Volcanoes National Park - HAT

[Greeneagle5]

Has any mainland Troop made the *voyage* to the Big Island of Hawai'i for a HAT at Volcanoes N.P. and all the other exciting opportunities ? The Park is set up w/ GREAT trails and several trail shelters.

I just got back to the flatlands from a family trip to the Big Island and was floored by the tremendous experience of walking the craters, lava tubes, and twilight trail to watch molten lava flow into the Pacific to create *new* land(only state in the USA that is growing in physical size).

I'd appreciate input/info on taking a small group of older Scouts back, next summer.

Thanks,

G5(This message has been edited by Greeneagle5)

[KoreaScouter]

Our Venture Patrol has a HAT planned for Jan 2-8th of '05. We're staying at the Kiluea Military Camp, right inside the park. They're sorting out their desired activities right now, but they will include hiking the crater, watching the lava flow, stargazing on Mauna Kea, and hiking as far up Mauna Loa as we can. Additional musts are Ken's House of Pancakes in Hilo, and the Hawaiian Style Cafe in Kamuela. I couldn't sp

[Eamonn]

This makes the time we spend in the Laurel Highlands seem a little "Naff". Even if we follow the mountain bike trail to Ohiopyle and go white water rafting. Then hike on up to Seven Springs and slide down and stop in at Brady's for a fish sandwich. I think that I'd sooner be with you guys.

Still I will make myself a pot of Kona coffee and cry in it.

Eamonn

[OldGreyEagle]

A few years back I went to the big island on a business trip (yup, forced to go to Hawaii, what a life!) The clinets were magnanomous enough to honor my request to leave on a saturday and arrive on site on tuesday, that allowed me two days on my own and the client saved big bucks even with the two nights lodging because I had that magical saturday stay over. I remember walking through the lava tube and the trails. It is a great place.

 

While I was there, an active lava flow was present. They had a trail and had "informational" brochures there as well. The brochure made mention that the trail to the lava flow was quite treachorous, as the lava can be quite rough on shoes and the ground is almost like crushed glass. Then it went on to say while the scene of the molten rock spilling into the ocean was breathtaking, the steam that results is an amorphous mix of chemicals, which can sometimes be deadly, plus tiny balls of silica can form and be breathed in, essentially creating tiny little glass particles with jagged edges trapped in the lungs.

 

Now, the quesitons is, is any of this true or did they just not want a lot of gawkers hanging around?

[Bob58]

OGE, Iremember some other warnings re sulfurous fumes from some of the vents along the main crater & observatory trails that stressed dangers to expectant moms & anyone w/ respitory diffuculties. I'd heed anny warnings regarding the emissions. The chemicals & the particles probably do have the potential for being worse than just smelling like rotten eggs.

 

My brief twilight expedition along the trail from the end Chain of Craters road to the oceanside flow was slowed by a malfunctioning flashlight. (Yes, I wasn't really prepared I borrowed a flashlight from my B&B & took extra batteries instead of a 2nd flashlight.) My journey ended about 1/2 an hour after the flashlight gave out. On leaving the parking lot I encountered areas that weren't much worse than a recently resurfaced Tar & Chip road that had'nt been rolled (real CHIPPY.) Occassional areas withmany jagged rocks strewn about & and others places where the were 2 to 4 foot wide gaps had really jagged sides. (If you have any experience w/ breakwaters, jetties or piers or if you live near a large bodsy of water imagine the sides of rocks completely covered with barnacles or broken mussels.)

 

A beatuiful moon was rising, the eruption was a blood red dawn at 2 different spots in the distance and I was thinking about gutting it out when a couple appeared out of nowhere. They told me not to consider going on w'out a flashlight & company. I was wearing hiking boots, but they're sneakers really were shredded. It was obvious that a fall could do some serious damage & falling alone... well. The fact that I thought that I'd been watching the trail in front of me but they seemed to pop up was one of the things that convinced me that this was not just another walk in the park.

 

Bob

 

 

 

[KoreaScouter]

The NPS goes to great lengths to warn you how dangerous it can be. The Saturday before we got there, a man died right there when he ventured out onto the recently formed shelf, and it broke off, tumbling him and some tons of lava rock (terra not-so-firma) into the ocean.

 

You have to actually walk past the flow under your feet to get a view of it rolling into the water. You know when you're right over it from the heat and smell. If it's dark enough, the glow comes up through the cracks in the lava rock.

 

I guess it's dangerous in the sense that visiting the DMZ in Korea is dangerous -- in a potential sense. Lots of guns and p.o.'d guys all around you, but not a lot of actual shooting on a daily basis. At Volcanoes, if you get a group over a weak part of crust and it fails, they turn into human fondue. But, it doesn't happen often. So, it may not have been the smartest thing I ever did, but was far from the dumbest.

 

KS

[Greeneagle5]

My experience on the molten lava trail (end of Chain of Craters Road) was quite exciting, but not lonely. Last Sunday evening(cooler and safer at night) there were perhaps 600 to 900 people making the pilgrimage out to the orange/red lava flow. With a practically full moon (and 600+ flashlights) it was awesome. We watched and enjoyed *creation* for 90 quiet minutes before returning to the trailhead.

We stayed up-wind of the sulfuric acid gases created by molten lava and salt water. Definitely a life experience.

G5