Tabernacle Hill Lava Tubes

Saturday, December 10th 2005 - Duane McCully

Trip Leader: Duane McCully On Trip: Duane McCully, Robert Cranney, Tamie Jensen This was originally advertised as a LBCC/Toothbrush but there was no interest. We wanted something else to do that would be a little closer and warmer. It had been probably nine years since I had been out to the lava tubes so my memory was a little faint. It turns out that once you have identified Tabernacle Hill, the obvious route is generally the correct way to go. With minimal meandering we drove to the namesake tube and cruised through it. According to the map, there is 1100 feet of passage here. Rob made some of his signature freeze-dried spaghetti and despite the 25 degree temperature, it seemed warm outside. We drove down the road further and checked a gas expansion bubble. On the south end of the bubble was a tube that is nearly the exact mirror image of the map for Hellhole Lava Tube. I am still under the assumption that Hellhole is actually a different tube. We continued to drive toward the cairns on the south end of the lava field. There is a well known lava tube there but I do not recall the name. As Rob entered the cave, an owl flew out and scared him. We took many photos in this cave but they were all garbage due to a lack of tripods. The pictures outside the cave turned out OK, though. After a casual day of sightseeing, we wrapped things up by following the long-standing tradition of eating at the Family Tree Restaurant.