TL;DR
Traverse across lava flows from the past half century. This route brings you to the down to the beach side oasis of Halapē and then back across the Puna Coast trail in 18 miles. The trail is rugged and full of brush. Take care when traversing across the lava flows. This route has full sun exposure with no shade. Be aware of the weather and the humidity. We did this route in 2 days in March.
Thoughts
A'a. Pahoehoe. Different forms of solidified lava. A'a is rough and rubble-like with man fragments. Chossy. It crunches under you feet and can be more difficult to get around as it shifts with you weight. Pahoehoe is smoother, and looks like a large sheet of black shiny fabric had been draped over the land. It looks like it got bunched up in places much like a blanket, or coiled into loops like a rope. But its hard, and firm and reflects the heat of the sun right back up at you. Halapē was the reprieve in the midst of a relentlessly wind-scaped land. Its amazing that things can grow there let alone eventually form viable land after 1000s of years of plant life and erosion.
Starting from Mau Loa o Maunaulu on Chain of Craters Road, we took Keauhou Trail down through what would become a never ending field of lava. You can sense how old each section was based on the darkness of the lava and how much plant life had sprung up through the cracks. Keauhou went across an old flow from the 70s. Lots of grass covered the area along with a dotting of Ohia Lehua with the bright flowers that stand in stark contrast to the arid landscape.
As we descended toward the ocean, the vegetation increased in abundance and variety. We came across some wild guava that offered some no quite ripe fruit. The brush grew taller and became an ever constant scratch against your legs. We saw few bugs and zero other animals. There was the occasional bird off in the distance but it was a land that seemed to have nothing but the wind and sun. Without the wind, the heat and humidity would have been unbearable. I would not recommend this route at any time other than winter.
About 5 miles in you start to see your destination. Snuggled up against the ocean is a small grove of lush greenery and palm trees that is Halapē. I wasn't able to find much information about backpacking in Hawai'i Volcanoes. What little I did find (that wasn't about Mauna Loa), was in regards to the Puna Coast trail and the three backcountry campgrounds that dot the coast. Halapē is the furthest one out on the Puna Coast Trail. What drew me to it was the mentions of a protected lagoon that you can swim in. Halapē is also one of the places in Hawaii that my dad backpacked to back in the 80s. Kind of fun both hearing his experiences and then getting to be there in person. Each of the backcountry camps have a small shelter to protect from the sun. It marks the spot that is outside the tidal wave zone as well as catches water for the water tank. The water is non-potable but it is the only fresh water in the entire area. A small open air pit toilet completes the amenties.
Getting to Halapē was a welcome reprieve. Despite the short mileage, the relentless heat and wind can really take it out of you. The actual campsite spots are down closer to the beach (in the tidal wave zone). The ranger issuing permits will grill you about checking your phone for messages regarding a tidal wave notice. Weirdly there is phone service throughout this entire hike. The campsites were huddled underneath trees that both provided shade and a good wind block. Coconut trees were in abundance and D and our other friends were able to find a few that were already on the ground that were ripe. They made an afternoon out of hacking away into coconuts to get their backcountry treat.
We explored around the area, checking out the lagoon (which was lovely), and further west along the lava rock. Halapē does actually have a "secret" beach area but it was much further and past a lot of scrambling and brush to be worth it. We went for a swim then enjoyed a nice dinner in a collection of rock chairs someone arranged. We fell asleep as the wind whipped the trees above and waves crashed onto the shore.
We got an early start the next day. We imagined
it was going to be a slog and that's what it ended up being. Despite the name, Puna Coast trail travels mostly inland, across a variety of different lava flows. Very briefly it goes up against the cliffs where you can spot a natural arch in the rock. Towards the middle you come across a more recently flow that is stark black and still very brittle and crunchy. As our friend put it, the first hour of lava is cool, the next 6 get a little tedious. That might be enough lava rock for a while.
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