The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL: February eighth, spending the night with Madam Pele.

Last time, we arrived at Volcanoes National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii. This drive-through volcano is one of the few places in the world where people flock to molten lava rather than run in terror. Most visitors grab quick glimpses from their car or tour bus. But they're missing the really big show.

Madam Pele is the Hawaiian volcano goddess. For a real sense of her power, plan to spend a day exploring the park's 375 square-miles.

Simple accommodations are available in the park's Volcano House Hotel or at one of the B&Bs in the nearby village of Volcano. But by far, the most intimate option is spending the night on the ground itself, in one of the park's two camping areas. In addition to the unique experience of falling asleep on the warm rumble and shake on Madam Pele's breast, you'll have an opportunity to witness the park's most photogenic spectacle. Lava flow is difficult to predict, but it's always most visible after dark.

Or rise early and take a hike in any direction. Dozens of marked trails lead to the park's various points of interest. You can follow short loops to still steaming vents. Longer trails wind for miles amid fields of lava desolation and dense fern forests. The hiking is neither difficult nor especially dangerous, and there's no end to the oddities of cooled lava or its effect on the landscape and life. But the feeling that lingers longest derives from the sense of being at nature's mercy, in the face of the unimaginable energy that might be unleashed at any moment.

Spend a night with Madam Pele. It'll be one you'll never forget.

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

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