Mauna Loa PT 2
Over the weekend I decided to do another trip back to Mauna Loa. This time with more gear and my FPV drone. The weather was not as kind as the first time, but it was a great experience nonetheless. The wind was racing at around 35mph so I was unable to get a few of the shots that I had planned, I'll save it for next time. These lava tubes are interesting to dwell in, especially when you go into the pitch-black "rooms". It's almost like being in an isolation chamber. No light and sounds are muffled like a recording booth. While we probably hiked 3/4 of a mile...We still haven't made it to the end of this one yet...
We set up lights in the lava tubes and captured some cool shots. Especially with the FPV drone. Crashed on one of the runs which unfortunately cracked the frame of the drone. Here's a video I put together of the footage along with some photos from the second trip.
Mauna Loa
On Monday October 4th my neighbor and I made the trek out to Mauna Loa for a day adventure. The skies were extremely clear, especially considering the recent volcano activity and saturated Vog that the Big Island has been experiencing. We got sort of a late start, leaving the house around 10:30 AM. When we arrived at Mauna Loa Road, it was a sight to behold. The visibility was incredible. Both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa's peaks were visiible. Sparse clouds blossomed in the sky's surroundings. Hiking up was quite intense. The high altitude is not kind in general but it especially doesn't help if you don't take time to get acclimated for a while before going higher. We started at around 11,000 feet and trekked to nearly 13,500 feet give or take. Overall the trip took about 6 hours. Three hours going up, with some stops here and there. A about half an hour lurking around gazing out at the walls of the crater, and another few hours on the way down. (We did take a detour to check out a caldera that was distant from the trail.) Here are some photographs from the hike.
