Sliding Sands to Kaupo Gap (Haleakala)

Aida, Matt, Quan, Tessa and myself flew to Maui to hike across a dormant shield volcano and drive on the highway to heaven, since the stairway is reputedly slated to be torn down.

Our accommodation for the night. Forget ocean views, we had beach views.

We woke up early the next morning and broke down the Jeep and then tried to get into the Haleakala National Park before 7am. Lack of a permit resulted in us watching the sunrise down the road. Try once, try twice and you’ll still get the same results. Shades of the goat whisperer.

Group photo before Matt and I left to start our hike for the day, Quan along with Aida and Tessa would pick us up on the other side. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Starting our hike at over 9,000′ elevation.

Making our way down into the massive depression that is roughly seven miles by two miles wide.

Trying to pick out the volcanic landmarks from left to right: Ko’olau Gap, Waikau, Hanakauhi Peak, Pu’u Kumu, Pu’u o Maui, Kamohoalii, Pu’u Naue, Ka Moa o Pele, Paliku, Pu’u Maile, Kaupo Gap and Haleakala Peak.

The trail wound its way down past the alpine desert colored with earthy pigmentation. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Matt losing part of the 2,400′ elevation descent to the floor.

These dense balls of silvery green leaves with towering stalks that flower once and then scatter their seeds into the wind, used to carpet Haleakala until animals and visitors pushed them to the brink of extinction. The creation of Hawaii National Park in 1916 and later Haleakala National Park in 1961 helped to save the endemic silversword plants.

Enjoying the short stretch of shaded corridor. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Somebody was keeping their hands warm or just playing pocket pool.

Going down the switchbacks. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Nothing was dropped in the making of this photo. The real thing would come later. Sooner than one would think.

Fall colors. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Only 1.9 more miles to the bathroom. For somebody, that couldn’t come fast enough. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Walking through a sea of bright red ‘ama’u ferns before they turn green. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Hikers coming and going.

When nature calls, Matt answers. In a hurry.

The nene or Hawaiian goose, are evolved from the Canadian goose that migrated here over 500,000 years ago. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

We took a short break and enjoyed our first cabin stop near the Kaupo Gap. No vacancies. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Just 5.3 kilometers to our next stop. Trying to get out of the dark ages.

Meeting other hikers on the trail. The start of somebody’s bad habit of talking to strange men.

Hiking towards the eastern end of the wilderness valley. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Matt stepping down the well marked trail.

Looking across the sea of clouds; we could see the still active volcanoes of Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa and Hualalai on the Big Island.

The state bird honking at us in its bovine croaking tones. One them was also missing the ubiquitous leg bands normally found on their species. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

We detoured off the main trail to head towards the last cabin(s) on our hike.

Approaching the historic cabin at the base of a rain forest cliff. Locked up tighter than a drum. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Checking out the park ranger’s cabin. Where is that Garden of Eden?

In 1962, 35 nene from England and the Big Island were released in this area after having been extinct on Maui since the 1890s. Park rangers, naturalists and Boy Scouts carried them in whiskey boxes and hiked 9.8 miles to bring them back home. Group photo with two of the descendants, the geese can live up to 24 years. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Walking down the section of trail covered with white fungus on the rocks. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Passing through an open field. The faint trail would be temporarily lost until we saw a fluttering ribbon in the distance and picked up the trail again. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

A spider wrapping up one of three bees that it had caught in its web.

Making our way down through the grassy fields. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

The gate marked the transition between the padded forest path with a hard and unyielding trail covered with loose gravel that could send one rolling on their back or butt if not careful. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

No bull sighted. Just grass fed Haleakala cows. The only sheep dogs we saw were locked up. No free roaming canines. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Looking out towards the coastline broken up by the bays of Kamanawa and Mamalu. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

We continued on the rocky trail after our forward momentum was temporarily interrupted by two large sounding and very angry pigs in the grass. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

The gravel road was soon replaced by bushwhacking and not the nice kind either. Is there any good kind of bushwhacking? Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

The not so fun portion of the hike involved finding the faint trail through all sorts of plants that did their best to poke and prod us in all the wrong places. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Thanks to the girls for picking us up and not getting lost. Photo by Quan Haberstroh.

Group photo at the end of our hike. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Dining on reconstituted food by headlamps off Highway 360. Quite the road trip experience. Photo by Tessa Bugay.

We turned in for the night with only the intermittent construction trucks passing on the road to disturb our sleep. Photo by Matt Vidaurri.

Our volcanic hike covered 16 miles through an empty vast crater colored by oxidized pigmentation, textured by cinder cones and populated by endemic fauna and flora found nowhere else.

Video by Matt Vidaurri of our hike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujPXXAFhvRE

Note: I have been made aware that some hikers have been using my blog as a hiking guide and getting lost on the trails. Please note that this blog was made to document the hike for the crew(s) that did it. That is why some of my comments will seem to have no relevance or meaning to anybody outside of the crew(s) that hiked that trail. My blog was never meant as a hiking guide, so please do not treat it as such. If you find inspiration and entertainment from these hikes, that is more than enough. If you plan on replicating these hikes, do so in the knowledge that you should do your own research accordingly as trail conditions, access, legalities and so forth are constantly in flux. What was current today is most likely yesterdays news. Please be prepared to accept any risks and responsibilities on your own as you should know your own limitations, experience and abilities before you even set foot on a trail, as even the “simplest” or “easiest” of trails can present potential pitfalls for even the most “experienced” hikers.

Tagged as: haleakala crater, haleakala national park, kapaloa cabin, kaupo gap, keoneheehee trail, paliku cabin, sliding sands trail