Ever wanted to hike in a crater?

[pwd72s]

Tour of the Mt. St. Helens crater...not an easy stroll. About 15 minutes..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2ivI-WIunc&ab_channel=RealLifeLore

[Tobra]

Haleakala crater. Cold AF watching the sun come up at the top of the mountain.

Long ass walk at fairly high altitude, there was a little shack down there at the bottom, wood baked to a crisp, sitting in the tropical sun at better than 6000 feet for who knows how long.

Coming out the other side, as I looked back into the crater, which could pass for something on Mars, the wind came up, the mist formed a vortex. I felt the distinct impression of being sucked over the edge, Nikes felt a little light, like I was on too steep a hill to be walking on all of the sudden. Very surreal, maybe the most unnerving thing that has ever happened to me, felt like I was going to fall into that half mile deep hole.

[GH85Carrera]

Back in 1969 our family went to Hawaii's big island on vacation. We lived on Oahu, so it was not a long airplane flight. We stayed at military vacation housing, for cheap.

We took a "day" trip that was supposed to be just a mile to the crater rim. A sign was moved, or wrong, and we ended up taking the long walk around the crater. As a teenager, I loved it. We went through areas that were ash devastation, and it looked like the moon. We went through a lava tube, like an long cave, then to a full on rain forest, back the the Arizona desert type of terrain. Then right up to the rim of Pele but we renamed it Mt. Smelly because of the sulfur smell. Finally back to the room. It was a 6 hour walk. My parents both collapsed on the bed, exhausted. My brother and I went and rented bicycles for a dollar and rode around in the bike trails. Ah, to be young.

It was a very memorable walk. As I remember much of what we saw and walked was destroyed in later eruptions over the last 50 years.

[Sooner or later]

Good video. Thanks for posting.

I did the short hike down into Mt Capulin in New Mexico. It is about 400 ft deep. Drive to the top. Hike to the bottom.

[LWJ]

Climbed to the summit of St. Helens in 2005 or so. There were two guys coming down in the am. They had climbed in the dark so as to see the red glow in the cinder cone. Not supposed to glow now.

All in all, it’s pretty cool.

[sc_rufctr]

Ever wanted to hike in a crater?

- I always wanted to but family, kids, life and all that came first. Once I'm officially retired we'll see. I just hope my health holds up. My BIL (Denver USA) was always really active most of his life but he had to get both of his hips replaced about 4 years ago. He's 68, retired but no long hikes or bike rides.

[Skip Newsom]

An active crater?
Nope!

A sleeping one... sure!!
We walked the Kīlauea Iki trail last March on the big island- 3 miles long dropping into what was an active volcanic crater back in the late 50's.

Absolutely stunning and surreal!







People even followed us there!


Looking back from the other side at the trail through the crater

[Otter74]

This is sort of on-topic but a bit tangential - if any of you have the opportunity to see the documentary 'Fire of Love' where you live, see it. It's fascinating and the footage is awesome.

[look 171]

Yeah a few, during the time when I was a geology major.

[Tobra]

Hiked around Kilauea when it was active, close enough to actual lava to be uncomfortably hot. Melted all the nubs off my tennis shoes, all smooth on the bottom afterward.

Was for a class, Hawaiian Field Studies. 3 islands, 30 days, college credit and less than a grand all in. Best vacation deal I have ever gotten.

We were on the big island, came to the end of the road at Volcanoes Park, lava flow across the road blocking it. We turned around and went to a little market outside the park. Bumped into a park ranger, who recognized the head of the science department, because said ranger was an alumni. He gave us a private tour. "Walk right behind me and it will be fine. There are a lot of lava tubes though, so don't stray off the path I take." It was awesome