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.

I managed to squeeze in a short stroll on the Big Island during a quick visit.

Trailhead

Entrance fee was $20 for 7 days or $25 for an annual pass to enter the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Guess which one I picked?

Trail

The railings tipped me off this was going to be a rough trail. Glad I packed water and wore my hiking shoes.

Trail

Looking across the solidified lava lake that once was a boiling lava lake that covered the once thriving forest. Cycle of life.

Trail

The main vent at the base of Pu’u Pua’i where 71 million cubic meters of lava gushed forth back in 1959, eventually 63 million cubic meters drained back into the magma core, leaving 8 million cubic meters to cool and solidify into the floor we see today.

Bench

A place to sit in case the strenuous stroll takes the better of you.

Junction

The short way or the long way. I took the short way today.

Trail

The trail started to switch back down into the crater floor.

Trail

Looking across the barren landscape, fringed with a lush forest of trees.

Trail

Standing on the rocky ledge, known as the “bathtub ring”, the highest level that the lava reached before draining back into the vent.

Ohia Lehua

The first plants to grow on lava fields, they have uniquely adapted to thrive in the harsh volcanic environment.

Trail

One of the numerous cracks and fissures that ran throughout the lava floor.

Trail

Ferns. The good ones. Not the uluhell ones.

Trail

Folds of lava flows, with volcanic rubble and ohia trees sprinkled throughout.

Trail

Following the volcanic breadcrumbs, ahu or lava rock cairns, as I made my way through the crater floor.

Trail

Panoramic view from the middle of the crater, with pockets of scalding steam coming from cracks in the lava floor.

Trail

Walking back up to the other side of the “bathtub ring.”

Trail

Looking back at the crater floor as I made my way back to the forested trail.

Trail

Switch backing up to the parking lot.

Trail

Before I knew it, the hike was over.

All pau

I walked back up the road to the parking lot and caught a brief glimpse of the summit lookout before leaving the park.

Note: I have been made aware the 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.

I had a free week off in between jobs, so I visited my parents on the Big Island and squeezed in a couple of fun hikes.

Kaumana Caves

My first stop was Kaumana Caves which is a 15-20 minute drive from downtown Hilo.  The place has a sheltered picnic table, restrooms and drinking water. All the comforts a hiker can ask for.

Watch your step

Steep stairs descended into a mini-rain forest sprouting out of the breach of a 25 mile long lava tube that was created by an 1881 lava flow from Mauna Loa.

The right cave

I explored the smaller cave opening to the right side first.

Come to the dark side

Making my way down into the cave, the light soon left me, to be replaced by total darkness. Pitch black. Not a speck of light. Except for my headlamp.  

Got light?

The cave narrowed considerably at times, forcing me to duck and even crawl on all fours. I bumped my head more than once. On the solid lava ceiling. Ouch. 

Drip. drip. drip.

The constant dripping of water was my only company on this hike. Lava stalactites that were formed during the 1881 lava flow.

Grafitti!

Grafitti in the cave. Didn’t see no petroglyphs. Lighting was a problem. After stumbling in the semi-darkness for half an hour, I turned around.

The batcave!

I made my way to the larger cave opening on the left side.

Going down the rabbit hole

Appearances can be deceiving. The larger opening lead to a smaller opening.

Crawling is mandatory

I crawled under a ledge to start my second cave exploration.

Follow the lava tube

It was cool, literally, to be inside a pitch black lava tube, with only a headlamp to help navigate. It’s not just a hike, it’s an adventure.

Left or right?

Unlike the cave on the right, this one had sections with ceilings that looked at least 40′ high and even split lava tubes.

Time to turn back

Soon the cave floor became a maze of jagged and jumbled lava rocks, time for me to turn around. One could probably make a day of exploring the entire length of the caves in both directions. Just make sure you have backup on top of backup lights. Without lights, it would not be safe and fun getting out of there.

No rainbow?

I drove down the road to Wailuku River State Park for the easiest hike to a waterfall yet. Can’t even call it a hike. You park and Rainbow Falls is there, literally. No rainbows were present but at least the falls were gushing. Sometimes Mother Nature turns the waterfalls off due to lack of rain.  

Rainbow Falls

Rainbow Falls is also known as Waianuenue in Hawaiian. There is a trail by the sign that will take you to the top of the falls.

Wailuku River

There are another set of falls further upstream, known as Peepee Falls which feeds the famous pools known as Boiling Pots. Another hike for another day.

Top of the falls

Checking out the 80 foot drop. Now it was off to have an early dinner with my parents at Lava Rock Café. Try their Southern Fried Chicken. Tasty.