Pahoehoe is interesting stuff. If you want to chase it around it's a lot simpler and safer to do it at night - during the day it's hard to judge how hot the surface is - it all looks grey or black and about the only signs are heat shimmer or rice crispies-style popping sounds or the fact that the soles of your shoes just melted.

At night, it's pretty clear what's going on. If there's an inch or more of black on top of the red stuff, there's enough insulation to allow careful walking.

Lava flows tend to be chaotic, so remaining oriented can be difficult. What you don't want to do is wind up on an island of the black stuff that's surrounded by and subducting into the fluid red hot flow. It's hard to judge sometimes whether you're travelling deeper into an active flow or heading out.

Whatever the risk might be, a bright orange spot in the distance at night is powerfully attractive. As you move towards it, it will appear and disappear as you climb and descend until you at last find a greater or lesser fire river at and under your feet.

Pahoehoe moves like silly putty, slowly and inexorably. Its movement is accompanied by continuous crackling sounds as it cools and flakes of solidified lava spall off the surface of the moving front. The flakes cover the solid lava and manage to work their way into your footwear - you don't want to ignore it because it's sharp and glassy and will make walking miserable if not tended to promptly. If you throw a stone at the moving red mass, it doesn't splash, it just slightly dents the surface and adheres.

Once you have walked a flow field, you are addicted. Pele calls stronger than any flame to a moth.