To set the scene, Haleakala National Park preserves the only contiguous vertical section of habitat extending from the 10,000-foot summit of Haleakala ('House of the Sun') to the coastal rainforest at sea level. The Kipahulu subunit comprises the protected lands along the coast and is currently accessible only by the tortuous Hana Highway that runs along the north coast of Maui.
Although scenic, the Hana Highway winds its way for over 40 miles up and around numerous coastal mountains. Despite being heavily traveled, the highway has dozens of one-lane bridges and a speed limit that ranges from 15-35 mph. Of course, when I arrived in Maui on Thursday, May 29 at ~5:00 pm, I didn't account for two things: 1.) that it would take me 3 hours to travel 40 miles on this road and 2.) that the sun actually sets earlier in the tropics at this time of the year than it does at home in temperate latitudes.
As is my normal habit when camping, I arrived at the campground in Kipahulu well after dark
and had to set up camp in the beam of my headlights. This was not before I almost plowed into a random cow that was sleeping in the road and had to drive over a bridge that had a sign proclaiming it was closed for safety reasons (please see accompanying pictures). Needless to say, I had no problem getting to sleep after 18 hours of traveling.
My internal East Coast clock had me up and about at 5 am Hawaii time on Friday, May 30th. To my surprise, I was camped out about 100 feet from a sea cliff overlooking a rugged volcanic coastline. My
goal was to hike all of the trails in Kipahulu, camp out there again that night, and drive to the summit the following morning. After hiking several shorter trails, I packed a lunch and water and set out on the 4-mile r/t trail to Waimoku Falls, a 400-foot waterfall deep in the coastal rainforest of Kipahulu. Although relatively small by global standards, this is the tallest waterfall that I can remember seeing in person. I had lunch at the base despite numerous warnings that chunks of rock or logs could come crashing down from the crest of the falls above at any moment.
Exhausted from hiking all day, I decided to wrap up my day in Kipahulu by taking a dip in the Seven Sacred Pools of the Ohe'o Gulch. These pools cascade consecutively from a moderately-
sized waterfall down into the ocean below, with each pool becoming shallower (and thus warmer) as you progress seaward. The pool closest to the ocean was ~70 degrees F and had a 40-foot ledge from which I jumped several times into the water below. Although it hurt like hell when I hit the water, it was so much fun that I continued to jump for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, I bruised the back of my legs so badly that I could barely walk the next day. Ordinarily, this would be manageable but, as you will see in the next post, some of my upcoming hikes had quite the change in elevation.
Although scenic, the Hana Highway winds its way for over 40 miles up and around numerous coastal mountains. Despite being heavily traveled, the highway has dozens of one-lane bridges and a speed limit that ranges from 15-35 mph. Of course, when I arrived in Maui on Thursday, May 29 at ~5:00 pm, I didn't account for two things: 1.) that it would take me 3 hours to travel 40 miles on this road and 2.) that the sun actually sets earlier in the tropics at this time of the year than it does at home in temperate latitudes.
As is my normal habit when camping, I arrived at the campground in Kipahulu well after dark
and had to set up camp in the beam of my headlights. This was not before I almost plowed into a random cow that was sleeping in the road and had to drive over a bridge that had a sign proclaiming it was closed for safety reasons (please see accompanying pictures). Needless to say, I had no problem getting to sleep after 18 hours of traveling.My internal East Coast clock had me up and about at 5 am Hawaii time on Friday, May 30th. To my surprise, I was camped out about 100 feet from a sea cliff overlooking a rugged volcanic coastline. My
goal was to hike all of the trails in Kipahulu, camp out there again that night, and drive to the summit the following morning. After hiking several shorter trails, I packed a lunch and water and set out on the 4-mile r/t trail to Waimoku Falls, a 400-foot waterfall deep in the coastal rainforest of Kipahulu. Although relatively small by global standards, this is the tallest waterfall that I can remember seeing in person. I had lunch at the base despite numerous warnings that chunks of rock or logs could come crashing down from the crest of the falls above at any moment.Exhausted from hiking all day, I decided to wrap up my day in Kipahulu by taking a dip in the Seven Sacred Pools of the Ohe'o Gulch. These pools cascade consecutively from a moderately-
sized waterfall down into the ocean below, with each pool becoming shallower (and thus warmer) as you progress seaward. The pool closest to the ocean was ~70 degrees F and had a 40-foot ledge from which I jumped several times into the water below. Although it hurt like hell when I hit the water, it was so much fun that I continued to jump for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, I bruised the back of my legs so badly that I could barely walk the next day. Ordinarily, this would be manageable but, as you will see in the next post, some of my upcoming hikes had quite the change in elevation.
