Erik Storm, 49, the owner and lead guide of Kilauea EcoGuides, runs tours to visit the island of Hawaii’s famous Kilauea volcano. For the last 18 months, the volcano has been sporadically erupting, shooting lava over 1,000 feet into the air. Mr. Storm guides tourists through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to get as close to the summit as they safely can, which means hiking through hot conditions. “Lava is 2,000 degrees, so that’s about as hot as it gets,” he said.
To protect his guests, Mr. Storm offers gloves and, in some cases, face coverings. Even so, the hikes can be extreme: 10 miles over an old lava field, which he described as looking like Mars, with no plants or shade. “You have the heat of the lava plus the heat of the sun and no shade,” he said, “and you are hiking around with a 40-pound pack.” Hydration, he said, is crucial, since there is no source of water once they are out on the hike. But he also raised the issue of mental stamina: “When people have never been around that kind of heat, we try to make sure they are mentally prepared.”
To help guests, he said he uses Liquid I.V. and coconut water. He also encourages visitors to adopt a Hawaiian state of mind by respecting the power of the lava from a safe distance.