We spent last weekend hiking into a remote beach in Volcano National Park to stay Saturday night. The park has some gorgeous back-country locations where you can camp. The one we chose, Halape Beach, was 11-miles along the rugged lava coastline. When we started out, spirits were high. It's pretty hot and slow going across the open lava plains, but the view of the ocean was great. It's really neat to watch the waves crash into the shore and send plums of water into the air. After about two miles, my knee started to hurt, and then both knees did. When we got to the six mile mark, I finally decided to tell Lindsey that I wasn't doing so good. But, rather than trudge back 6 miles to the car, I chose to continue going the five miles to the beach. Let's just say the trip back out the next day was a death march. We both didn't know if we would make it out before nightfall, we switched packs with two miles to go, and I could barely walk the last two miles...but then we got home and I ate a huge bowl of ice cream, all better.
The whole hike is mostly along the shore and you continue to cross various lava fields.
Here's a picture of some newer lava on some of the older stuff. It's clear to see along the cliffs in the background as well.
The beach itself was really nice. Nothing too incredible, but nice. The best part was this small brackish pool that was hidden in an earth crack, the water was really warm and so clear. It didn't help that I reminded Lindsey about two hours into our hike that we could have been sitting on any number of the world's most beautiful beaches at about this time, if we had just driven to Kona.
Here's a shot across the beach front. It was a really nice spot and we should have planned better to stay an extra day. There were a bunch of locals staying here that come down every year. They each carry down a whole case of beer and spend their three days drinking and fishing.
I was pumped to round up some coconuts and use the machete that I had hauled in.
This is the small brackish pool that we swam in.
Lindsey having some of the coconut milk from the front door step of our campsite. Back in the 1970's some Boy Scouts stayed at this same beach and a tsunami came up and washed them up and into the same earth crevice that the swimming hole was in, which saved them. No tsunami on this trip!
Another shot of the beach.
This was some huge fish, I should have taken a better picture of the head.
The whole hike is mostly along the shore and you continue to cross various lava fields.
Here's a picture of some newer lava on some of the older stuff. It's clear to see along the cliffs in the background as well.
The beach itself was really nice. Nothing too incredible, but nice. The best part was this small brackish pool that was hidden in an earth crack, the water was really warm and so clear. It didn't help that I reminded Lindsey about two hours into our hike that we could have been sitting on any number of the world's most beautiful beaches at about this time, if we had just driven to Kona.
Here's a shot across the beach front. It was a really nice spot and we should have planned better to stay an extra day. There were a bunch of locals staying here that come down every year. They each carry down a whole case of beer and spend their three days drinking and fishing.
I was pumped to round up some coconuts and use the machete that I had hauled in.
This is the small brackish pool that we swam in.
Lindsey having some of the coconut milk from the front door step of our campsite. Back in the 1970's some Boy Scouts stayed at this same beach and a tsunami came up and washed them up and into the same earth crevice that the swimming hole was in, which saved them. No tsunami on this trip!
Another shot of the beach.
This was some huge fish, I should have taken a better picture of the head.
4 comments:
It's amazing to see such stark beauty in Hawaii, a rare opportunity for those of us who haven't been there. Kudos for attempting such an arduous hike just to camp on a beach....thank goodness for machetes and ice cream....and cameras!!
Everything is better after a big bowl of ice cream, everything.
Happy Hiking!
Camp Maras
Appreciate your discussing this particular good post with an above average subject, this form of fantastic skill you've got.
Thank you very much for the post relating to this subject, it had been very useful.
Post a Comment