Chris and I hiked to the summit cabin and back down to sea level on a four day backpacking trip on my spring break 2000.
It was my first mountain climb. The first section, 6,000 foot trail head to 10,000 foot red hill cabin was the hardest part for us.
We started around 11 am, because we're slackers, but also because the Park Ranger gave us the wrong code for the gate and we had to drive back down and ask them..
so it was hot and steep.
and then, as we got above 9000 feet, we had trouble breathing.
I didn't feel so bad, being the greenhorn, because Chris is a professional wilderness guide who was just in Nepal and he couldn't breathe either!
This is Chris from Canada, adventurer extraordinare!
Chris lives in B.C. in a cabin he built himself in the sweet, cold, tiny town of Atlin.
So, we made it (finally) to the cabin, 7 miles in about 5 hours. I had decided not to continue.
Chris and I kind of thought we'd discuss it in the morning.
A group of 5 were already in the cabin, including a 13 year old and a 65 year old who had summitted 7 times. They told me that the second section was not steep at all.(true!)
So, the next morning, I felt much much better, aclimatized and raring to go.
I had read in the cabin log about "rhythmic breathing" and set right off breathing in on one step and out on another.
Amazingly, we did great and covered the 11 miles to the summit in around 6 hours.
We even passed the other crew!
sunset from the red hill cabin at 10,000 feet
What a fabulous, warm and sweet cabin. Built by the US army in 1910.
This is me..wet and cold and poorly dressed!
Oh, the crater!
Frost..snow, hail and rain..and beauty!
We met these UH Hilo seniors at the red hill cabin on theway down the mountain. They are Chris (yeah, thats three CH/Krises, no waiting!) and Scott and Nate took the picture.
Ok, nitty gritty:
You have to get a backcountry permit from the ranger at the Volcano National Park, just so they know where you are, and to reserve a bunk in the cabin.
Dress warmly in wool or synthetics. I didn't have the best gear and I really was cold coming down in the snow, hail, sleet and rain on day 3. I wouldn't stop the whole way down because I was afraid I'd go hypothermic.
Theres not much to do after the sun sets. We were anxious to sleep, but then we lay awake in the morning waiting for dawn.
Maybe a small paperback mystery and a tiny light would've been good. Maybe candles and good conversation?
Next time (I can't wait!) I will acclimatize by camping at the trail head the night before. We did camp at volcano, but the at the trail head we'd have been at 6000 feet.
