Halape Hike

Beth and I journeyed to Halape Beach in Volcanoes National Park these last three days.  It was a great hike.  It really felt good to get away from work and Kona for a while-- Nothing like a wilderness trip to warsh away petty worries! 

 Here is a map I borrowed from another blogger...


Probably the biggest surprise of the trip was how incredibly hot and windy it was down at Halape.  Only after we returned did we hear from a local friend that most people head down in December... 

This was our "early start" the first day.  By the time we got packed up, got our permit, and made it to the trailhead, we got off at what we thought was a respectable 8:30.  Notice the ominous bright sunshine lurking on our faces in this photo...









 

The hike starts at 3800' on pahoehoe from the 70's.
We had about 9 miles to descend to the coast.

Tried to piece a panorama together... from the lava flow we started on to the coast!

 We descended into dry grassland... overhead sun... and heat.  Though I'm sporting a big smile at this point!
The big cliffs to the right of me are the "Pali Kapukapu" or the twice forbidden cliffs or don't go here!  Hmm. daunting.  Halape is to the left of me, just inland of the island with the waves breaking on it.

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Halape!

Shade at the beach!

Halape!  One of the more interesting things we learned about Halape is that here in this land of active volcanoes and earthquakes, the beach looked much different 40 years ago, and was about 3m higher than it is today.  Check out this article.  I'm guessing similar mechanisms were responsible for all the pali/cliffs we hiked down and around to get there.










 Coffee or coconut water for the first taste of breakfast?

 We got a much earlier start on the way out.  The camera tilt gives you an idea of the limited levels of caffeination achievable at this hour.
Them are the Pali Kapukapu in the background.










The sun stayed lower on the way out, and we made it safely above the cliffs before it got too hot. 

Success! Add to that refreshing post-wilderness trip feeling the happiness of making it out of an active fault zone in one piece.  I'm being facetious when I say that it was a real adrenaline rush!  Check out my picassa page for more photos.