A Hawaiian Kaleidoscope - The Big Island: Volcanoes, Mauna Loa Climb, Heiaus and Beach Relaxation - February 2012

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Cairns across North Pit

Brian was feeling especially fatigued by the combination of altitude and rough trail, and was starting to lag further and further behind. It took us almost an hour-and-a-half to hike back down to the trail junction at the edge of the North Pit - again longer than we had intended.

View towards summit

We took a very short break at the junction and then marched on, starting a very flat crossing over the floor of the North Pit. The strange sparkling/granular texture of the pit's black lava floor stretching ahead of us, in combination with the slowly-fading gray light, added to our earlier off-world type sensory experience. The high overcast had thickened further, reducing the sun to a feeble glowing orb, and we felt no heat at all from its rays.

Lua Poholo Pit

On its way across the North Pit to the eastern rim of the caldera (and to the cabin), the Mauna Loa trail skirts an impressive deep sub-pit. At any other time, we would have stopped to take full stock of it. I did nothing more than take a quick snap of it now, though. We very much wanted to complete our hike over the rough terrain before dark, and it was clear that Brian's reduction of pace was continuing. I became a bit more strident in suggesting that he try very hard to pick up the pace a bit. I didn't feel like attempting to set up a tent on some patch of jagged lava - especially a tent that is only designed for two people at the best of times. No, a nice solid cabin in which to cozy up away from the harsh, barren terrain up here - that was a mighty powerful draw.

Climbing out of North Pit

Even though we were trying to reduce our pace to match Brian's, we couldn't help but gradually pull ahead of him. We were therefore often stopping to wait for him to catch up. Five-thirty turned to six, and six turned to six-thirty. Sunset. Still we had a kilometer (0.6 miles) to go to reach the summit.

That final kilometer took an agonizingly long time. Brian hadn't put his headlamp on, and this made his forward progress over the rough terrain that much slower. I could now see the outline of the cabin silhouetted against the sky perhaps 500 yards ahead, but at this pace it was still maddeningly far away. I turned back to the now-shadowy shapes of Jenn and Brian behind me, and could see that Brian was having a tough time navigating the bouldery trail, even almost stumbling off his feet in one spot.

I was looking forward, somewhat impatiently, to arriving at the cabin. Although the distances hadn't been all that extreme, the altitude and the trail had turned it into a fairly tough hike, and I was feeling reasonably spent myself. I had already planned my first activity there: taking my pack off and just lying down - still in my hiking clothes - on one of the cabin's bunks for fifteen minutes.

Finally, we arrived - shortly after 7pm. It was nearly fully dark. From a distance, the cabin seemed empty, with no sign of light coming from any of the windows. This was a good sign - there had always been the possibility of others staying with us that night, and we were slightly concerned about waking any early-to-sleep types who may have been within. Fortunately, though, the cabin was empty. It was ours exclusively for the night.

Nighttime, Mauna Loa Cabin

The cabin was quite spacious, containing a total of twelve bunk spots in a large room with a table, and a small adjacent room with a kitchen. Out back, there was a modern composting toilet and a large steel cistern. Each of the bunks had a foam mattress, a thin blanket, and an old second-hand sleeping bag.

Jenn and Brian joined me in my first cabin activity: resting in a bunk for a few minutes.

I was glad to have a proper camp stove with fuel up here. It was quite chilly, and the altitude makes it harder to boil water and cook food. Soon the stove was emitting a nice, forceful flame (much better than the pathetic flame from the sterno stove). Even though we were indoors now, it was quite chilly - perhaps only a few degrees above freezing. The pot of water was soon nice and warm - very nice for a cold pair of hands.

After dinner, the combination of our tiredness and the chilly temperatures sent us straight to our bunks. Because there was no one else in the cabin, we each fashioned little nests, using multiple of the old sleeping bags and mats to create a deluxe-ly soft and insulated spot to sleep (we still used our own sleeping bags at the core of this extra padding and insulation). Thusly esconced, we quickly fell asleep.

Interactive Trackmap - Mauna Loa Climb and Cabin - double-click map to expand

Interactive Trackmap - Mauna Loa Climb and Cabin - click to expand

Observatory TH to Mauna Loa Summit - Hike Data

Start Time: 9:30a.m.

End Time: 3:42p.m.

Duration: 6h12m

Distance: 10.88 km (6.76 mi)

Average Speed: 1.8 km/hr (1.1 mph)

Start Elevation: 11034ft (3363m) *

Max Elevation: 13762ft (4195m) *

Min Elevation: 11034ft (3363m) *

End Elevation: 13762ft (4195m) *

* : +/- 75 feet

Total Elevation Gain: 2763ft (842m) *

Total Elevation Loss: 86ft (26m) *

* : +/- 75 feet

Elevation Graph

Mauna Loa Summit to Mauna Loa Cabin - Hike Data

Start Time: 3:42p.m.

End Time: 7:05p.m.

Duration: 3h23m

Distance: 7.77 km (4.83 mi)

Average Speed: 2.3 km/hr (1.4 mph)

Start Elevation: 13763ft (4195m) *

Max Elevation: 13767ft (4196m) *

Min Elevation: 13126ft (4001m) *

End Elevation: 13381ft (4078m) *

* : +/- 75 feet

Total Elevation Gain: 297ft (91m) *

Total Elevation Loss: 672ft (205m) *

* : +/- 75 feet

Elevation Graph

Combined: Observatory TH to Summit to Cabin - Hike Data

Start Time: 9:30a.m.

End Time: 7:05p.m.

Duration: 9h35m

Distance: 18.65 km (11.59 mi)

Average Speed: 1.9 km/hr (1.2 mph)

Start Elevation: 11034ft (3363m) *

Max Elevation: 13767ft (4196m) *

Min Elevation: 11034ft (3363m) *

End Elevation: 13381ft (4078m) *

* : +/- 75 feet

Total Elevation Gain: 3069ft (935m) *

Total Elevation Loss: 756ft (230m) *

* : +/- 75 feet

Elevation Graph

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