which expand laterally, as lava flows from fissures along their flanks. Mauna Kea, to the north, has cooled, but Mauna Loa, to the south, is still very active. Having already risen more than 30,000 feet from the ocean floor, it has become the earth's highest mountain and most massive single object.

Kilauea, a huge open fissure one third up Mauna Loa's eastern face, is among the world's most active volcanic vents. In continuous eruption for the last 18 years, it has already grafted more than a thousand acres of new real estate onto the Big Island's coastline.

Kilauea and a dozen other active fissures lie within the boundary of Volcanoes National Park. It may be the most dynamic, unpredictable place you'll ever visit. Most Big Island visitors make a point to call on Kilauea, but few allow enough time to do it right. They drive the 11 mile loop road around the crater, take a tour along Chain of Craters Road. It traces a 20 mile path of destruction down to the sea, where the volcanic action is most visible, especially in the dark.

But getting a real sense of this first wonder of the world requires taking a longer hike and spending at least one night on the ground. That's what we'll do tomorrow. Please join us.

FMI For Information on Volcanoes National Park, call the park office at 808-985-6000 or www.nps.gov/havo

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