In Hot (and Cold) Pursuit of the Nene (and the Rising Sun) at Haleakala

After another week in town and not much to show for it, Hannah and I got the itch to get a car and visit the most impressive site on the island - the mammoth, 10,000 ft volcano Haleakala. So, I negotiated to get a long-term rental car and we packed up to head out to Haleakala. Our plans? To see the famed sunrise at Haleakala and the equally famous, endangered cousin of the Canada Goose, the Nene. We packed up Friday evening with the intent to see the sunrise at Haleakala and camp inside the crater Saturday night before walking out to our car Sunday afternoon.

We woke at 3am, ate a light breakfast and left in our (new to us) junker Nissan Sentra. The drive took us across the island, to a low point not more than 100 ft above sea level and then up, up the 10,000 ft leviathan. The drive was made more interesting by the fact that the car does not have functioning dashboard lights (so I didn't know how fast I was going) and that the gas tank was dangerously low (with no hopes for open gas stations at 4am). We passed through the gates at the National Park along with a lineup of other cars and continued zig-zagging our way up the mountain.

We reached the upper visitor center with plenty of time. After drinking lots of water, to stave off altitude effects, and putting on layers of clothing we walked to the top of a nearby knoll to watch the sunrise. With a strong wind and temperatures in the 40's it was quite cold but not nearly as bad as I was expecting (ahhh, the joys of growing up in the northland, it almost never feels as cold anywhere else even with all the exaggerators out there). The sunrise itself was nice, with clouds helping to frame the sun. But it was nothing spectacular. I'm not sure what HB was expecting but she kept telling people "its not like a host of angels rose with the sun," i.e. it was nice but definitely short of breathtaking. The mood was also shattered by at least 30 people nearby (and over 100 watching the sunrise) and in particular two young frenchmen. Some people brought champagne and popped it as the sun overtook the clouds, but these two seemed to have already had some. HB thought they were funny at first (hehe, sorry I had to rat you out), but their antics grew decidedly less funny as one finally made his way towards us. He stood awkwardly close just gazing off into the sun, murmuring a few English phrases under his breath, trying to appear nice while his friend was taking pictures of us from behind. Long story shorter, a ranger had a talk with them later.

After talking with park staff, we finalized our route for camping and drove to the bottom of the park, Hosmer Grove, to park the car and have a second breakfast (much like Hobbits). Only then did we realize we had forgotten fuel for the stove. Hannah was quite crestfallen, she was excited and wanted the challenge of a more difficult, overnight hike. We regrouped and decided to hike our whole route (around 16 miles) in a single day instead of two. We repacked into one bag and walked out the main road, reenergized about the plan.

After walking uphill about a half mile, we finally snagged a young couple (on a honeymoon of course) to drive us to the summit where our trail began. We started on the Sliding Sands trail; it descends into the crater from the visitor center and links to several other trails. The descent into the crater was starkly beautiful, as only volcanos can be. A few colorful cinder cones dotted the crater's bottom and blends of red, orange, black and gray sand merged together as they were exposed and ran downhill. HB couldn't stop smiling.

We reached the crater's bottom and took off on another trail that wound through the cinder cones and across the barren lava fields and rock. Lava rock, while black as obsidian is not nearly as strong and had been weathered into interesting patterns and figures. As Haleakala easily rises above most clouds, they typically form around the middle of the mountain and flow upward as they try to pass it. Therefore at some of the low points in the crater, we could see clouds jostling one another as if fighting to pass through into the crater.

After several hours of hiking (and my synopsis of the entire Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy to HB), we had lunch at the campground where we were supposed to stay that night. We had gone low enough that grass and shrubs were now thick and clouds passed to either side or went straight through us. To one side rose sheer cliffs, black with green tinges that would dramatically appear and disappear as the clouds rolled by. A nearby lava tube and cave only added to the mystique of the place. But as we ate, we occasionally heard loud honks and flaps from nearby. With dense shrubs and low visibility due to the clouds, we could never get a glimpse of the bird. I came to the conclusion, the nene was taunting me.

I was excited to see this native, endangered and endemic bird and was therefore disappointed at my inability to see it. After an enjoyable lunch, we needed to keep moving. The invisible Nene gave us a parting honk or two but stayed hidden. We hiked down a bit further as the clouds continued to cover us and the impressive cliffs on our left. As I love the excitement and mystique that fog and clouds can give to a landscape, I thoroughly enjoyed the next few hours as we hiked first next to the cliffs and then up them all the while immersed in clouds. Although before we reached the cliff Hannah spotted a striking bird, standing on top of a rock, sihouetted against the white clouds. Thankfully it was a Nene, gracefully posing for us, possibly trying to make up for the wanker Nene that had been our taunting lunch campanion.

The 1,000 ft or so cliffs posed a good challenge. It was fairly steep but an even climb with the clouds obscuring the views but keeping us cool. My legs were burning as we hiked up them, although it was not from exertion, I got a heat rash on both calves and thighs (Rolf and Meghan may remember a similar experience when we were in a AZ canyon). The clouds must pass over these cliffs regularly, because they were quite lush, with these multicolored red/green/white ferns our favorite. Contributing to the unique climb was the occasional honk of a Nene tucked away somewhere on the cliffside.

Once we reached the top of the cliff, it was still a few miles to the car. Once there, we rested briefly, saw a few more endemic birds (yay) and then drove home. Luckily we had plenty of gas and no problems with the brakes (riding the brakes down from 10,000 ft is not recommended). We got home tired and dusty but happy.

I was very impressed with HB. She hiked all 17 miles or so without complaining (okay, just a little - "her dogs were barking" aka her feet hurt). I was happy to see her resiliency (she carried our pack virtually the entire distance) and her resourcefulness (the sole to her shoe nearly came off in the first mile of the hike, but she used a headband placed around the shoe to keep it together for the rest of the trip).

The only other remarkable occurrence in our very long day was that we went to bed by 9 pm. But at 10pm we were awoken with a knock on our bedroom door. Our 50 year old roommate was heaving and panting and needed to be taken to the ER. In a fog (this time in my sleep-deprived head), I drove him to ER. He has pancreatic cancer and is undergoing chemo largely unknown to us. Apparently there were some complications and he has yet to call me to bring him home (almost 24 hours after dropping him off). Hopefully he will be alright.

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed Andrew's first post.

Lana'i

A week in to our stay in Hawaii, we were anxious to hit the road and see some sites. It was Saturday of the long Memorial Day weekend and we thought, what the heck, let's make a trip to another island. Scott, Andrew's boss had recommended Lana'i, a small island offshore of Maui that neither of us knew much of anything about. But that sure didn't stop us. Without a map, without a plan, and really without a clue, we set out.

Still car-less, we relied on the bus to get us to Lahaina (making an out-of-the-way stop in Haiku, which I will explain later). Like clockwork, we caught the ferry and set sail for the not-so-distant shores of Lana'i. Though a layer of haze prevented us from getting a panorama, the blue of the ocean mesmerized us for the entirety of the 45-minute ride. Andrew thought it reminded him of Duke Blue. I think I got a little seasick.

Time for a history lesson! For most of the 20th century Lana'i was known as the pineapple island. Almost 98% of the island was owned by Dole Pineapple, and pineapple dominated the 140 square mile island. But, for some reason, in the '80s the owners decided that owning a secluded Hawaiian island was more valuable than owning pineapple fields. So they got out of the pineapple business and began marketing Lana'i as the "private island," complete with a few high-end resorts and, of course, golf courses.

To reiterate, we knew almost nothing about the island. We didn't know that Lana'i City was approximately 10 miles from the harbor. We didn't know that it cost $20/per person/one-way to take the shuttle to the city. We didn't know where the hiking spots were. We didn't know which direction the beach was in or where to set up the tent. Luckily, we were able to follow the train of coolers that led us in the right direction. On the short hike to the beach/campsite we came across a dude who was struggling to carry an immense bag o' beverages. Being nice (and also thirsty) we tried helping him out for a while, which proved useless, but still managed to get two beers out of it.

The campsite we found was not what we were expecting. Tents galore were set up on a grassy lawn in front of the beach. Folks had set up elaborate campsites, complete with grills, stereos, and hammocks which made our accommodations look extremely modest. Oh well, rocks to sit on and beans and rice to eat are good too.

We set out to find the park ranger to get a permit and a spot to set up shop. Good thing we did too. Turns out Hawaiians are more than a bit touchy, and rightfully so, about where visitors can camp on their island. Another young couple found this out the hard way. As we were in the middle of signing paper work with the ranger, they approached him and told him all their stuff was gone. He became silent for a brief moment as his eyes became wider before bursting into a long scolding about how they had put their stuff on the bones of his ancestors. Many people were angry, he said, and wanted to rip up their tent. The couple apologized profusely, but the damaged had already been done. And all the while, Andrew and I are standing right there in the middle of this exchange. Shocked.

The rest of the afternoon proceeded without a hitch. We spent it on the beach where we did beachy kinds of things. Swimming, walking, snorkeling, snooping around the Four Seasons Resort, you know.


Around sunset we took a short walk along the cliffs. The views of the red rock and the blue water were nothing short of spectacular.

The next morning we were determined to go for a hike, only Lana'i is not extremely well known for hiking. Not only that, in order to get to where there were trails we had to make it up to Lana'i City. Did I mention that was 10 miles away and would cost $20 per person to get there? No way did we want to pay that! So instead, we began our hike only to the top of the ridge where we were hoping to catch a nice view and call it quits. We didn't get too far. Not 5 feet into our hike, some guys in a pick-up truck asked if we were going to Lana'i City, and if we were, they needed to give us a ride. They were right. It was a long, but really beautiful, drive up the mountain.

Once in Lana'i City, which isn't really all that much a city, but a collection of small restaurants that cater to guests of the Four Seasons that are lined along Dole Park we weren't sure what to do next. The roads and the park were filled with these bizarre pine trees that one would never expect to see in Hawaii. Andrew got quite a kick out of them.
The problem of now being in Lana'i City was that we had no idea what to do except to start walking, which is what we did. A guy who was also walking along the road asked us if we were lost and offered us some advice for a trail we could pick up. The trail felt and smelled very remote until we came across a golf hole! Bubble burst!


Anyway, about a mile and a half into our hike back down to the harbor, another family offered us a lift which we decided to take since we were both feeling a bit tired and needed to make the 4:30 ferry (Note: Dad, yes we got rides from people, but we did not actively hitch hike - I think there's a difference ;).

When we got back to camp we were surprised to find it was only 11:45 which meant we got to spend another afternoon at the beach!

All in all, our trip to Lana'i was wonderfully exhilarating. Very little planning went into it, which is extremely unusual for us. Andrew even commented that he thought that if we had done more research, we probably wouldn't have done it. A closer read of our guidebook now tells us that "You'll start to wonder if Lana'i is the Hawaiian word for, "It costs how much?" But, if we had thought about it more, we would have probably missed out. And I'm sure glad we didn't.

Wailuku

Maui is a series of small towns, and the small town that we find ourselves living in is called Wailuku. Wailuku is in the central part of Maui, known (probably in my mind only) as 'the crack' of Maui. The downtown lies at the foot of the 'Iao Valley, which is spectacularly beautiful on a sunny morning. While the town does not directly abut the coast, the ocean can be seen at a distance, as can Haleakala - a dormant volcano which last erupted in 1790 (it's due to erupt every 250 years so we're safe ... I hope!).

Wailuku has a certain charm, but not enough to lure many paradise-hungry visitors. Upon arriving, both Andrew and I ranked it as pretty ordinary, and in parts, relatively gritty. Several remnants from the town's heyday in the 1920s have stuck around including a beautiful public library, courthouse, a rustic-looking church, and a quaint (but very unexciting) main street. But, as is the fate of many county seats, the downtown is now dominated by government-esque style buildings - which in architecture terms, I kid you not, are considered Brutalist.


Like most US cities, Wailuku seems to have expanded in phases. And while I haven't done my homework, I think it's fairly safe to say the first happened in the 1950s and 60s, shortly after WWII and the emergence of cheap air fare. The second, in the 1990s. Needless to say, there are a lot of cars littered around town. A lot. And we hear each and every one as they zip by our hours at all ours of the day.

Naturally, the long-term rental deal Andrew had been negotiating with a car dealership fell through until June, so we have spent our first week here car-less. Car-less, but certainly not immobile. Although I would not compare Maui's bus system with the ranks of Washington D.C. or New York, it's taken us where we've needed to go ... eventually. The routes these buses make are utterly perplexing. They wind through parking lots, make U-turns in suburban neighborhoods, and stop in front of completely un-marked buildings. A trip that may be a mile tops can end up lasting 20 minutes or more. In fact, an afternoon trip to pick up camping items at Sports Authority took us almost all afternoon! But I've actually grown quite fond of the bus. We've ridden it around Wailuku/Kahalui, but also to the beach town of Lahaina and up-country to Haiku, and all the while it's been dependable and great for people watching.

How did we end up here?

The seeds were planted about 9 months ago. One one of our first nights out in Durham, a classmate of mine encouraged Andrew to apply for a job with the National Park Service that had landed her in Hawaii the previous summer. While that job possibility with the NPS didn't pan out for Andrew, he quietly worked behind the scenes to get to Hawaii one way or another. He emailed every single land trust in Hawaii with the hard-to-resist offer of free labor. Scott Fisher from the Maui Coastal Land Trust (MCLT) was the first to express interest in Andrew's talents and, in the short version of the story, funding was secured from the Sussmand Fund, and after nearly 24 hours of traveling from North Carolina to Maui, POOF! We're here!

Of course, I'm leaving out many of the stressful logistics of making arrangements to move here temporarily - the sublease, the transportation dilemma and, of course, my employment 'situation' and the nagging feeling I might be acting irresponsibly by not jump starting the rest of my life. But now that we're here and acclimating, those stresses seem trivial and NC like a distant memory (although a round of chigger bits on my legs is a CONSTANT reminder of life in North Carolina!).

So here we are - Wailuku, Maui. 82 degrees and sunny. Stay tuned.

Aloha!

Flipping through the Maui Times Weekly this morning, I turned toward the back to catch a glimpse at my horoscope. Hoping it would somehow inspire a sense of courage and optimism as we begin our Hawaiian adventures, I was instead surprised by this condescending, and somewhat offensive, advice:

"Technology has made our minds lazy. Already, we use it as a crutch to do stuff most people would have done with their brains a few decades or centuries ago ... Has your mind become the equivalent of a morbidly obese, housebound invalid? If not, it's certainly on its way. This week, ditch the devices and practice actually using it as much as possible. It needs the exercise."

I didn't like that tone much. So, naturally, my response is to start a blog - an artifact of today's technology. In your face, cosmos.

Actually, this blog is not simply an act of rebellion. Through it I hope to keep a record of our adventures and musings while Andrew and I explore Maui and other Hawaiian islands and, of course, to share them with our families, friends and, to be honest, ourselves when our memories inevitable become hazy (I'm talking to you, Andrew!)