Mother Nature put on an awesome show as Royal Engineers became the first British military outfit to climb Mauna Loa on Hawai’i Island.
The ten-strong team from 14 Geographic Squadron had begun their summit attempt when another volcano erupted some 15km away, sending a plume of molten rock 150m into the air.
LCpl Tom Lawton said the display was “something special”.
“It was perfect timing because explosions happen in roughly ten-year cycles,” the 22-year-old told Soldier after their return to the UK. “Even now it’s hard to put into words.”
The troops’ chosen route also involved crossing a solidified lava flow from a 2022 eruption – an exhausting process that added hours to the climb.
“Every time you took a step you would sink through the crust on top to around knee-depth,” LCpl Lawton went on.
“It was the hardest thing you could imagine – I’m not sure how you can train for something like that. It was like walking on the moon.”
Following their exertions the troops visited Pearl Harbour and Honolulu before flying home.
