Jayson Hits the Jackpot

■ The advancing fringe of a new day was faintly visible in the eastern sky as we traveled south past Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, descending in the remaining night darkness into Ka‘u. We were headed for the place I had taken Jayson to bag his first turkey two years ago.

I had scouted the area the previous week, dismayed to find our normally used entry road now closed. I found an alternate road that I believed would get us to the same place; we turned onto it, splashing through a large puddle of water. It appeared the area had received a good soaking since my previous visit.

We continued along the dark, rocky dirt road and encountered a large pond in a low dip ahead. Without thinking, I plowed into