Welcome to our guesthouse located three miles from Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The concept for Basecamp was inspired by numerous backpacking trips in the park and wanting a nice place to go home and chillax. Basecamp has a smooth vibe. Park on the red bricks when you get here. Let the expanse of the tiled plaza welcome you to a home that is gracious and private. When they first enter the house, most people turn their gaze up to the elevated two pitch pine ceiling, a specialty of the draftsman. The high walls and skylights contribute to the effect of grandeur, yet it is cozy. Red floor, traditional rugs, leather couches and indirect lighting pull it together. It is kind of like Westminster Abbey: It doesn't look that big on the outside, but it really opens up on the inside. The Summit Cabin is ten feet from the house. (This saves you an arduous three day climb.) If you need some sleep while everyone else wants to stay up and yak, the Summit Cabin is for you. Besides the bed, there is a built in desk and shelving and half bathroom. The base is fourteen feet square, and there is room on the floor if that is where you want to do stretches and exercises in private. The night sky is visible out the high window and a whimsical trapezoidal window is on the side wall. The idea for topographical maps on the wall came from the Summit Cabin and Red Hill Cabin on Mauna Loa. The house has wifi. The full kitchen is equipped with a variety of tools including a large pizza cutter and an ice cream scoop (We weren't sure what is for dinner.) The six foot round Sapele hardwood dining table is great for family dinners, built by one of our many talented craftsmen in the community. The beds and cabinets were custom built for Basecamp. Radiant floor heat was installed for the cool misty days here at 3500 foot elevation. A small electric pump circulates hot water through pipes that are embedded in the house slab. The impact of that is a sublime heat that fills the room. Old dogs love it. We provide 100% cotton sheets and towels. The bathroom is located off the main living space. It provides private access to the outdoor shower, very roomy, straight out the bathroom door and attached to the house. An eloquent rock wall encloses the area with a glass roof overhead. The water is hot, there is lots of it, and the shower head is high so tall guys don't have to bend their knees. Outdoor shower does not mean you will be scampering across the damp field in a thin white towel that is way too small; it means we could make the a spacious shower stall and it doesn't steam up the house. Connecting the house and the cabin, the hand laid plaza invites you to dine alfresco. Why does food taste better outside? 1100 sq. ft. total of both buildings and surrounded by 1400 of paving. This is the vortex I wished I had to return to after all those backpacking trips in my younger years, as owner/director of Wilderness Hawaii, an outdoor education program that was unique to our tropical state. Now we have the opportunity to provide a haven for travelers who have come to experience the wonder of the volcano.