HIking Through a Hawaiian Volcano Crater
By stephhicks68
I'm not very adventurous by nature. In fact, caution is my middle name when it comes to going on vacation - especially with respect to cuisine or outdoor activities.
Yet, when we visited the big island of Hawaii recently, we hiked right through the crater of a volcano! I have to admit that it was a little hair-raising, even for someone who enjoys hiking.
Our 4-mile hike took us around the rim of Kilauea Iki, through lava tubes (did I mention I have claustrophobia too), down across the crater floor, across towards the Halemaumau crater, which was spewing steam the entire time. We didn't get to walk as close to the crater rim as we had planned because the sulfur dioxide levels were dangerously high. Portions of the trail were closed off to visitors and warnings were aired on the radio station.
Over several hours we walked through rainforests, past a cinder cone, down 400 feet into the Kilauea Iki crater (which last erupted in 1959), and then climbed back up to the crater's rim. The terrain was steep and rocky at times, and it was hot! All I kept thinking while walking the 1.5 miles across the bottom crater was, "hot lava!"
Yet, hiking in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, was cool in every sense of the word. You don't have to follow our trail - there are over 150 miles of trails throughout the park. Bring a backpack, water and sturdy shoes and go exploring in Hawaii.
All photographs in this hub are the property of Stephanie Hicks. Please contact me for permission to use.
I'm not very adventurous by nature. In fact, caution is my middle name when it comes to going on vacation - especially with respect to cuisine or outdoor activities.
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| The Halemaumau crater at Kilauea was steaming during our visit to Hawaii (c) Stephanie Hicks |
Our 4-mile hike took us around the rim of Kilauea Iki, through lava tubes (did I mention I have claustrophobia too), down across the crater floor, across towards the Halemaumau crater, which was spewing steam the entire time. We didn't get to walk as close to the crater rim as we had planned because the sulfur dioxide levels were dangerously high. Portions of the trail were closed off to visitors and warnings were aired on the radio station.
Over several hours we walked through rainforests, past a cinder cone, down 400 feet into the Kilauea Iki crater (which last erupted in 1959), and then climbed back up to the crater's rim. The terrain was steep and rocky at times, and it was hot! All I kept thinking while walking the 1.5 miles across the bottom crater was, "hot lava!"
Yet, hiking in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, was cool in every sense of the word. You don't have to follow our trail - there are over 150 miles of trails throughout the park. Bring a backpack, water and sturdy shoes and go exploring in Hawaii.
All photographs in this hub are the property of Stephanie Hicks. Please contact me for permission to use.
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