8.05 Mauna Ulu and Napau Trails, into the darkness of the day

Miles and miles of...nothing

On the side of Makaopuhi Crater

Miles and miles of desolation with earlier scattered seeds turned into plants every now and again. That’s what confronted us as we headed on a nearly twelve-mile hike through volcano country. We came across two craters, Mauna Ulu and the much larger Makaopuhi . Both are bleak, crumbling and a trap for the unwary. The edges are unstable and so our editor was more cautious than ever. The hike was not at all difficult but long as well as enjoyable. The important lesson was to step correctly because the lava rock is treacherous. In many parts, it crumbles easily even where layers appear to be thick. The idea is to realize there are large air pockets beneath the surface leaving the lava unsupported. The lava flow crossed this particular area during the 1970’s.

Venting steam but not anger, we hope

As we reached halfway along the side of Makaopuhi Crater, we entered a rainforest, without rain—the best kind. The contrast was staggering. For nearly 5 miles, we had stepped on rocks, viewed desolation and then, almost without warning, our feet touched soft undergrowth while our eyes sent waves of an overgrown forest inside our heads. It was truly a marvelous experience. Earlier we passed Pu’u Huluhulu; we passed Pu’u Huluhulu—sorry about the repetition but we’re trying to get our minds and mostly, tongues around this tricky language. We have only just recovered from an onslaught by the Maori language.

And then we hit a rainforest out the blue...green

We continued past the crater and looked back

After watching the fascinating steam vents, the release of tons of sulphur dioxide into the air and the never ending reefs of lava, we became inspired: “We should have visited in summer,” we remarked, perhaps too indignantly to our editor.
‘What’s the difference?’ She wanted to know.
“For one thing, with warmer days and more rain, this grey and black desolate area will turn to green and blossom.”
“So you think the lava rock is suddenly going to grow and bloom?”
“Why not? Deserts bloom after the first rain.” Sadly, for whatever reason, our editor didn’t say another word for the rest of the hike. We’ll never understand women.

Crumbling walls keep Jen away from edge

Along the way, we met very few hikers, in fact only three past the ‘Pu’u Huluhulu cone cone’. However, Mark, a man in his early seventies was truly an inspiration. He related stories of his adventures on the trails and gave us a few tips. We found it interesting that he’s married fifty years; he was hiking without his beloved. Hmm. For the record, that wasn’t one of his tips.

Cheers,

Jenni and Jeffrey

The smaller Mauna Ulu Crater, quite 'vicious', this little one

Smooth texture lava