Tag Archives: Hiking

The Nāpau Trail – Over the lava

A surface lava flow on Napau trail. — An early part of the trail follows a surface flow down the side of a hill with a small ohia tree toughing it out in the lava.

A lava channel on Napau trail. — In a couple of places the trail goes through sunken areas that channeled the lava.

The Nāpau Trail in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, is a 13-mile round trip. It passes over extensive lava fields, plunges into dense forest, and ends at the Nāpau Crater overlook. The overlook offers a terrific view (weather permitting) of Puʻu ʻŌʻō, one of two active vents on Kilauea Volcano. In today’s post I’m going to cover the lava fields portion of the hike with the second part coming tomorrow.

From the Mauna Ulu parking area, the first mile or so is a well-trodden trail to Pu’u Huluhulu (hairy hill) cinder cone. The foot of Pu’u Huluhulu is where the Nāpau Trail branches off across the lava. It’s a stark landscape, but with lots of interest. The trail passes over surface flows and through channels where lava rivers ran.

The Park’s website notes that the Nāpau Trail “follows the path that magma takes as it makes its way underground from its source at the summit to the point where it comes to the surface near Puʻu ʻŌʻō.” The many steam vents around Mauna Ulu are testament to this.

And in this hostile landscape, nature is at work. The lava fields are dotted with tenacious plants establishing a toehold. Ohia trees and ferns are most frequently seen, but grasses and other plants lend color to this sea of gray and black.

It’s 2.2 miles of unbroken lava from the Pu’u Huluhulu junction to the rim of Makaopuhi Crater, but at that point the trail changes in an almost surreal way. I’ll post that section tomorrow.

For more information about this, and other hikes on the Big Island, go to bigislandhikes.com.
For more information about Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, go to nps.gov/havo/.
For more information about Kilauea Volcano and it’s eruptions, go to hvo.wr.usgs.gov/kilauea/history/main.html.

Steam vents on the eastern side of Mauna Ulu.

Cairns mark the route across an ocean of lava toward Makaopuhi Crater.

Looking down into Makaopuhi Crater. — Looking down into Makaopuhi Crater, which most recently erupted in 1972.

Signs: Kiholo campsite

The campground at Kiholo is located at the end of a gravel road and is only open Friday through Sunday nights. It has eight sites that must be reserved in advance. There are portable toilets, but no other facilities, and no water. So what’s the attraction? Well, let’s see if the photo offers any clues. (Sorry, but the yacht doesn’t come with the reservation.)

For more information about camping at Kiholo, go to camping.ehawaii.gov/camping/all,details,57781.html

For more information about Kiholo Bay, go to bigislandhikes.com/kiholo-bay/

I’iwi

The I’iwi (vestiaria coccinea) is a native Hawaiian honeycreeper, which is still quite common on the Big Island, as well as on Kaua’i and Maui. I saw several while hiking the Pu’u O’o Trail, off of Saddle Road. The fact that they’re bright red and they have a quite distinctive call makes spotting them a bit easier for a non-birder like me.

For more information about the Pu’u O’o Trail, go to bigislandhikes.com/puu-oo-trail/.

Pu’u O’o trail

It took me a while to discover the various trails off Saddle Road. That’s because, from the road, they look like they’re mostly lava with some scrubby vegetation, but this is misleading. The kipukas (areas of land where lava has flowed around leaving it relatively untouched) are full of plants and a haven for wildlife including many endemic species. The whole area is an example of the cycle of destruction and regeneration that shapes this island and, indeed, the Earth.

The Pu’u O’o Trail, off of Saddle Road, has nothing to do with Kilauea’s Pu’u O’o vent. It refers to the Pu’u O’o Ranch on Mauna Loa. The trail was used for moving cattle from one grazing area to another.

The trail alternates between crossing lava flows and passing through kipukas. Depending on the age of the flow, it might have a good deal of greenery on it, but more recent flows are stark lava fields. While the open lava flows offer great views of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea (assuming it’s a clear day), the kipukas offer shade and are alive with bird calls, most of which I don’t recognize.

After about 4 miles the trail intersects with the Powerline trail and a loop can be made back to the start, or simply retrace your steps. Bear in mind that if the clouds roll in, which they do on a regular basis, the trail is a good deal harder to follow.

For more information about this, and other hikes on the Big Island, go to bigislandhikes.com.

Game bird guzzler

On a recent hike, I came across this contraption. What I liked most about it was its name – Game Bird Guzzler. It’s basically a device for providing a source of water for game birds. The way it works is that when rain hits the roof of this structure, it’s collected in a gutter and piped into the back into the tank. This water is then fed, through the white pipe, into the small basin at the front. There’s a flap in the basin so that when a game bird such as a turkey takes a drink, its head will push the flap and release more water into the basin.

When I was there, I didn’t see any turkeys or other game birds, but my approach prompted great activity and squawking as a good number of assorted finches and African silverbills took to the surrounding trees. They sat there, refusing to return to the water but not leaving either. The area surrounding the guzzler was alive with bird calls in an area otherwise not noticeably populated.

Eventually I gave up waiting for a bird to take a drink and moved on. No doubt, within a few minutes the guzzler was again crowded with small birds.

Going to the flow

I posted here about the current flow from Kilauea Volcano entering the sea, in a dramatic, firehose-like outpouring. In that post, I mentioned that the day after my visit, a cliff collapse caused the firehose to disappear from view. Things have settled down again and the firehose is once more visible, though another large crack not far back from the cliff is expected to cause another collapse soon.

From the Kalapana side, it’s about four miles to the viewing area and a thriving trade in bike rentals has sprung up. When I was down that way last July there were a few bikes available for rent. Now there are maybe 200 or 300 available from a large number of vendors in the parking lot. At the viewing area, bikes were piled alongside the road, and locked in clumps.

I preferred to walk, seeing the towering column of smoke and steam getting gradually larger on the way out, and enjoying a star-studded night sky on my return.

For more information about Kilauea Volcano and it current eruption, go to hvo.wr.usgs.gov/activity/kilaueastatus.php.

The bench overlooking Honokane Nui Valley

At the end of the highway in North Kohala is the Pololū Valley overlook. This is where most people park their cars (if they can find a space), snap a photo or three, and then climb back in and attempt to turn around and head back.

Quite a few people head down the steep, third-of-a-mile trail to the valley and beach below. Some walk the half-mile-long beach. Very few continue up the trail on the other side. There are good reasons for this. The trail is somewhat hidden. If it’s been raining, it can be even muddier and more treacherous than the trail down to the valley. If conditions are right, it can be alive with bugs. But for those that do press on for another a mile or so, this is the spot they will reach.

Overlooking Honokane Nui Valley, this bench is the perfect spot to experience some welcome solitude. Chances are it will be unoccupied. Chances are no one else will even pass by. I like to sit on the bench (rickety though it is currently) and enjoy the ocean stretching away on one side and the tropical jungle climbing the side of the Kohala Mountains on the other.

For more information about the trail go to bigislandhikes.com/pololu-valley/.

Kilauea Volcano’s firehose of lava

I’ve posted before (here, here, here and here) about trips I’ve made to see the current lava flow from Kilauea Volcano’s Pu’u O’o vent. Lava first reached the coast on July 26, 2016 and has been pouring into the ocean ever since. However, on New Year’s Eve, much of the newly formed delta collapsed into the ocean taking with it a chunk of the older cliff. As a result, the lava tube carrying the active flow was suddenly left exposed and lava gushed out into the ocean as if from a firehose.

I was aware this was going on, but hadn’t really appreciated what it meant until this past Wednesday. Then, I read a report about the phenomenon, saw some photos, and realized this was something I had to see. Since the weather was favorable and it was early enough, I set out the same day.

After a three-hour drive and brisk hike I got to the viewing area, from the Kalapana side, around 5 p.m. These photos are from that trip. The top photo shows the firehose, lava gushing into the ocean in a constant, unwavering stream. When it hit the water, it generated a series of explosive reactions. The second photo shows the Lava Ocean tour boat nudging in toward the action as one of these explosions occurred. Below is a closer look at the stream with chunks of hot lava being hurled out into the water.

I stuck around until it got dark and then headed home – another hour-long hike and long drive – but it was so worth the effort. This was emphasized when, the next day, another cliff collapse caused the firehose to disappear from view. It might return, since the whole area is unstable, but it might also be gone for good.

I guess timing really is everything and I feel very fortunate that I was able to experience this phenomenon before it was gone.