[Eaglecadd]

Last week some friends and I did a VERY HIGH hike. We backpacked up on the rim of Mauna Loa cauldera on the Big Island. I have been wanting to get there ever since I first moved to Kona. Finally, I was able to arrange time with my two best hiking buddies to make it happen. Our trip began friday night by driving to the Mauna Loa Weather Observatory. This facility is at the end of a long one lane road off the Saddle Road between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea. The observatory is quite an amazing place all in itself, but this trip was about something bigger.

The observatory is at about 11,500' elevation. When you step out of your car, the elevation immediately hits you. The air at this elevation is substantially thinner than at sea level. I immediately felt dizzy. After a few moments, the feeling went away, but when I began walking around, once again, I felt weak. The solution, stay overnight at that elevation and short walks to begin to accustom your lungs to the thin air. It did help and by morning, I felt better. We began hiking along the old crushed lava roadway for about a quarter mile to the trailhead. Now what is a "Trail" in Hawaii may not pass as one on the Mainland. Here a really good trail is over Pahoehoe Lava which is flatter and more easily "walkable" than the A'a type of Lava. The beginning of the trail was pretty easy...except the thin air. I was having trouble getting enough air into my lungs to keep up a very fast pace. I found that a slower pace and frequent short rest stops was the best way for me to keep going. Also the first part of the trail is the steepest. I knew that if I got to the rim, the last few miles would be easier so I just had to plod on. Since the "trail" is over lava, it is not easy to find your way. There are no dirt paths to follow. But the solution is as simple as rocks. Ever since ancient times and through modern times, people have stacked up rocks as guide posts to define the route. On the Mainland, they are called Cairns. In Hawaii they are called Ahu. Following the Ahu is easy...as long as there isn't fog or low clouds to obscure your view ahead.

Once we reached the National Park Boundary, the terrain changed. The trail went from Pahoehoe to a very weird grey green cinder. It was like going to another planet. You just never knew what would be coming next.

After a long sweaty heart stretching walk uphill finally lead us to what is called The North Pit. It is truly an amazing sight. A huge crater stretches out before you. It is mostly smooth in contrast to almost everything else you see around you that is rough and rougher. Everything around you is sharp and rough. Touch it and you may come away with scratches at best. You really don't want to fall down. I guarantee you it will hurt. A short way ahead something totally unexpected come into view. A pit about 7' deep with beautiful stone stairs down to the base of the rest area. I have no idea who built this structure, but it was really a great place to get out of the wind and rest. After a short rest, we moved on into the North Pit.

The base of the cauldera is amazing. It is mostly flat with some cracks and to think that you are now over 13,000' in elevation is quite remarkable. Breathing is a little easier for me now, but mostly because of the more level ground. I know I am feeling some altitude sickness because my stomach is feeling nauseous. I have experienced this several other times at elevation so I recognize the symptoms. But we are here and we must move on. There is no turning back now.

Shorrtly thereafter we came across another otherworldly structure. There were weird cones of multicolored rocks as though a small opening in the base rock opened up and small squirts of lava erupted from below. As the squirts shot out of the ground, then layered up in what is called splatter and cooled. The resulting structure is tall and not very wide like a small rock Christmas Tree.

Not far beyond is another amazing structure of splatter on a larger scale with the most amazing colors imaginable. The solidified lava in yellow, orange, red, green, brown and black still looks like it is flowing. How cool would it have been to be here and to see how this formation was created.

After a while, we came upon another crater of a much smaller scale. It is only about 400-500' across. Inside it we saw how a large piece of a side wall might have been melted away from under the wall causing it to collapse into the crater where it floated until the substrate solidified leaving it at a strange angle within the crater.

The remaining distance to the Summit Cabin seems more of a blur to me. I am weakened by the lack of air and have very tired muscles. All I can think of is getting there and resting. I am hopeful the nausea will subside and I want to re-hydrate. Finally the cabin comes into view. The last few yards seem so long. When I finally get to the cabin, I found there was a large group of search and rescue teams already there. They are a great bunch full of fun and enthusiasm. We had great conversation about all sorts of subjects, but mostly backpacking. The area at the cabin is fairly flat. There is a composting toilet, rainfall water catchment tank, a pit toilet and fantastic views into the main crater. The crater is huge with side walls of up to 150' high. Looking back to where we came from you can see the summit of Mauna Kea maybe 25 miles away. I still can't believe I am at about 13,250' elevation. There is so much land around this place that is relatively flat you could see yourself at any elevation.

Our plan is to stay at the cabin 2 nights and then descend by another route to Red Hill Cabin and then stay there one night then descend to the Mauna Loa lookout as our exit point. Day 2 at the summit was to be a day hike back around the other side of the cauldera to the true summit. That is about a 9 mile round trip to the West side of the mountain. When I awoke on day 2, I was still nauseous and didn't feel I was up to the 9 mile hike. My two buddies set off to get to the summit while I decided to take a different route traversing along the East side of the crater down to the South. I found the hiking to be more difficult going than the previous day as there was no trail and much of my route was over A'a lava which is jagged sharp broken balls of razor sharp lava. I took my time and moved very cautiously because to slip and fall meant sure injury and I was alone.

At the South end of the main central crater is an opening or Gap in the crater walls. As I approached the Gap, I could see it opened up into yet another crater. It is big, but a bit smaller than the middle or main crater. Along the rim where I was walking, the ground surface became the same green cinder I encountered at the Park Boundary on the first day. It is so strange to see this cinder covering most of the ground with only the bigger rocks exposed looking like islands in a green sea. I walked along through the "Sea" wondering how and where all this cinder came from. Then a thought came to mind. What if this cinder was covering a big hole in the lava beneath. Sure enough, shortly later I took a step and my foot sank through the cinder into a hole. How terrifying is that! I could imaging falling into a hole and never being found. Just another sacrifice to Pele. Well, after that, I was much more cautious. My return trip to the cabin was not eventful, thankfully.

The next day we awoke to heavy rain and wind. Things can change here very quickly. The previous 2 days had been sunny and warm. Today was cold windy and wet. Since todays hike was to be the longest distance at over 11 miles and we would be going directly into the wind and rain, the decision was made to leave the mountain by the same route we came in and cut short the trip. Sometimes you just need to make smart choices even though you may really want to complete a route established earlier. The hike out was pretty much uneventful. Each of us was cold and wet at the end and I think we all were sure we made the best decision to cut it short. I don't know if I will ever go up to the summit cabin again or finish the route we originally planned, but I am very happy to have been able to see this wonderful amazing place.

[Bsaimo]

No pics of the cabin? I carried some "artwork" up there in 2002. It was sort of a tapestry that featured two horses rearing up at eachother. It had previously been prominently featured in my rental house and I've always wondered if it was still there.

[Eaglecadd]

Sorry, no cabin pics. I was too tired when I arrived and really more interested in the scenery while I was there. No, there is no artwork there now. Just a couple old tiny prayer flags and lots of pillows, sleeping bags, blankets, cans of sardines and gas canisters left by previous hikers. There are 3 high bunks with sleep mats which are reasonably comfortable.

[Anne Elk]

Fascinating TR! Had no idea there was a destination cabin there for hikers. It must have seemed like hiking on another planet. The star show at night must have been fabulous. Thanks for posting it.

[Bernardo]

Nice report. I'd be a bit worried about staying that high if I wasn't feeling well. If things get worse, it could be hard to move.

[Eaglecadd]

The stars were so amazing. We could see the Milky Way so clearly. Even the Spiral Arms could be seen. It was cool to see how it progressed across the sky as the world turned. I have an App that shows the constellations and planets and even some satellites as they show up in the night...or daytime sky. It makes the viewing even more interesting. As far as the altitude sickness, I am always aware of it and conscious of how it is affecting me. That is why I do my best to acclimatize before I hike at elevation. That said, it does sometimes come on and I can't do anything much about it, but I will not allow it to stop me from doing the things I love. On the other hand, if I was really unsure if it might get to the point that it affected those around me, I would step away and get to a lower elevation so it did not cause anyone else to have to worry about me.

[Twister]

After that hike your trip through the Baileys next month should be a breeze