Did the Sea to Summit then back to the Sea hike via the Kaupo Gap Trail. Deb and I touched the sea, down by the Mokulau church at 3:22am and finished at the same place the next morning at 12:20am. The lower Kaupo Gap trail is trash. It lies on private ranch land and is the responsibility of the ranch to maintain….and they don’t. This trail doesn’t get enough use to maintain itself. Even though we reconed the lower trail the day before, we still had issues coming back down in the dark. We made it though, so all is good. Because of a rare storm a couple of days before, that dumped snow at the summit, the National Park, including the summit, was closed and we had it to ourselves. We never saw another person all day, until we hit the summit, where there was a park ranger getting ready to open the park. We spent about an hour at the summit, including a short time at the visitor center re-filling water bottles for the long hike back to the sea. We left the summit at 4:00pm, as the sun was dropping fast, casting a shadow inside the crater. We knew we would be descending well into the darkness of the night. We brought our MP3 players, so we stuck them into our ears, put our heads down, and hiked hard back to the ocean. It took us just under 12 hours from Sea to Summit, and just over 8 hours from Summit back to Sea. For us the challenge was more about the endurance, and not the speed, as we knew there would be so much to look at. This hike was a great experience…something I’ve wanted to do for a long time…and I can’t think of anyone better to do it with, than Deb. After the hike, we played. Relaxed on the beaches of Maui, explored the shoreline in our camper van, hiked the waterfall trails, and even went to a Luau. The sunsets were awesome!
Unfinished business…climb the Iao Needle, and retrace the warrior trek from Iao Valley, over to Olowalu Valley…2016.
Touching the sea, 3:20am…
After hours hiking in the dark, dawn appears up on the crater rim…
Nearing the entrance to the inside of Haleakala Crater…
From inside the crater, looking at the next 3000′ of gain to the summit…
Looking back at the many miles and hours we’ve hiked…
Long switchback, nearing the summit… Notice the snow? A rarity in Hawaii…
At the summit 2:50pm (10,038′)…
Shadow swallowing the crater…time to hike back to the sea…
Next day, R&R at the beach. Tired feet…
One of many camp spots…
Blowholes…
Waterfalls…
Bamboo forests…
Sunsets…
Drinks…
Whales…
Surfers…
Turtles…
Red sand beaches…
Crowded beaches…
…and scenic shorelines…
Here’s my Picasa Album for more pics…
🙂
Awesome job you guys, true chargers! An incredible accomplishment, that me and my girl both have on our wish list this year 🙂 Any extra help and bets with directions would be awesome if you can help out! Aloha!
Thanks Brian, and to think that was 4-years ago…I think I’m still sore from that trip (not really)
I remember when seeking beta for this adventure, the best advice we received was…Take extra socks! That truly is the best advice we can pass on to you. You’ll be starting early in the dark, and in areas the vegetation is wet with dew. Your shoes, socks, and feet WILL get wet. Once you ascend out of the forest and into the morning sun, you can take that break and change into dry socks.
Another piece of advice, try to get to the trailhead a day early to recon the trailhead, and more importantly, the first several miles of the trail. We did that and it really helped because we were hiking in the dark on a trail that is unmaintained.
Feel free to email me if you want more beta… karlhelser@comcast.net