Allison, Chico, Deborah, Mari, Val and myself flew over to the Big Island to meet Roger to train on the volcanic landscape for our upcoming out of country trek. No visit to the Big Island wouldn’t be complete without visiting Ken’s House of Pancakes, KTA and Mt View Bakery. Checked. Roger had found out from the Park Rangers when he went to pick up our backcountry permit that some unknown individual had left the spigot open on the cabins water tank which drained out all the water. That translated to carrying more water in our packs for our weekend hike. Leave the filter behind.

Mauna Loa Lookout

We drove up the 12 mile road passing bikers, hikers and old lava flows to reach the 6,662′ lookout that was the gateway to the start of our rugged hike.

Mauna Loa Trail

Somebody was already visualizing the post-hike experience.

Mauna Loa Trail

The group starting the hike on the trail that was built by the Buffalo Soldiers back in 1915, which took them 39 days using just 12 pound hammers and gunny sacks.

Mauna Loa Trail

Keeping out the invasive species. Just the four legged ones.

Mauna Loa Trail

Climbing through the mixed native forest as we made our way up the trail.

Mauna Loa Trail

The group at the first “milestone” elevation market at 7,000′. Only 3,000′ left to go!

Mauna Loa Trail

Passing through the cooled smooth, unbroken lava flows or pahoehoe in Hawaiian.

Mauna Loa Trail

The miles just seemed to be melting away as we soon gained another 1,000′ of elevation in a little over an hours time.

Mauna Loa Trail

Between Roger’s pointed guidance and the stacked rock cairns (ahus), we managed to navigate our way through the lava fields.

Mauna Loa Trail

The group passing the last “living” tree at roughly 8,112′ elevation mark.

Mauna Loa Trail

“A lava rock for your thoughts?” “Oh, I’m just thinking how uncomfortable this pack is on my back.”

Mauna Loa Trail

Taking a break at a little over 8,600′ elevation. Everything moves slower at higher altitude, including rest breaks.

Mauna Loa Trail

Contouring around a massive, partially collapsed lava tube.

Mauna Loa Trail

We arrived at the 9,000′ elevation marker or 2,743 meters to the rest of the world. The metric system was adopted by France in 1795 and the rest of the world soon followed suit, with the exception of the USA, which is still lagging behind even though Congress legalized it in 1866.

Mauna Loa Trail

The group crossing over pahoehoe and stony, rough lava or a’a in Hawaiian. We preferred to walk on the smooth lava when possible. Less wear and tear on the shoes.

Mauna Loa Trail

Chico seeking sheltered shade from the sweltering sun.

Mauna Loa Trail

Passing through the second fence line meant to keep out the invasive ungulates. It must be working, as we didn’t see any. Then again, this is a big mountain.

Mauna Loa Trail

Traversing over the vast volcanic landscape that is Mauna Loa, a volcano that is so dense and massive, that it actually depresses the earths crust below her. That’s some weight.

Mauna Loa Trail

Following the trail up as it wrapped around the cinder cone as we passed the stone sentinel.

Mauna Loa Trail

A study in contrast as the cinder cone was a splash of rustic red due to oxidation and higher temperatures amidst a sea of basaltic and olivine landscape.

Red Hill Cabin

It took us a little under seven hours to reach our home for the night at 10,035′ elevation.

Red Hill Cabin

Now it was time to check in the cabin and see how much space was available as we were told that another group had hiked up the day earlier.

Red Hill Cabin

The cabin has eight bunks. We were a group of seven and the other group numbered six individuals. 7+6=13. Ordinarily that would mean that five of us would be sleeping on the floor, which is what I was expecting. Surprisingly, the group graciously said they preferred to sleep outside and watch the starry night. Who are we to argue? We also found out that one of the individuals in the group was celebrating his birthday as well. Happy Birthday Barney!

Red Hill Cabin

Group photo of us with Mauna Kea and her glistening observatories perched on the tallest mountain in the world from its underwater base, in the cloud soaked background.

Red Hill Cabin

Looking down into the pit of Red Hill where the cabin, empty water tank and compost toilet are nestled against the stunning background of the white mountain.

Mauna Kea

Meanwhile, across the Humu’ula Saddle, Aida was snapping pictures of the Milky Way while we were nestled in our sleeping bags of varying warmth as the temperature plunged into the high 30s. Fahrenheit.

Red Hill Cabin

Day 2

Some of us woke up before the crack of dawn to brave the near freezing temperatures to trudge up the hill to capture and be captivated …

Red Hill Cabin

… by the sunrise breaking through the cloud layers.

Red Hill Cabin

Group photo with our cabin mates left to right: Chico, Deborah, Evelyn, Mari, Barney, Val, myself, Roger, Allison, Lauren, Karen, Jill and Julie.

Mauna Loa

The trail to the summit was closed due to the recent eruptions back in 2022. So with the advice and encouragement of our cabin mates, we decided to explore the nearby lava fields. Allison opted to stay back and read a book while we went out exploring.

Mauna Loa

“Roughing” it on the a’a lava trail.

Mauna Loa

The sky was blazingly blue above us as we crunched our way on the a’a lava below us.

Mauna Loa

Time to head off the beaten trail and explore some lava tubes that showed promising interest. Lava tubes are natural passageways formed from lava flows of old and all the islands are riddled with these conduits that lurk beneath the surface. Some more obvious than others.

Mauna Loa

Insta360 view of the lava tube opening.

Mauna Loa

Morning mountain silhouettes.

Mauna Loa

The girls crossing a lava tube opening.

Mauna Loa

This particular lava tube was crumbling and raining rocks on one end which forced Chico to wisely retreat back to where he had entered.

Mauna Loa

Our group photo above one of the lave tubes before we headed back to the cabin.

Red Hill Cabin

We cleaned up and left the cabin as good as we found it or better, and Roger was gracious enough to carry the groups rubbish down with him.

Mauna Loa Trail

Time to head back down to civilization.

Mauna Loa Trail

Going down is always easier than coming up.

Mauna Loa Trail

One can never have too much sunscreen? Different sources state that for every 1,000′ gain of elevation above sea level, ultraviolet radiation levels increase by 2% to 10%. This photo was taken at approximately 9,260′, which translates to 18% to 90% more UV that we were exposed to due to the thinner mountain air. More sunscreen?

Mauna Loa Trail

Tea time in the mountains for Barney’s Birthday Group. What do you expect from a crew consisting of Americans, Australians and New Zealanders?

Mauna Loa Trail

Signs of life greeted us as we descended down the long mountain.

Mauna Loa Trail

Just 338′ of elevation left to lose on the trail.

All pau

We arrived back at the lookout to our cars where we politely declined offers from Barney’s Birthday Group to free showers at their house. Do we smell that bad? Met up with Aida at The Seaside Restaurant for our last meal in Hilo before catching our flight back home. Fun little fact. Mushrooms are technically fungi but are counted as vegetables by the USDA. Chico and the waiter both had opposing views on that subject. Our in and out backpacking hike covered 15.19 miles on Earth’s largest active volcano with an awesome group.

Photos taken by Allison Banks, Chico Cantu, Deborah Tom, Mari Saito, Roger Schiffman, Val Wang and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

Akira, Ferlino and myself flew over to the Big Island to meet up with Roger and let gravity do all the work this time.

Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport

We flew into the open air airport that has no jetways and were picked up by Roger, our gracious host from the last trip here.

Mauna Kea

After meeting up with Matt and acclimatizing for about an hour, we drove to the top of the white mountain. Temperature registered in the low 50s which made it quite comfortable and a marked departure from our last visit when it was dipping into the 30s and 40s. A religious ceremony was underway at the true summit, so we just admired it from afar.

Mauna Kea

Group photo with the background of some of the 13 summit observatories which are funded and staffed by 11 different countries.

Humu’ula Trail

Matt decided to partially join us as we went down the Mauna Kea Trail.

Humu’ula Trail

We soon crossed paths with other hikers that were coming up from the visitor center.

Lake Waiau

Group photo at the highest lake in the Pacific Basin at an elevation of 13,020′.

Lake Waiau

Leaving the only lake on the island and Matt also returned to his electric truck. Many thanks again to Matt for the quiet ride to the top.

Humu’ula Trail

Practicing my rudimentary Japanese strictly for entertainment purposes and finding out that higher elevation has no direct bearing on soda carbonation. Shaken not stirred.

Humu’ula Trail

When Ferlino is on the trail, it’s always Flag Day.

Humu’ula Trail

A superhero with radioactive spider infused powers is not immune to high altitude sickness as evidenced by the individual in question getting confused as to why his costume was inside out.

Humu’ula Trail

How often can you take a picture with Spider-Man on the world’s tallest mountain? I thought he was taller?

Humu’ula Trail

This couple didn’t look too impressed. I guess when you’ve seen one Spider-Man, you’ve seem ‘em all.

Humu’ula Trail

Did you get my picture? Send it to me!

Humu’ula Trail

360 degree view of us going down the volcanic landscape with the massive Mauna Loa in the background.

Humu’ula Trail

We came across this one group that recognized their limitations and decided to turn around. They chose wisely.

Humu’ula Trail

Kicking up clouds of lava dust as we went down the trail.

Humu’ula Trail

Spider-Man in his native habitat.

Humu’ula Trail

Getting close to the road.

Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station

Roger dropping off our signed hiking paper to let the Rangers know that we were back safe and sound at 9,200′ elevation.

Quinn’s Almost By The Sea

No waiting this time around, we just walked right in. I guess it helps to have a superhero eating with you.

Big Island Grown

Somebody wanted to sample what was once the island’s biggest cash crop before we left the Big Island. It wasn’t the super hero pictured here.

GPS Tracks

Our dusty descent from the tallest mountain in the world covered 5.51 miles with great company. Thanks again to Matt and Roger for the rides.

Photos taken by Akira Suzuki, Ferlino Carinio, Roger Schiffman, and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

We left Captain Cook before the coqui frogs woke up or did they wake us up?

Mauna Kea Access Road

It took us under two hours to drive up to the Visitor Information Center located at 9,200′ elevation as we saw the sunrise burning through the thick colored clouds.

VIS

We met Matt who had zoomed-zoomed in his rented Mustang from Hilo to Mauna a Wakea (White Mountain) where we spent the next hour acclimating to the higher altitude.

Ranger Checkpoint

Nobody under 13? Not talking about behavior. The winds are high 30s, 40s. It’s minus. Freezing. You plan to drive up there? Not with less than half a tank of gas. This car is not going up to the summit.

Ranger Checkpoint

Roger went back down the mountain to fill up the tank. The rest of us got our briefing on what to expect and what to do. How much water do you have? Two liters. Not enough.

Mauna Kea Access Road

Properly acclimated and briefed, we pushed off on the road to start our hike.

Mauna Kea Access Road

Traffic control. R17 is this way.

Humu’ula Trail

Leaving the road that was built in 1964 for the dirt trail.

Humu’ula Trail

This is the way. In 1823, Joseph Goodrich, an American missionary, was the first documented foreigner to make the climb to the summit from the base.

Humu’ula Trail

One of multiple cinder cones in the background.

Humu’ula Trail

Matt going off trail to take photos of endemic or invasive species?

Humu’ula Trail

Fad or fact? Aida breathing in canned oxygen. Many pundits are of the opinion that this is purely a placebo effect and that it has nothing to do with physiology. The driving fact is that barometric pressure is lower at higher altitudes, which helps to drive oxygen to your lungs. Your body simply is not delivering enough oxygen as it would at sea level.

Humu’ula Trail

Panoramic view of Mauna Loa and Hualalai from 10,240′ elevation, two of the six active volcanoes in the island chain. We were standing on the third one.

Humu’ula Trail

Going up the soft volcanic dirt trail seemed to require more energy on our part, as we had to dig our heels in to go up the steep section.

Humu’ula Trail

With each passing step, the breathing became harder and the exertion just as much.

Humu’ula Trail

Meeting of the addled minds.

Humu’ula Trail

Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back
No more, no more, no more, no more

Humu’ula Trail

Pushing to the cinder cone ahead of us where the steepness was supposed to slack off.

Humu’ula Trail

Turn around point at roughly 10,443′ elevation. All three decided to throw in the towel due to a sore ankle, headache and tiredness.

Mauna Kea

Going down the mountain.

Mauna Kea

Salvation in the form of a white Subaru Ascent driven by Roger, lay waiting for them at the bottom of the road.

Humu’ula Trail

Staying hydrated on the volcano at a little over 11,100′. Better than canned oxygen.

Humu’ula Trail

Matt coming up the trail with the largest active volcano on Earth behind him. Mauna Loa is so massive that the volcano’s weight depresses the Earth’s crust by about five miles. Let that sink in.

Humu’ula Trail

I soon crossed paths with three young kids coming down the mountain. How close are we? You don’t want to know. I do want to know. You’re not even close. Not even 1/3 of the way. How was the summit? We didn’t make the summit. Okay then.

Humu’ula Trail

Dust in the wind.

Humu’ula Trail

Roger soon joined us as he had hiked down from the top of the trail after leaving the girls in the car to rest.

Humu’ula Trail

Plodding above the clouds.

Humu’ula Trail

Hiking through the volcanic landscape at a little over 12,000′ elevation.

Humu’ula Trail

When eating prime rib and beef jerky just isn’t enough.

Humu’ula Trail

Pushing our way to the saddle. One step at a time. Literally.

Lake Waiau

Looking at the alpine lake that sits at 13,020′ elevation, the highest lake in the Pacific Basin. It has been postulated that ancient Hawaiians used this lake as a water source when establishing nearby adze quarries in this remote location. The body of water was once considered as a water source for the Kohala Railroad, stocked with trout which died off and suggested as a tropical ice skating rink. How it even exists in a landscape of porous lava rock is a mystery unto itself. Theories that have been thrown out include a permafrost layer and a bottom sediment of fine volcanic ash mixed with organic matter that impedes drainage. The lake is also considered sacred in Hawaiian tradition and possibly named after one of the four snow goddesses in Hawaiian mythology. The name itself means swirling waters but the waters are often but that.

Humu’ula Trail

Home stretch.

Humu’ula Trail

Approaching the summit observatories, the high elevation which lends itself to dark skies and the absence of atmospheric and light pollution makes for favorable observation conditions for astronomical objects. There has been pushback from the local community over any new telescopes as seen by the TMT controversy that started back in 2015 and whose future is now questionable.

Humu’ula Trail

Making our way to the creature comforts of our car which offered a respite from the freezing 30s temperature as we joined the ranks of the estimated 5,000-6,000 people that make the trek to the summit every year. We took a quick break and the First Shirt persuaded me that we had to finish at the true summit. Okay then.

Humu’ula Trail

Tapping out. Back to the pace car.

Humu’ula Trail

Wasting what little energy I had left. Altitude Mountain Sickness is real. Or some kind of sickness.

Humu’ula Trail

Taking a break. Need your windshield washed?

Humu’ula Trail

Meanwhile, somebody was minding their own business and keeping his distance.

Humu’ula Trail

Have a drink on me.

Humu’ula Trail

No can handle?

Humu’ula Trail

Cue the Rocky music. 33 RPM.

Humu’ula Trail

Are we there yet?

Humu’ula Trail

Not quite. We were at roughly 13,741′. Almost there.

Humu’ula Trail

Crossing the open saddle as we were buffeted by high winds of 50 mph plus. Crazy in somebody’s words. The wind chill was freezing to say the least. My exposed face felt like an ice cube.

Humu’ula Trail

Ascending the summit with remnants of a snow sheet on the side. Mauna Kea is the only Hawaiian volcano that shows evidence of prior glaciers that once existed from the summit down to about 10,500′ of elevation.

Mauna a Wakea Summit

Approaching the altar at the top of the mountain. Paid our respects and no tik-tok dances per the kanaka ranger.

Mauna a Wakea Summit

Roger and myself huddled at the base of the altar from the freezing winds at the 13,796′ summit.

All pau

Somebody finally got their solo shot. We drove back down the road to the Ranger Checkpoint where Roger was pronounced an excellent driver as he didn’t overheat the brakes coming down. Picked up Mari from the airport and drove to find our post hike meal. Quinn’s was an hour wait. So off we went to Outback Steakhouse as today was their last day as corporate was pulling the plug on all of the Australian themed restaurants. Even longer wait with nobody taking names. So it was back to Quinn’s. Good dinner with fun company.

GPS Tracks

Our hike to the highest peak in Hawaii covered 6.8 miles through volcanic landscape, high altitudes, gusting winds and freezing temperatures tempered with good company.

Photos taken by Aida Gordon, Aileen Agustin, Matt Vidaurri, Roger Schiffman, Tessa Bugay, and yours truly. Not necessarily in order.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers. One should also always let somebody know of your hiking plans in case something doesn’t go as planned, better safe than sorry.

We had lofty intentions on flying to the Big Island but instead came away being well grounded with good intentions and fun times. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

HA 132

I had overslept and had to catch a later flight to join Aida, Lilyn, Narissa and Quan in the old sugar town of Hilo. We had breakfast at the highly recommended Café 100 and ate our food in the back of our truck.

Mauna Kea Access Road

Stopping at the reminders of the TMT protests that had shut down the mountain a few years back. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Mauna Kea Visitor Center

Waiting for the bathrooms to get cleaned at 9,200′ elevation. There is now a Park Ranger checkpoint that will only allow 4×4 vehicles to continue to the summit. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Mauna Kea Access Road

Looking to see how far we had gained in elevation as we struggled to stay in the zipper lane going up without getting run off the road by a non-observant heavy machine operator.

Mauna Kea Access Road

Testing out my high altitude hurdling abilities. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Mauna Kea Observatories

Closer. Closer. Closer. Photos by Grant Matsushige.

Mauna Kea Observatories

Quan with our eye in the sky cameraman.

Mauna Kea Observatories

Enjoying the views from the tallest mountain on Earth, if measured from base to peak, it tops out at over 33,500′. Or one can settle for the more commonly accepted elevation of 13,803′. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Lake Waiau Trail

Let’s take our gender group photo! Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Lake Waiau Trail

Setting foot on the volcanic terrain that was to be a small test to see how the group would fare at high elevation.

Lake Waiau Trail

Leaving the 13 observatories behind us. We’ll be back. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Lake Waiau Trail

Aida above the clouds. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Lake Waiau Trail

Looking down at the Humu’ula Trail as it winds its way through the cinder cone dotted landscape. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Lake Waiau Trail

Descending down to one of the highest lakes in the country. Photo by Aida Gordon.

Lake Waiau Trail

The heart shaped lake is located inside the Pu’u Waiau cinder cone. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Lake Waiau

The clouds briefly drifted across the perched body of water at 13,020′ elevation. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Lake Waiau

The alpine lake surface area fluctuates between 5,000 to 7,000 square meters and is fed by rainfall and snowmelt. The waters are retained by what many think are a combination of permafrost and compressed ash layers.

Lake Waiau Waterfall

A rare sighting of the Thai Yellow Curry Fall. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Lake Waiau

Group photo from across the far side of the lake. Can you see the group for the volcanic rocks?

Lake Waiau

Looking across the swirling waters to the other side. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Lake Waiau Trail

Leaving the sacred waters behind us as we hiked back up the hill. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Lake Waiau Trail

Of all the places to park, we blocked the porta potties. We won’t do it again. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

GPS Tracks

Our hike to this sacred body of water covered less than two miles. We drove down the mountain where we picked up Quan’s cousins truck and got Matt at the airport and had dinner at Tetsumen. My first choice was not available. Shades of Greek Marina.

Mauna Loa Road

Somebody needs to get with the program of looking sad as our plan of staging a truck at the Mauna Loa Lookout had been stopped dead in its tracks due to a locked gate. Plans B, C and D were being tossed around for consideration. Matt was still hedging on Plan A.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

Enjoying the open sauna fed by bills and coins. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Kilauea Millitary Camp

Checking into Cabin #29 which was going to be the future home of my GoPro, played Jan Ken Po to determine who would get the couch or the beds and Narissa gave Matt advice as to what hole she wanted her little friend in.

Crater Rim Trail

We went for a late night stroll hoping to catch some lava fireworks and caught red tinted steam instead.

Crater Rim Trail

The group peering into Kilauea Caldera. Photo by Lilyn Avendano.

Crater Rim Trail

Keeping warm over one of numerous steam cracks in the ground.

Crater Rim Trail

Matt checking out another steam vent further down the trail.

Crater Rim Trail

Taking an impromptu astronomy class.

All pau

To all a good night and don’t let the coqui frogs bite. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers.

We woke up refreshed after sleeping at a lower altitude and had breakfast at the Crater Rim Café. Subsidized eating always hits the spot.

KMC

Our stomachs full, we returned back to cabin #23 and enjoyed the crisp morning air and flowering lehua trees.

Mauna Loa Road

Matt and I drove up the tree lined road to recover his car, while everybody else got a few extra hours to pack and rest.

Mauna Loa Trailhead

The end of the road was absent of any cars or hikers.

Ke Amoku Flow

Passing through an old lava flow on our way down, that dates back before 1790 at 5,630′ elevation.

Mauna Kea Road

We drove back to KMC and swapped out cars as Matt who was still suffering from altitude sickness decided to stay and enjoy the lower elevation, while the rest of us planned to drive up to the summit of Mauna Kea and visit Lake Waiau, which at 13,020′ is the highest lake in the country.

Mauna Kea Road

Driving up the winding road which would have taken us from sea to summit in less than two hours, except we didn’t have a full tank of gas. The devil is always in the details.

Hale Pohaku

Marathon training at 9,300′ elevation.

Onizuka Center for International Astronomy

We took our group photo in the nippy air and decided to check out waterfalls since our summit drive got scrubbed.

Saddle Road

Going back down the road with rolling fog and driving rain.

Saddle Road

I think somebody wanted to continue their training and run back to Hilo.

Pe‘epe‘e Falls

We drove down to Hilo and stopped at our first waterfall. Peering around the lava rock that partially obscures the hidden falls. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla

Pe‘epe‘e Falls

Cisco standing in front of the 60’plus waterfalls that were formed as a result of lava flows from Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea that merged back in the day.

Boiling Pots

Wailuku River feeding the terraced pools that were just simmering today.

Rainbow Falls

We pulled into the parking lot for our second waterfall and walked past DLNR police questioning a truck of hippies for selling coconuts on state property. I guess no coconut water and rainbow today. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

Wailuku River State Park

Bending over backwards to get that photo. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Home of Hina

Cisco standing over the cavernous lava cave as the falls flow over it. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Waianuenue Falls

Watching the 80′ falls as it plunged into the large pool. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Rainbow Falls Connection

Got lavosh? Photo by Cisco Quintanilla

Akaka Falls State Park

Kaamaina’s get in free at the state park.

National tree of India

Monkey see, monkey do.

Banyan or Banian tree

You’re too big! Somebody was here in spirit. We went down the lower part of the park to check out the 300′ Kahuna Falls, but it was either dry or not visible to our naked eyes. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

Akaka Falls

Go for Broke photo with the 442′ waterfall that is fed by Kolekole Stream.

Kitty litter

We didn’t see any of the endemic ‘o’opu ‘alamo’o (goby) or ‘opaekala’ole (shrimp), but we did run across a litter of feral kittens.

All pau

Met up with Matt at the end of the day at Saucy Dogs for our last meal on the Big Island. The flight back home was interrupted by the attempted smuggling of cans of Vienna sausage. Why not spam? Great week spent adventuring with good friends.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers.

Saturday May 25, 2019

You’ll have fun they said. It’s a life changing experience they said. That is how I found myself on the Big Island with Analyn, Cisco, Matt and Quan to hike up the world’s largest volcano. We endured the almost out of the door TSA line as it was a holiday weekend and then found ourselves waiting over an hour for our rental car. Payless. Wait more. Wait, it was actually pay more as well. Insult to injury. After finally picking up our car, we drove to the local stores to stock up on our supplies and had lunch at Restaurant Kenichi, the local spot for comfort food.

Pu’u Huluhulu Cinder Cone Parking Lot

We stopped at the hairy hill parking lot as somebody had to empty their bladder, while our chip bag expanded due to the atmospheric forces equalizing the different pressures at roughly 4,000′ elevation. Photo by Matt Vidaurri

Mauna Loa Observatory Road

Driving on the narrow ribbon of asphalt that cut through the lava fields. Photo by Matt Vidaurri

Mauna Loa Observatory Road

We pulled our cars over at roughly 10,000′ to see how our bodies would react to the thin air. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Mauna Loa Observatory Road

Some of us tried to run or wobble down a straight line. Photos by Matt Vidaurri.

Mauna Loa Observatory Road

Others practiced their breathing techniques, two sniffs and one puff. Practice makes perfect. Photos by Matt Vidaurri.

Mauna Loa Observatory Road

We piled back into the cars after an abbreviated acclimatization and continued our rolling and winding drive down the road. Photo by Matt Vidaurri

Mauna Loa Observatory

Group photo left to right: Matt, myself, Larry, Cisco, Analyn and Quan; where we bumped into a HTMC group from Oahu that were coming down from the summit. Larry informed us that gas stoves burn slowly or not at all at higher altitudes, but he threw in a caveat that was with propane stoves back in the day. So we went back to our cars and tried with our butane stove and it flamed out while a waterfall was pouring in the background. So we had to rethink our food strategy as hot food was seemingly out the window. We left my car at the parking lot as that was our planned exit and drove down to the local KTA store to buy replacement food. Our dinner was planned at the Hawaiian Style Cafe but was thwarted due to long lines, so we settled for Tetsumen Ramen where I ordered the special chicken dish instead of the ramen.

Cabin #63

We checked in late to the Kilauea Military Camp (KMC) at 4,000′ elevation and were upgraded to a four-room cabin. Rank has its privileges.

Cabin #63

Reorganizing our packs as we discarded stoves and dehydrated meals and replaced them with tortilla wraps, spam slices, tuna, cooked rice and cold curry before turning in for the night. Matt was the only one to take butane fuel with him as he wanted to see for himself if it would work up in the mountains.

Shower singer

Sunday May 26, 2019

I did not add the audio to spare the sensibilities of anybody that may run across this post. Suffice to say, we were involuntarily treated to renditions of hits from the 80’s.

Backcountry Office

Shower sprinkles greeted our departure from the cabin and the short drive to the Backcountry office where Greg was kind enough to open the office earlier than business hours where we paid for our permits, which were $10 per person, that you can pay for a week in advance but have to pick up the permits in person the day before as seismic or weather conditions may deep six the hike. Gave our personal information and found out that only a few of us were bright enough to have bright colors. Got the skinny for our hike as to what to look for and what route to stay on. We found out that the supposed number of hikers staying at Red Hill Cabin had now increased from 10 to 15. Available bunks were 8. Maximum permitted were 24. Don’t understand the math. He said it was first come, first serve. So bring a tent as some of you may be sleeping outside. Good news was that both water tanks were full, based on a check several months ago.

Mauna Loa Road

Driving up the 11 mile road that cut through through old lava flows and dominant koa forests. It was built by prison labor back in 1951. Photo by Matt Vidaurri

Trailhead

Matt had been hoping against hope that the other hikers would not get up to the trailhead before us. Three parked trucks greeted us at the trailhead. Who brought the tent? Why isn’t Quan waving her flag?

Mauna Loa Trail

Starting off at 6,600′ through mostly native forest on the trail built by Buffalo soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division back in 1915.

Mauna Loa Trail

Passing through the gated fence meant to keep out hoofed animals.

7,000′ Elevation

We gained 400′ in elevation with no noticeable side effects, some of our group had started taking Diamox, physician prescribed medication, to prepare for the high altitude climb.

Mauna Loa Trail

Enjoying the shade while we still could.

Mauna Loa Trail

Analyn climbing up the rope ladder left by Pele. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Mauna Loa Trail

Most of the ahu (cairn) stacked on the trail blended in with the background, some had white branches stuck in them for better visibility. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Mauna Loa Trail

Matt poking around the crevice to make sure there were no critters in case we needed emergency shelter. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

8,000′ Elevation

Our first group photo on the trail, left to right: Matt, myself, Analyn, Quan and Cisco.

Mauna Loa Trail

Standing under the last dead ‘ohi’a tree. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Mauna Loa Trail

Will the real dead tree please stand up? Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Mauna Loa Trail

Hiking our way through the irregularly colored rocks and textured terrain, with only the ahu (rock cairns) to keep us on the trail as the massive dome of Mauna Loa lay ahead of us.

Mauna Loa Trail

Let’s check out this lava tube and make Kenji wait ahead. That’s his fault for not stopping and smelling the sulfur. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Lava tube

The tube was dark and deep enough so that the end could not be reached. Besides, somebody was waiting.

Ahu

The ahu (cairn) that Cisco made.

9,000′ Elevation

Glad everybody could make it for the group photo.

Mauna Loa Trail

I spotted a group of hikers descending down from the summit. Upon exchanging pleasantries, they let me know that only a grandfather and his grandson were currently occupying the Red Hill Cabin. I got excited and yelled at the others to pick up the pace before those numbers changed again.

Elevated elevation

Quan trying to force more blood cells to her brain with Matt’s assistance.

Mauna Loa Trail

Analyn coming up the trail.

Mauna Loa Trail

Passing through another invasive control fence line. Still no signs of any hoofed animals.

Mauna Loa Trail

Quan passing the Matt made waterfall.

Mauna Loa Trail

Slowly moving rivers of molten lava frozen in time. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Mauna Loa Trail

Approaching the 8,500+ year old spatter cone that has since oxidized over time, resulting in the name of Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula or Red Hill.

Mauna Loa Trail

Passing through a patch of bluegrass sprouting from the lava fields, the poor mans silverswords.

The Hills have Eyes

The rock formation that threw everybody off as it looked like somebody was watching us as we came up the trail.

10,035′ Elevation

We arrived at our cabin for the night that was built back in 1996, that replaced the original 1915 one. Now to see if everybody had bunks for the night.

Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula Cabin

The reports were true, Connor and his grandfather were the only hikers in the cabin. There were two depressions bordered by low lying rock walls outside the cabin that displaced hikers could pitch their tents in.

Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula Cabin

Yes Virginia, butane stoves do work in high altitude cabins. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Bugs and cards

Guess who came to dinner? A plastic centipede. A girl’s best friend. We also played a game of bullshit. No shit. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula Cabin

Analyn ready to be evacuated. Call the chopper.

Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula Cabin

The water tank that can be checked for depth and the valve gate that must be turned off and the spigot cleared lest the residual water freeze. That’s why it’s best to fill up ones water before turning in for the night. Photos by Matt Vidaurri.

Backflip

Connor showing us how it’s done.

Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula Cabin

The old and new toilet. We’ll stick with the new. Photos by Matt Vidaurri.

Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula

After picking our bunks and settling in, we made the short climb to the top of Red Hill to catch the sunset. Bare feet, slippers and shoes and all.

Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula

Looking down at the cabin as the creeping clouds cast doubts on any sunset viewing and the temperature began dropping. Time to go back down the hill.

Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula

Connor’s reward for being pressed into service as a photographer. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Make a wish

Who can resist a fig newton for their birthday? Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Video by Matt Vidaurri of our first day on Mauna Loa.

Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula Cabin

Monday Memorial Day May 27, 2019

Sunrise in the mountains. It’s too cold, send out the boy to take the pic. Photo by Connor Krauss.

Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula Cabin

Packing up and getting ready for our second day of hiking. Some of us left extra food and butane fuel in the cabin to lighten our loads going up.

Pu’u ‘Ula’Ula Cabin

Celebrating Memorial Day with the free flags that we had picked up at Ace Hardware the day before. We said our goodbyes to Connor and Mike who were planning to head back down the trail.

Mauna Loa Trail

Matt and Quan left ahead of our group to get a head start.

Mauna Loa Trail

Somebody still needed more time before they got left behind.

Shadows

Group photo left to right: Cisco, myself and Analyn.

Mauna Loa Trail

Leaving Red Hill behind us, some of us with ginger chews in our mouths as it helped to combat the effects of thin air. Another helpful hint from Larry.

Mauna Loa Trail

Seeking shelter in all the wrong places.

Mauna Loa Trail

The terrain was unforgiving and rewarding. Brutal and charming. Contradictions that are best experienced in person.

Mauna Loa Trail

Looking towards Mauna Kea, which at 13,803′ is the highest point in the Hawaiian islands.

Mauna Loa Trail

The red and black spatter cones from the 1800’s that dotted the landscape. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

Mauna Loa Trail

Perhaps Matt was offering himself as a human sacrifice? Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

11,000′ Elevation

Most folks start exhibiting signs of acute mountain sickness around this elevation. The only cure is to go back down. Pressing further would only invite serious complications. Luckily, everybody seemed to be weathering the high altitude, albeit in slow motion.

Pukauahi

Heading towards the prehistoric smoke hole surrounded by 1984 lava flows. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Mauna Loa Trail

Sunbeam dancing on the smoothly rippled and undulating obsidian surfaces. It pays to slather liberal amounts of sunscreen and lip balm due to the higher elevation and absence of cloud cover. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

Mauna Loa Trail

Contouring around one of the older spatter cones.

Rorschach Test

Instead of inkblots, what do you see in the lava rocks? Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Mauna Loa Trail

Mauna Kea above the sea of clouds.

Dewey Cone

Passing by the cinder cone formed during the 1899 eruption and named after US Navy Admiral Thomas Dewey.

Mauna Loa Trail

The marked difference between new and old lava. We stuck with the old.

Mauna Loa Trail

Quan hiking next to the huge trench. Photo by Matt Vidaurri

Mauna Loa Trail

Matt elevated and shaded in a patch of olivine crystals, common lime-green minerals that have separated from the basaltic rocks.

Mauna Loa Trail

Rock hopping our way through the olivine patch. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Steaming Cone

Spatter cone that was formed in the 1855 eruption and has since run out of steam.

12,000′ Elevation

3,658 meters to the rest of the world.

Mauna Loa Trail

Approaching the prehistoric Pohaku Hanalei spatter cone.

Long Mountain

The volcano living up to its name as we dragged ourselves up the trail.

Mauna Loa Trail

One of the taller and densely stacked ahus on the trail. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

13,000′ Elevation

What happens when you sit on a’a (sharp) rocks and not pahoehoe (smooth) rocks. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

Mauna Loa Trail

Analyn crossing over a fissure in the fields.

Mauna Loa Trail

Crunching on the carpet of clinkers as we neared the pit.

Cabin Trail

Only two more miles to go. What many say are the hardest and longest two miles of the hike. Made harder by the fact that some in our group started feeling the higher altitude.

Cabin Trail

Dropping into the steaming North Pit. Yes, this is an active volcano.

Cabin Trail

Smooth walking on the 1984 pahoehoe lava.

Lua Poholo

Skirting the cracked rim bordering the yawning pit that’s over two hundred feet deep.

Cabin Trail

Taking it slowly on our way to the top of the caldera wall. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

Cabin Trail

A welcome sight for our tired eyes, sore feet and aching lungs. The cabin that was dwarfed by the largest ahu on the trail. Somebody had ample time on their hands.

Cabin Trail

Passing the old outhouse with a view from the South Rim.

Mauna Loa Cabin

There was mutual surprise to find two hikers from Washington occupying the cabin built in 1934. No worries, there were still 10 bunks left for the five of us. They had the only hot stove in the cabin. Some of us were drooling over the prospect of hot left overs. Others had to get up during the middle of the night to quench their parched mouths and empty their bladders. One thing we noticed was that the other hikers hung their camelbaks near their bunk, so they could just take a sip when needed without moving around too much.

Sunrise

Tuesday May 28, 2019

Catching the sunrise at 13,250′. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Frosted rocks

The overnight temperatures must have plummeted to freezing as evidenced by frost on the rocks and a chunk of ice that fell from the water catchment. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Mauna Loa Cabin

Packing up and deciding if the group was going to hike the summit trail. Some had already decided.

Moku’aweoweo Caldera

Group photo with the backdrop of the island of lurid burning, although it was more lurid smoking than burning.

Moku’aweoweo Crater

Looking across the caldera to the North Rim where the true summit is located.

Moku’aweoweo Caldera

Ring side seat to the massive sunken pit that encompasses seven square miles and is over 600′ deep. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

Cabin Trail

We said our goodbyes to the two Washington hikers that were enjoying their morning java and caldera views.

Cabin Trail

Starting our third day of hiking at high altitude.

Cabin Trail

Glimpsing Mauna Kea with her glinting observatories perched on the summit. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Lua Poholo

Panoramic view of the crater.

Cabin Trail

The rest of the group climbing out of North Pit. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

Mauna Loa Trail

Making our way to the junction where we could go up to the summit or down to the observatory.

Mauna Loa Trail

C’mon guys, it’s only 2.5 miles to the summit! Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Jagger’s Cave

Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. Cisco, Matt and Quan were still suffering from altitude sickness and the decision was made for them to continue down the trail. Analyn and myself seemed unaffected by the thin air and decided to press on to the summit after depositing our packs in the cave to lighten our load.

Summit Trail

The summit looked so close and yet was so far away.

Summit Trail

Analyn had to double back as she had forgotten her phone at Jagger’s Cave, which afforded me a half hour nap.

Summit Trail

Only two more miles. We got this.

Summit Trail

Passing the carcass of a dead bird. Perhaps fallen by acute mountain sickness.

Summit Trail

We thought we had reached the summit, but it was actually the remains of the original Mauna Loa Observatory. Looking ahead we still saw the ahus dotting the trail that continued to wrap around the rim.

Summit Trail

Making the final push to the top.

Mauna Loa Summit

The summit was not marked with a sign but simply another irregularly stacked ahu sprinkled with trinkets and mementos left by others that had preceded us to the top. We must have missed the logbook. Darn.

Mauna Loa Summit

The caldera was even more majestic and massive from our lofty perch. Analyn noticed the Mauna Loa Cabin across the crater.

Mauna Loa Summit

Group photo at the 13,678′ summit. Breath taking. Literally.

Mauna Loa Summit

Time waits for no one, except another photo shoot.

Summit Trail

Going down as the clouds starting to roll in over the landscape. Whiteout and darkness are two conditions you don’t want to encounter on the trail as it will increase ones chances of getting lost up here.

Summit Trail

Random trail meetings with Robert, a hiker from England.

Summit Trail

Drizzling rain followed the clouds.

Summit Trail

Another random trail meeting with Rob and Megan and their trailing friend.

Summit Trail

Hiking over the fractured lava landscape that was riddled with tubes, fissures, trenches and coated with jagged a’a rocks and spots of smooth pahoehoe lava.

Summit Trail

Back at the junction.

Summit Trail

The drizzling rain had increased the steam output from the caldera.

Jagger’s Cave

We recovered our intact packs and took a short break before our final trek down the volcano.

Observatory Trail

Looking out towards the lime-green pumice sprinkled among the a’a rocks.

Observatory Trail

Descending past the junction.

Pit Toilet

When you got to go, you got to go. Luckily, we didn’t need to go.

Observatory Trail

Most of the group had decided to use hiking sticks that afforded better balance when hiking on the uneven terrain.

Observatory Trail

Coming down on the old lava trail. Photo by Analyn Baliscao.

Observatory Trail

Hiking through the cloud soaked landscaped which muted the cairns and cones.

Jeep Trail

Leaving the trail temporarily as it intersected with the jeep trail.

Jeep Trail

Walking down the road, hoping that a truck would come along and give us a ride to the bottom. No such luck.

Jeep Trail

Getting back on the trail. If we had missed the shortcut, the road would still have deposited us at the bottom. It just would have been a longer day.

Observatory Trail

We noticed yellow splashes of paint on the rocks as we made our way down, probably to help locate the trail during times of low visibility.

Observatory Trail

Passing a cavernous lava tube stacked with two large ahu. Last chance for shelter. Photo by Cisco Quintanilla.

Observatory Trail

The end of the six mile trail from the summit.

Mauna Loa Observatory

Trudging down the dusty road covered with small and rough a’a rocks as we passed the atmospheric baseline station.

All pau

Our journey up and down the world’s largest volcano had come to its conclusion. Glad to have done it with this great bunch of friends. We joined the rest of the them who were waiting for us in our staged car at 11,055′ elevation.

GPS Tracks

The three day hike covered 29.7 miles through heaven and hell. Our hunger for protein was denied by a long wait at Hilo Bay Café, so we drove to Jackie Rey’s for that open table. We should have waited. Walking back to our cars, the ladies were serenaded by the male coqui frogs chirping their high pitched mating and marking calls. We later checked in to KMC where Matt had booked a cabin with a jacuzzi to massage our tired muscles. I think everybody was too tired to use it and turned in for the night after a nice hot shower.

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers.

Pop trivia question. What is the highest mountain in the world? If you answered Mount Everest, try again. It’s Mauna Kea located on the Big Island in the Hawaiian Island chain. If you measure Mauna Kea from the bottom of the ocean, it rises a staggering 33,500 feet which towers over Mount Everest’s 29,029 feet. Yes, only 13,796 feet of the volcano protrudes from the Pacific Ocean; but it still holds the title. We flew into Hilo and piled into my father’s friends 4×4 which would take us to the top. We went over Saddle Road, once notorious for it’s bad conditions, now suprisingly smooth and straight in most places.

Onizuka Visitor Center

We got to the Onizuka Visitor Center which is located on the slopes at an elevation of 9,199 feet. After about 30 minutes of getting acclimatized to the high altitude, we set out for the summit.

Mauna Loa

Looking back at Mauna Loa, which is the world’s largest shield volcano and tops out at 13,679 feet. One day, I plan on hiking the historic Ainapo Trail to the summit of Mokuaweoweo.

Bringing home Xmas

We passed local residents shoveling snow into the back of their pickups to take home for the keiki ( children ) to play in, a holiday Hawaiian treat.

Mauna Kea Observatories

As we drove up the road, some of the observatories popped into sight. I believe they are from left to right; Maxwell, Gemini, Subaru and the Keck Observatories.

Submillimeter Arrays

We saw several snowboarders trudging up the snow covered slopes in search of that perfect “pineapple snow.” I believe there are several areas to ski/snowboard with colorful names such as Poi Bowl, Pele’s Parlor, Warrior’s Run, Alii Run and the King Kamehameha Run.

Panoramic view from the top

Click here to see the larger image taken from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope.

Snowball fight?

The snow at the top of Mauna Kea was not fine like Matsumoto’s Shave Ice, but rather coarse and granular ice. The only things I forgot to do when I was up there was make a snowman and snow angel.