Day 86: Lava Tube

Miles hiked: 25.2

Mile marker: 1392.2

Total ascent: 1750 ft

Total descent: 2900 ft

Rafiki and I are so tired from the late night of hiking that we get going slowly. We’re only a mile or so behind Voyager and Bumper.

The sun is already out by the time we start walking.

We spend the first few hours of the day finishing our field walk. It soon turns into a forest and the harsh sun beats on us from every crack and crevice it can find through the canopy.

Each step on the sandy walk produces a large cloud of dust that coats the roof of my mouth and inside of my nostrils with a layer of fine dirt.

The sun is so hot I almost feel delirious. I’m glad for my new shoes! I certainly felt a difference yesterday while walking. My hikes went from a barefoot experience to walking on a cloud.

Rafiki looks at the map and finds a road that will take us to the general store another hiker recommended. We walk by a campground and hit a paved road.

They have a food truck! I order my favorite Tex-mex burrito.

We chat with a young couple for a while. The woman is from Ukraine and quite interested in what we’re doing! They offer us a ride to the trailhead to the lava tube. It’s only a mile out of the way, but they don’t mind giving us a ride!

I enjoyed the crème sodas here, but it’s time to move on.

As soon as we pull up to the parking lot, I see Voyager! We thank our new friends and chat with Voyager and Bumper for a few minutes.

It’s a wicked hot day that beats us up, so I soak my shirt and head down the stairs. The temperature drops suddenly as I step into the mouth of a cave. The ground is jagged and uneven. There are alcoves of lava rock in here. We turn on our headlamps and walk through the tube of lava rock. It’s bigger than a house!