HAWAII ISLAND
FIELD EXCURSION
2004 PRELIMINARY GENERAL ITINERARY
(NOTE: in the travel itinerary below, the names of the stop
are given, followed by the primary academic topic(s) at each stop [for example:
Steam Vents (volcanic gases & fumaroles)]. Sometimes, the topic is the same
as the stop name [for example: Tree Molds (tree molds)].
F JUL 9: ORIENTATION MEETING (2:00–5:00
P.M.)
DAY 1-M AUG 23: CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION
DAY 2-T AUG 24: CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION
DAY 3-W AUG 25: CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION
DAY 4-TH AUG 26: CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION
DAY 5-M AUG 30: TRAVEL TO THE BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII
DAY 6-T AUG 31: HAWAII VOLCANOES OBSERVATORY;
JAGGAR MUSEUM; CRATER RIM DRIVE (through Kilauea Iki/Pu’u Pua’i)
- Steam
Vents (volcanic gases & fumaroles)
- Sulphur
Bank (volcanic gases & fumaroles)
- Hawaii
Volcanoes Observatory (HVO) tour (with USGS scientist) & Jaggar Museum
(Kilauea Volcano, Hawaiian volcanism)
- Southwest
Rift Zone (Ka’u Desert & volcanic rift zone)
- Halema’uma’u
Trail (Halema’uma’u Crater)
- Big
Rock (1924 explosion)
- September,
1982 Lava Flow (pahoehoe basalt)
- Keanakako’i
Crater (Pit crater & former lava lake)
- Pu’u
Pua’i Overlook and Kilauea Iki (pit crater & former lava lake)
- Dinner:
KMC cafeteria
DAY 7-W SEPT 1: MAUNA LOA ROAD & UPPER CHAIN
OF CRATERS ROAD
- Kipuka
Puaulu (Kilauea & Mauna Loa transition; kipuka)
- Mauna
Loa Lookout (view of Mauna Loa)
- Thurston
Lava Tube (basalt lava tube)
- Kilauea
Iki Crater (Kilauea Iki Crater) (short but steep optional hike)
- Lau
Manu Crater (spatter rampart & lava trees)
- Puhimau
Crater (pit crater)
- Puhimau
Thermal Area (Puhimau Thermal Area)
- Devil’s
Throat (pit crater)
- Dinner:
KMC cafeteria
DAY 8-TH SEPT 2: KILAUEA EAST RIFT AT PUNU
(KEA’AU-PAHOA-KAIMU-CAPE KUMUKAHI)
- End
of HA 130 at Kaimu (Pu’u O’o-Kupaianaha flows)
- MacKenzie
State Rec Area (internal structure of pahoehoe flows)
- Isaac
Hale Beach County Park (black cobble beach & warm spring)
- Cape
Kumukahi Road (Kapoho Cone & Pu’u Kuki’i)
- Cape
Kumukahi (1960 basalt flow)
- Geothermal
Power Station (geothermal energy of the East Rift)
- Lava
Tree State Monument (lava trees)
- Dinner:
mall food court, Hilo
DAY 9-F SEPT 3: MIDDLE CHAIN OF CRATERS
ROAD-HALINA PALI ROAD-LOWER CHAIN OF CRATERS ROAD
- Mauna
Ulu (lava shields and pit craters) (2+ mile hike)
- Napau
Trail to Mauna Ulu and Pu’u Huluhulu (lava shields and pit craters)
(optional hike)
- Hilina
Pali Road with USGS scientist (Koa’e Fault Zone) (hike)
- Mau
Loa o Mauna Ulu (Lava flow of 1969)
- Muliwai
a Pele (lava flow of 1969 & lava balls)
- Kealakomo
Picnic area (Holei Pali slump scarp)
- Alanui
Kahiko/Lava flows (Holei Pali slump scarp)
- Pu’u
Loa Petroglyphs (Native Hawaiian petroglyphs)
- Holei
Sea Arch (coastal sea arch)
- End of
Chain of Craters Road [active lava flows (optional, depending on activity);
may involve hiking as much as 4 miles over uneven volcanic terrain partly
in the dark using flashlights (daily eruption
update; view lava
safely)]
- Dinner:
sack lunch at lava flows or KMC, depending on activity
DAY 10-S SEPT 4: HILO AREA
- Onekahakaha
Beach County Park (coastal basalt flows of Mauna Loa)
- Hilo
Waterfront & Tsunami Museum (tsunami)
- Honoli’i
Beach County Park (coastal basalt flows of Mauna Kea) (optional)
- Pepe’ekea
Scenic Dr. & Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens (Hawaiian botany)
- Rainbow
Falls (valley-fill lava flow)
- Boiling
Pots (valley-fill lava flows & stream erosion)
- Kaumana
Caves County Park (lava tube)
(optional)
- Dinner:
downtown Hilo
DAY 11-S SEPT 5: MAUNA LOA & MAUNA KEA VIA
SADDLE ROAD
- ~5
miles east of Pu’u Huluhulu on Saddle Road (bombing of 1935-36 lava
flow)
- Pu’u
Huluhulu (alkalic cinder cone of Mauna Kea)
- 7.0 to
7.5 miles from Saddle Road to Mauna Loa Observatory on Mauna Loa (pahoehoe
and a’a flows)
- Mauna
Loa Observatory (shield volcanoes)
- Onizuka
Center for International Astronomy (Mauna Kea geology)
- Mauna
Kea Summit (glacial and volcanic features)
- Dinner:
downtown Hilo area
DAY 12-S SEPT 6: KILAUEA SOUTHWEST
RIFT-PAHALA-PUNALU’U HARBOR-GREEN SAND BEACH-KA LAE (SOUTH POINT)
- Ka’u
Desert Trailhead & Mauna Iki Lava Shield (Ka’u Desert, Kilauea
SW Rift, lava shields)
- Macadamia
Nut farm tour? (macadamia nut farming?)
- Punalu’u
Harbor (black sand beach)
- Ka Lae
National Historic District (green sand beach at Mahana Bay (6 mile hike)
- South
Point (basalt sea cliffs & slide scarp of Mauna Loa’s Southwest
Rift)
- Dinner:
Shaka Restaurant, Na’alehu
DAY 13-T SEPT 7: MAUNA LOA SOUTHWEST RIFT-KONA
- Scenic
Overlook (Mauna Loa Southwest Rift slide scarp view)
- Captain
Cook Monument (Captain Cook Monument)
- Hawaii
Belt Road lookout (Hualalai volcanics and xenoliths)
- Other
Hualalai stops (yet to be determined) (Hualalai volcanics)
- Dinner:
Kona
DAY 14-W SEPT 8:
OPTION 1: RECREATION IN KONA
- Recreation
in Kona
- Dinner:
Kona
OPTION 2: MAUNA LOA HIKE TO MOKU’AWEOWEO CRATER
- Recreational
hike to North Pit of Moku’aweoweo Crater fr. Mauna Loa Observatory,
with possible attempt to summit of Mauna Loa volcano at 13,677 ft. (12.8
miles round trip with 2,600 ft. ascent to summit from trailhead)
- Dinner:
downtown Hilo area
DAY 15-TH SEPT 9: END OF FIELD EXCURSION
- Depart
KMC dorms for Hilo airport
- Catch
return flights to Seattle or other destinations in the Hawaiian Islands, or
remain on Big Island of Hawaii for recreation, etc. at own expense
DAY 16-S SEPT 18: CLASSROOM FOLLOW-UP (AM); CLASS
BARBECUE AT BRADLEY PARK, PUYALLUP (PM)