I watched as the magma found its way down the side of Kilauea to the sea igniting trees like match sticks. The flight gave me a sense of the scale and power but I felt removed, not a part of it. I wanted to be closer.

On my second visit I received permission from the Park Service to walk across the Kalapana Field escorted by a park ranger. This time I could feel the heat of the magma just below my feet. We hiked across the crusted lava field created by the cooled magma. There was still magma flowing in tunnels, lots of it.

Here is the entire article Shooting Magma

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On 11 November 2007 Sola, my daughter and I departed from Ushuaia, Argentina aboard the M/S Explorer on a cruise meant to follow in the wake of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endeavor. Little did we know how closely we would follow Sir Ernest.

The M/S Explorer, nicknamed “The Little Red Ship”, formerly MS Lindblad Explorer (1985) and MS Society Explorer (1992), was purpose built in 1969 for Arctic and Antarctic cruises. The MS Explorer was originally commissioned and operated by the Swedish explorer Lars-Eric Lindblad. G.A.P. Adventures, a Canadian based travel company, acquired the ship in 2004.

The first time I went to Antarctica was in 2004. I had a few free days before I was returning to Bangkok after being in Bariloche, Argentina to celebrate Simon Bonython’s sixtieth birthday with Jon Olson. Simon, Jon and I have been making annual trips together for over the past ten years usually mountain treks. Prior to leaving Bangkok, Gary Heager, a well-traveled friend, had suggested I visit Ushuaia to earn “visited the southernmost city in the world” bragging rights.

Read the entire story here - The Spirit of Shacketon, aboard the M/S Explorer

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