Mauna Loa Diary
The 2008 WFA was near Kona, on the Big Island of Hawaii. Volcanoes National Park is about two hours south. Mauna Loa is one of the two big volcanoes on the island (the other is Mauna Kea). The Mauna Loa trailhead is at 6,600 feet, with the summit at 13,677 feet. It is a long hike; we covered 43 miles in all there and back. This diary is not quite as long, but it's long nevertheless. Thanks to Francisco for supplying all the pictures.
Jonathan Cohn, Andrew Ellul, Marcin Kacperczyk, and Francisco Palomino came along on the hike with me. Larry Harris, with two of his kids, hiked up to Red Hill Cabin on the first day.
Anyone contemplating the hike should absolutely read through the excellent trail guide and look up the various resources on the National Park Service page. I especially liked the various hike journals, and also the ones on Dayle Turner's page.
Day 0, June 25: The day before the hike. We drove up from Kona in the morning, getting to the NPS office in Volcanoes National Park early, to obtain our backpacking permits. Volcano House near the NPS office has a convenient breakfast buffet. Since some of us wanted "real" coffee, after breakfast we walked to a military camp about 1 mile from the NPS office, which has a Starbuck's.
Then, we drove into Hilo to obtain food supplies. We hadn't yet settled on what to eat, but over many conversations, we finally decided to carry a stove. Food for the hike consisted of easy-to-cook soup (comes in a bowl; add boiling water), bread, canned meat (the most foul thing ever, and I hope I never have to eat it again), loads and loads of power bars, and trail mix. We ended up being just a little light on food, running out of soup and bread. The ranger had told us that water was available at the two cabins where we would be spending the three nights, so we began with 3-4 liters of water each.
Supplies obtained, we drove and hiked a little bit in Volcanoes National Park before dinner. Andrew was very impressed with the waiter at dinner, and the words "signature" and "favorite" have acquired the status of an inside joke. We spent the night in cabins rented from Volcano House, at a height of 4,000 feet. Altitude is potentially a big problem on the hike, so we wanted to spend the night at some height, before we started out on the hike.
Day 1, June 26: Trailhead (6,600 feet) to Red Hill Cabin (10,035 feet), 7.5 miles.
We were hoping to set off at about 8 o'clock, but it was finally about 10 a.m. before we left the trailhead. Larry and his kids had camped the night at a campground right next to the cabins we were in. We set off from the trailhead together. The first half-mile or so of the trail is like nothing else on the hike (and on the way down, each of us at some stage wondered whether we had wandered off the trail). The trail is very narrow, with vegetation on both sides. After a half-mile or so, you come to a gate that needs to be closed behind you, to keep out feral goats and pigs. Beyond the gate, the vegetation is sparser, and soon thins out to almost nothing.
Different people in the group had different hiking rates, with Marcin charging up the mountain (as he would, up and down, for the rest of the hike), and me being the slowest. On the first day, we were more or less together over the first 5 miles or so (it's 7.5 miles from the trailhead to Red Hill Cabin, the stopping point for the night). I trailed the rest of the group, but could generally see them not too far ahead. The last 2.5 miles, however, I trailed a good distance behind.
The trail guide is outstanding, and I ticked off the landmarks as we went by. It helped mark the distances as well, since none of us had a very good sense for either distance or altitude yet. I looked forward to the few signs along the trail (signs mark every 1,000 feet in altitude, and there are a few other signs along the way as well). On the whole, it's a gentle climb, with the steepest section between 8,000 and 9,000 feet.
The landscape was something else again. I had never seen landscape like this before. The mountain is essentially an enormous piece of rock that, over the centuries, has had different sections covered with lava flowing at different times. Each lava flow has its own characteristic, so the colors and the shapes change every half-mile or so. Black, grey, golden, rocky, smooth, powdery, name your favorite kind of lava. And it seems to go on forever. It was a beautiful day, which helped. Through most of the hike on the first day, we could see the Kilauea crater in the distance, smoking away.
On the last mile, as Red Hill Cabin approached (Red Hill has a distinctive red lava, and can be spotted from some distance away), I cramped up first in the right thigh and then the left. A brief period of rest, then caught up with the rest of the group, who were waiting just below the cabin. After a brief but heated discussion on whether universities should extend the tenure clock for faculty who become parents during the clock, we finally made it to the cabin at about 5 pm.
7.5 miles, 3,400 feet vertical distance, 7 hours. Ouch. That took much longer than I had thought it would. Marcin helpfully informed me that, at that pace, we weren't going to make it to the summit cabin on day 2. Oh well, put it down to the long lunch break. At least the backpacks hadn't been too bothersome. We were each carrying about 25-30 pounds in all.
A short rest and then a quick walk around Red Hill Cabin. Mauna Kea looms to the right, and one can see a long distance away on all sides.
Dinner that night was soup and bread. Chefs Andrew and Marcin got the stove going. Larry is an experienced hiker, and had a little pump with a filter for cleaning the water from the catchment tank, which we used to refill all the water bottles. It became dark at about 7:30. Francisco had brought a book, and I had a pack of cards for playing bridge. Rather optimistic on both counts. We had an enjoyable bridge discussion, though. It clouded up around sunset, so we couldn't see the stars.
8 bunks in the cabin, and there were 8 of us in all. Perfect. The sleeping bag was very warm (rated to zero degrees), but I slept fitfully. I don't think any of us had a fully restful night on the mountain.
Day 2, June 27: Red Hill Cabin (10,035 feet) to Summit Cabin (approx 13,400 feet), 11.5 miles.
We set off at about 8 am, an hour later than I had hoped. Most of us were up by 6, but it just took some time to get going. Very cool in the morning before the sun rose. Once we set off, Marcin again set a scorching pace. The rest of the group kept up with him, and I trailed behind, but mostly kept them in sight for the first two miles or so. A short halt at the two mile point, contemplating Pele's tears (beautifully formed small greenish lava crystals). We then broke up into a pattern that stayed the same for the next three days. Marcin, Andrew, and Francisco hiked in a group ahead, and Jonathan stuck around with me.
Another good day for hiking, bright and clear. Completely barren landscape now, again changing every half-mile or so. Lava, more lava, and yet more lava. Stopped briefly at the Dewey Cone, a small mound covered with moss. There was a large trench on the right as we approached the Steaming Cone (which was not steaming), and various "holes" and "caves" in the rock along the way. Every now and then, you have to step over a deep fissure or trench. My balance is not good at the best of times, and you have to watch where you place every foot on this terrain. Francisco, Jonathan and I had made a trip to Cabella's to acquire hiking equipment (boots, sleeping bag, backpack), and it was all coming in handy. The boots were getting a regular scuffing.
Jonathan and I caught up with Marcin, Andrew, and Francisco at the 12,000 foot sign, about 6 miles from Red Hill Cabin. We got there at about 12:15. Those three had got there earlier, had rested, and were all set to push on. They went on ahead while Jonathan and I rested. We rested about a half-hour, and then moved on.
Everyone else was clearly much fitter than me. My hiking pattern was to take a "traffic light" breather stop every 10 minutes or so, and a sit-down stop every 30 to 45 minutes. Also, every now and then I had to pause to determine which way the trail went. It is very well marked with cairns the whole way, but the landscape offers no clue at all, so every now and then one has to take stock. All these stops were slowing us down, but Jonathan was very patient through it all.
As we approached the North Pit (which we couldn't see yet), the trail took a 90 degree turn to the right. We paused for a few minutes, before concluding we should go right. Again, the trail is well-marked; there is a little wall blocking off the path to the right, and, once you see it, an arrow on the ground pointing right. It just doesn't seem the natural direction to go in, but there you have it.
At about 3:15, we came to the North Pit, the caldera at the summit, at just over 13,000 feet. What a sight. It is simply a beautiful caldera. Enormous, about 7 to 8 miles in diameter, I think. It was a bright day, and the surface of the caldera was almost shiny black, and smooth. I love mountains, and I could sit there all day and look at it. Well, we sat for about a half hour and moved on. The Summit Cabin was still 2 miles away.
The next quarter mile or so takes you into the caldera, and that was some of the easiest hiking on the whole trip. It is firm and smooth, and flat. Then, the trail climbs out of the North Pit, and passes another large crater to the left. As we climbed, we passed some deep and thin fissures. I stared into one of them, and it looked very shiny. I asked Jonathan "How'd they get that plastic in there?" He looked in, and had no answer. About ten minutes later, he says "That must be ice!" And sure it was. I guess the brain does slow down at higher altitudes. An impressive sight, though.
It's 2 miles from the North Pit to the Summit Cabin, and it's safe to say that's been the longest 2 miles of my life. The combination of the altitude and the fatigue made it very, very slow going. I was pausing every 3 to 4 minutes for breath, and plodding along like a turtle in between. Jonathan seemed to have loads of energy left, at one point dropping his backpack and speeding ahead for a quarter mile to see what was coming next. You can see the Summit Cabin from about a half-mile away, but you still have to trek that last half-mile.
Finally, finally, we crawled in (well, I crawled and Jonathan bounded) to the Summit Cabin at 5:40. The others had been there since about 4 o'clock, and seemed reasonably well rested. I was exhausted.
11.5 miles, approx 3,400 feet vertical distance, 9 hrs 40 minutes. Slow, but we made it.
12 bunks at the Summit Cabin, but only 5 of us that night. There were sleeping bags left by other hikers on three of the bunks, though, as well as a stove and food supplies in the kitchen. No one showed up at night, though. Wonder if someone was just too tired to carry everything back down the mountain, or was going to come back to reclaim it. We were looking at a very light dinner (trail mix and power bars) on day 3, so we borrowed a can of potato soup. Larry and his pump were no longer with us, so I had to use some iodine tablets to purify the water. The water tank at the summit was working, which was great.
Went outside briefly after dark. The stars were very impressive, but when you're that tired, it's hard to enjoy the sights. It was much colder at the summit cabin, but the sleeping bag was again very warm. Another fitful night.
Day 3, June 28: Summit Cabin (13,400 feet) to Summit (13,677 feet) to Red Hill Cabin (10,035 feet), 16.5 miles in all.
Bad news in the morning: Marcin had a huge headache, Andrew had a headache, and I had a queasy stomach. I had expected that second night to be the worst in terms of altitude sickness, and so it proved. It could have been much worse, though. Marcin and Andrew took some aspirin, and I resolved to not eat too much that day. Francisco and Jonathan seemed in better shape.
We set off at about 7:15. The plan was to hike to where the Red Hill Cabin trail hit the North Pit, leave the backpacks there, and curve around the caldera to the summit, picking up the backpacks on the way back. It was very cold in the morning at that altitude. Other than Francisco, none of us had woolen hats, so we adopted Andrew's idea of wrapping a t-shirt around our heads (especially the ears). Trust me, it may not be the pinnacle of fashion, but it works.
Again, Marcin, Andrew and Francisco led the way, with me and Jonathan following some distance behind. The first hour was fine; we got to the Red Hill Cabin trail at about 8:10. Maybe it is only two miles after all.
It's not a steep hike to the summit, but altitude is a factor, and I again found myself starting and stopping regularly. I thought it would be a lot easier without the backpack, but the backpack didn't seem to add too much. Marcin, Andrew and Francisco were again well out in front, with Jonathan patiently keeping me company. Stop, start, stop, start...finally got to the summit around 10:30. Whew. A 600-foot drop to the bottom of the caldera. Did I mention the caldera is an awesome sight, and I could just sit and stare at it all day? Marcin and Andrew were sleeping when we got there (the picture to the left had been taken earlier!). Francisco took some more pictures, and we set off back to the backpacks.
Repeating a familiar pattern, Marcin, Francisco, and Andrew got to the backpacks about 15-20 minutes before Jonathan and me. They set off back down to Red Hill Cabin as soon as we got there, at about 11:45. Jonathan and I took a breather. 9.5 miles to go, and we had to get there before dark (7 o'clock). We had brief (and unpleasant) visions of wandering about on Mauna Loa with a flashlight after dark, trying to find the trail.
Fortunately, going down is so much easier than coming up. We'd already done 7.5 miles that day, and had a long way to go, but it helped to be traversing familiar ground and remembering landmarks as we passed them. I was able to go longer before stopping, which helped too. While we walked, we maintained about a 2 mile an hour pace. The rest-stops brought down the overall pace.
One concern was some dark clouds that covered much of the sky, with only a small patch in front of us empty. We heard a fair bit of thunder as well, and there was some lightning. I had trekking poles, so Jonathan would have been confident that I would get hit first. We were ready to pull out the frog-togs, which hadn't been worn yet, but the rain held off.
Stopped again at the 12,000 mile sign. Couldn't eat anything, not even trail mix, with complete loss of taste in the mouth. But that didn't seem to affect our progress.
We pushed on, and as we neared the Steaming Cone, we first thought we were hallucinating. The cone was really steaming! Not just a little puff or two, but large bits of steam from various places on the cone. Complete with that "rotten eggs" hydrogen sulphide smell too. There is a large trench between the Steaming and Dewey Cones, and that was steaming too.
At about 3:45, we were at the Dewey Cone: 4 miles to go. Rested for about 15 minutes, and headed off again. 10 minutes on, and Jonathan suddenly realized he had left his glasses at the Cone. We stopped for a few minutes while he debated the marginal benefits and marginal costs of going back for them, and finally decided against it.
We pushed on, and on. Fatigue starts to set in towards the end of the day, and it certainly makes me grumpy. At one point, the trail climbed quite steeply for a few steps. I paused for breath at the top. We thought we were still 2.25 miles away, and were looking at approximately a 6:45 arrival at Red Hill Cabin. Looking around, I saw this disk embedded in the ground, about 4 inches in diameter. H21, it said. Pulled out the trail guide, which mentions several of these BM thingies, but I had no idea what they were before then. Turns out they are Bench Marks put in by the Geological Survey (having seen one, we spotted several such disks in the ground the rest of the way down to the trailhead). Well, this particular BM was only 1.6 miles from Red Hill Cabin! The relief was palpable, and we celebrated with a 10-minute breather.
From then on, it was a matter of time. Passed Pele's tears again, passed various color transitions in lava. You can see Red Hill from about a half-mile away. Finally got in to the cabin at 6:10.
16.5 miles in all, 11 hours. A long day.
Marcin and Francisco had set a punishing pace, getting in to Red Hill Cabin shortly after 3 o'clock, with Andrew just a few minutes behind. Andrew said that all three of them lay on their bunks without moving for an hour, before they were able to get up again.
We rested a bit, then Andrew rustled up some dinner. Larry had left some pasta behind for us, and it was cooked and blended with the potato soup to make some concoction. Jonathan pronounced it delicious, but I couldn't taste anything, and couldn't really eat much. Filled the water bottles and put in the iodine tablets. The iodine turns the water brown, but the particular tablets I had came with a neutralizer that removed the taste and color of the iodine. Had to wait a half-hour to put in the neutralizer, though, so I did that the next morning.
We were all exhausted that night. I had another fitful night, but Marcin slept well for once.
Day 4, June 29: Red Hill Cabin (10,035 feet) to trailhead (6,600 feet)
In the morning, we felt better and we felt worse. Marcin's headache was gone, but his feet and toes were bleeding in various places, as were Francisco's. My right foot had taken a minor beating, but nowhere as bad as theirs. Not too far to go today, though.
Packed up all the trash in two bags, which Jonathan attached to the outside of his backpack. And off we went, at about 7:15. Marcin had slowed up just enough that I was able to keep him in sight most of the way. Andrew set the pace on this day, followed by Marcin and Francisco, and me and Jonathan again some ways behind.
The landmarks were again familiar, and it seemed much easier going, at least in part because we knew it would be a short day and we'd soon be at the car. Stopped for about 10 minutes at the 9,000 foot sign, and then again briefly at the 8,000 foot sign. When you get to 7,000 feet, there's only one mile to go. Andrew, Francisco, and Marcin pushed on, but I wanted to catch a breather, so Jonathan and I sat for a few minutes. Finally, that last mile: closed the gate again to keep out the feral goats, and then found ourselves on a narrow path with thick vegetation, wondering whether we had lost the trail. Anyway, we pushed on, and found the car at the trailhead at 11:10.
7.5 miles, 3,400 feet down in elevation, 4 hours.
Rested for a while near the trailhead, took off the boots and so on, and finally set off in the car. The first order of business was to find a real cup of coffee. One of us (who shall remain unnamed) insisted that nothing else could happen until he had got his latte. Went to the Starbuck's in the military camp, and then came back to the Park Service Office to let them know we were off the mountain. The ranger told us there had been a minor earthquake the night we were at the summit cabin, which perhaps explained the steaming parts we saw on day 3. We asked him how many people climb the mountain every year. It seems it's approximately 200, though they don't really keep a count.
Had lunch at Volcano House, said goodbye to Kilauea Crater, and headed towards Kona, where a hotel, a hot bath, some rest, and a good dinner awaited. Little did we know then: dinner involved a walk of a mile along the coast road. That evening, none of us could really walk. We all limped along in strange fashion.
What an experience it was, though. The day before we set off on the hike, we had had a discussion on whether hikers are stubborn. I'm convinced they are; that, absent that stubbornness, I would never have made it there and back. The rest of the group didn't seem to think so, though. I suppose, being much fitter than me, they had to rely less on sheer stubbornness.
A final verdict on the power bars: About half the bars we took up came back down with us. Some of these are simply inedible. The fruit-flavored ones are not bad, though.
A big thank you to everyone who came along! It was most definitely a signature hike.