Attention hikers!
It’s very important that you contact the hike leader for shuttle arrangements at the trailheads.
On Saturday, June 16, 2012, the Kona Hiking Club will visit Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park and hike the Mauna Iki Trail and Footprints Trail in the Ka’u Desert to the Hwy 11 trailhead. The hike is 8.8 miles one way, over well worn lava and sand. There is relatively little elevation change, although the trail traverses numerous short up and down sections as we cross the desert. There is no shade on the trail.
The hike destination and lunch stop are twin pit craters inhabited by Koa’e (White-tailed Tropicbirds). There will be an optional climb to the top of Pu’u Koa’e, a small cone crater located nearby.
Hikers should be prepared for any weather conditions. Most likely, it will be hot and windy. However, it could be drizzly and windy. Wear closed-toed shoes; bring a hiking stick, sun protection, lunch, and at least two quarts of water per person.
We will meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Kau Desert Trailhead, located outside of the National Park on the makai side of highway 1/4 mile E. of mile marker 38.
We will carpool from there to the trailhead (about 13 miles on paved roads), so if you have a National Park entry pass, please bring it. We will attempt to put one person with a pass in each vehicle; if we don’t have enough people with passes, all passengers in a vehicle will share the $10 entry fee.
Kailua-area carpoolers should meet at 6:30 a.m. and leave by 6:45 a.m. from Keauhou Shopping Center in the parking lot makai of Longs Drugs. Please park well away from the businesses, in the corner. A KHC representative, Alice Walker@ 938-1491, will be present at the carpool location. However, Alice plans on staying overnight, so anyone interested in making their own arrangement to stay overnight can carpool with her. Carpoolers are encouraged to chip-in for gasoline.
For additional information, please call Kathleen at 557-9246.
PLEASE NOTE: All members are welcome to bring guests or pass on information about our hikes to other hikers. However, if you do so, PLEASE make sure that you direct them to the Kona Hiking Club website to review the hike announcement and description. We want to make sure that everyone is prepared for the specific hike we are doing that day, whether we’re facing mud, heat, cold, steep trails, rocky trails, high altitude, exceptionally long distances, etc. Mahalo for helping us keep everyone safe!
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