A work project running into the Holidays,
school finals while juggling work project, in addition to the usual hustle bustle
that time of the year brings, brought me yearning for some serious down time. I
polled my friends and thankfully a camping trip to Keauhou was formed.
TRIP LOGISTICS:
Dates:
January 16-18, 2010
Trail:
Keauhou Trail going in
Puna Coast Trail going out
Trail Location:
Volcanoes National Park, Big Island, Hawaii
Backpack Coordinator and Lead:
Pete (the Oahu One)
Backpack Group:
Cheryll & George
Jennie (my hiking partner)
Kevin
Miyo & Pat
Peter (Puna Pete)
August
Nathan
myself
January 16-18, 2010
Trail:
Keauhou Trail going in
Puna Coast Trail going out
Trail Location:
Volcanoes National Park, Big Island, Hawaii
Backpack Coordinator and Lead:
Pete (the Oahu One)
Backpack Group:
Cheryll & George
Jennie (my hiking partner)
Kevin
Miyo & Pat
Peter (Puna Pete)
August
Nathan
myself
DAY 1
Our hiking adventure begins as we gather in stages at the inter-island airport.
At the airport, Pete hands out whistles, maps, and travel toothbrushes to everyone in the group.
On the inter-island flight from Oahu to the Big Island, I feast my eyes on a view of Mauna Kea breaking through the clouds. Mauna Loa does the same in the distance.
When we get to the Big Island, Puna Pete greets us at the airport with his car and Oahu Pete grabs the rental van. Puna Pete, who lives on the Big Island, also helped us get the camping permits the day before. By grabbing the camping permits and making a second car available and making his address available for me to mail out my stove, he made things easier logistically for our backpack trip.
After loading the vehicles with packs and people, we begin the Big Island segment of our adventure.
First Stop: Hilo Town (Map Point B)
At Hilo town, we visit the Hilo Surplus Store to purchase fuel for our stoves and other last minute camping supplies. We also grab lunch here. It was burritos for me, Jennie, Cheryll, and George.
We also meander around Hilo Farmers Market, one of my favorite stopping places on the island. I love walking around and feasting my eyes on the variety of produce and miscellaneous products. Notice that I find 'kalamansi', a flavor indispensable to most Filipino dishes. One of the stalls was selling honey products and I decide to try out some honeycomb. Eating honeycomb feels a lot like eating sweet, juicy wax. After a few pieces of it, I was gagging from the accumulated crumbly wax in my mouth. Note to self: Stick to honey sticks.
Second Stop: Kilauea Visitors Center, Volcanoes National Park (Map Point C)
We proceed to Volcanoes National Park and stop at the Kilauea Visitors Center for a critical stop to fill water and use the bathroom. This is also a good place to pick up maps.
Third Stop: Thurston Lava Tube, Volcanoes National Park (Map Point D)
It was around noon at this time but it was still too hot to hit the trail. To escape the brunt of the sun on the trail, we kill some time by checking out the Thurston Lave Tube. For more information about the Thurston Lave Tube, please check out my co-hiker's blog of the same day.
Fourth Stop: Mau Loa O Mauna Ulu (Map Point E)
At around 2pm, it is finally time to head out to the trailhead. Most of us get dropped off at Mau Loa O Mauna Ulu where the Keauhou Trail begins. A few hikers drive and drop off the van at Pu'u Loa where we will come out from the backpack trip.
TRAIL LOGISTICS:
Hike in via Keauhou Trail to Keauhou Campsite (6.8 miles)
Day hike to Halape (3.2 miles round trip)
Hike out via Puna Coast Trail (9.7 miles)
We reconfigure backpacks, unfurl hiking poles, and apply sun protection, in preparation for hitting the trail.
One last picture before we go. Drivers at this piont have not come back so we couldn't get a complete group picture.
And we're off ... .
Hiking on lava feels a lot like hiking over asphalt, molded into various shapes and sizes like play-doh. Each step needs to be navigated so that your foot falls stably on a spot. With a heavy pack shifting your center of gravity to an unfamiliar position, the whole process becomes tricky. Hiking poles help immensely by keeping you balanced when your weight shifts to one side. It serves as an anchor to prevent you from falling. You do not want to fall on lava as the edges are extremely sharp. You could seriously slice your hands or even your face. (The latter was my greatest fear as I was navigating this trail.)
The first plant that we see breaking through lava is the ohia. Various legends revolve around the ohia tree, its' flower lehua, and the fire goddess Pele.
As we get nearer to the shoreline, the older lava fields now support more trees and grass. This makes for easier hiking.
Over the miles of lava trail, we entertain ourselves with stories and jokes, occasional stops for water or trail mix, and photography. On occasion, flowers like the one below provide a delightful relief.
We reach the campsite as the sun was about to set. I was exhausted. It took the last ounces of remaining energy to put our tent up, get our stove set up, make dinner and get cleaned up.
On the inter-island flight from Oahu to the Big Island, I feast my eyes on a view of Mauna Kea breaking through the clouds. Mauna Loa does the same in the distance.
When we get to the Big Island, Puna Pete greets us at the airport with his car and Oahu Pete grabs the rental van. Puna Pete, who lives on the Big Island, also helped us get the camping permits the day before. By grabbing the camping permits and making a second car available and making his address available for me to mail out my stove, he made things easier logistically for our backpack trip.
After loading the vehicles with packs and people, we begin the Big Island segment of our adventure.
First Stop: Hilo Town (Map Point B)
At Hilo town, we visit the Hilo Surplus Store to purchase fuel for our stoves and other last minute camping supplies. We also grab lunch here. It was burritos for me, Jennie, Cheryll, and George.
We also meander around Hilo Farmers Market, one of my favorite stopping places on the island. I love walking around and feasting my eyes on the variety of produce and miscellaneous products. Notice that I find 'kalamansi', a flavor indispensable to most Filipino dishes. One of the stalls was selling honey products and I decide to try out some honeycomb. Eating honeycomb feels a lot like eating sweet, juicy wax. After a few pieces of it, I was gagging from the accumulated crumbly wax in my mouth. Note to self: Stick to honey sticks.
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Second Stop: Kilauea Visitors Center, Volcanoes National Park (Map Point C)
We proceed to Volcanoes National Park and stop at the Kilauea Visitors Center for a critical stop to fill water and use the bathroom. This is also a good place to pick up maps.
Third Stop: Thurston Lava Tube, Volcanoes National Park (Map Point D)
It was around noon at this time but it was still too hot to hit the trail. To escape the brunt of the sun on the trail, we kill some time by checking out the Thurston Lave Tube. For more information about the Thurston Lave Tube, please check out my co-hiker's blog of the same day.
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Fourth Stop: Mau Loa O Mauna Ulu (Map Point E)
At around 2pm, it is finally time to head out to the trailhead. Most of us get dropped off at Mau Loa O Mauna Ulu where the Keauhou Trail begins. A few hikers drive and drop off the van at Pu'u Loa where we will come out from the backpack trip.
TRAIL LOGISTICS:
Hike in via Keauhou Trail to Keauhou Campsite (6.8 miles)
Day hike to Halape (3.2 miles round trip)
Hike out via Puna Coast Trail (9.7 miles)
We reconfigure backpacks, unfurl hiking poles, and apply sun protection, in preparation for hitting the trail.
One last picture before we go. Drivers at this piont have not come back so we couldn't get a complete group picture.
And we're off ... .
Hiking on lava feels a lot like hiking over asphalt, molded into various shapes and sizes like play-doh. Each step needs to be navigated so that your foot falls stably on a spot. With a heavy pack shifting your center of gravity to an unfamiliar position, the whole process becomes tricky. Hiking poles help immensely by keeping you balanced when your weight shifts to one side. It serves as an anchor to prevent you from falling. You do not want to fall on lava as the edges are extremely sharp. You could seriously slice your hands or even your face. (The latter was my greatest fear as I was navigating this trail.)
The first plant that we see breaking through lava is the ohia. Various legends revolve around the ohia tree, its' flower lehua, and the fire goddess Pele.
|
|
As we get nearer to the shoreline, the older lava fields now support more trees and grass. This makes for easier hiking.
|
|
|
|
Over the miles of lava trail, we entertain ourselves with stories and jokes, occasional stops for water or trail mix, and photography. On occasion, flowers like the one below provide a delightful relief.
We reach the campsite as the sun was about to set. I was exhausted. It took the last ounces of remaining energy to put our tent up, get our stove set up, make dinner and get cleaned up.
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