HAWAI’I
Adventure on the Islands of Aloha
December 27, 2007-January 9, 2008
Backpacking through lush rainforests... Lounging on a secluded beach... Hiking
through the crater of a volcano... These are just a few of the myriad of
activities you can do while in Hawaii. From catching a sunset sail on a balmy,
tropical evening to viewing the unobstructed night ski at the summit of a
volcano, Hawaii offers activities to please each individual. Ho'olu komo la
kaua! Please join us for non-stop adventure on the Islands of Aloha.
During this two week backpacking and hiking trip we will visit three islands –
Kauai, the Garden Island, Hawai’i, the Big Island, and Maui, a quintessential
favorite. In Kauai we will backpack the winding 11-mile Kalalau Trail along the
Na Pali Coast and hike into Waimea Canyon; on the Big Island we will summit
Mauna Kea, the highest point in the Pacific Rim, for an amazing sunset dinner
and star-gazing, followed by two-days of hiking in Volcanoes National Park; on
Maui we will drive the 53-mile Road to Hana and backpack into the Haleakala
Volcano for an overnight inside the crater! We will finish our stay with a dinner
cruise along the Maui coast. In addition to all planned activities, there will be
some free time to relax on the beach, kayak, swim, snokel, or surf!
Detailed Itinerary
Due to the unpredictable nature of Hawaiian weather, all activities are subject to
change. Also, until all permits are confirmed we cannot guarantee we will be doing
each activity on the day specified. Your flexibility will be greatly appreciated, and
we will keep you informed of any changes to the itinerary in the months prior to
departure.
December 27th
Fly to Hawaii
We will depart from either Boston or New York on a group flight to Hawaii. The plane
will land in Honolulu (Oahu) first, and then we will transfer to a smaller plane to fly
to Lihue, Kauai. The first night will be spent in a three star hotel in Kapaa, Kauai,
most likely The Islander on the Beach. We will have our welcome dinner this night or
the following night, depending upon how tired folks are when we arrive.
December 28th
Hike of Waimea Canyon and preparation for the backpack
After breakfast we will drive to Waimea Canyon, which is the largest canyon in the
Pacific and truly a dramatic sight to behold. The canyon measures 10 miles long, 1
mile wide, and more than 3,500-feet deep. It was
carved thousands of years ago by rivers and
floods that flowed from Mount Waialeale's
summit. The lines in the canyon walls depict
different volcanic eruptions and lava flows that
have occurred over the centuries. Even though
smaller than the Grand Canyon, Waimea Canyon
rivals the beauty. Numerous lookouts and hikes
offer terrific views of every aspect of this natural
wonder. The canyon is protected by the Koke'e
State Park which encompasses 4,345 acres of land and has 45 miles of trails that run
through the canyon and the nearby Alakai Swamp.
After the hike we will pick up some food and supplies for our backpack the next day
and meet to go over the logistics. If we don’t have the welcome dinner the night
before, we will have it this night. We will stay again at the same hotel.
December 29th
Backpack the Kalalau Trail to the Kalalau Valley (Na Pali Coast)
The Na Pali Coast is a very special place. The pali, or cliffs, provide a rugged grandeur
of deep, narrow valleys ending abruptly at the sea. Waterfalls and swift flowing
streams continue to cut these narrow valleys while the sea carves cliffs at their
mouths. Extensive stone walled terraces can still be found on the valley bottoms
where Hawaiians once lived and cultivated taro. The Kalalau Trail provides the only
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land access to this part of the rugged coast. The trail traverses
5 valleys before ending at Kalalau Beach where it is blocked by
sheer, fluted pali.
This backpack will take all day. The 11-mile trail is graded but
almost never level as it crosses above towering sea cliffs and
through lush valleys. The trail drops to sea level at the beaches
of Hanakapi'ai and Kalalau. There are several sections of this
trail that are narrow, with sheer drop offs down to the ocean.
This is not a trail for people with a fear of heights. There are
also a couple of river crossings, so you should be prepared to
forge them if the water level is high.
We will be staying in a backcountry campground right above
the beach. The sound of the pounding waves will accompany
you as you drift off to sleep.
December 30th
Explore the Kalalau Valley
This day will be spent relaxing on the beach and exploring the
Kalalau Valley directly behind the beach. The trail follows a series of waterfalls and
pools up the mountain, and you can stop and swim in many of them. Tropical fruit
trees line the trail as well, and hopefully some of the fruit will be edible. It is
normally not possible to swim in the ocean – the surf and riptide is strong, but you will
be able to wade in up to your knees or sit at the edge of the
water. Be warned that the Kalalau Valley is a clothingoptional destination, and even though nudity is technically
prohibited, it would not be unusual to see people strolling
down the beach without any clothing. We will stay again at the
backcountry campground.
December 31st
Hike out of the Kalalau Valley
We will depart in the morning and hike back to our cars. Once
we reach the hotel we will clean up and get ready to ring in
the New Year. We may try to arrange for a traditional Hawaiian luau. We will spend
the night in the same hotel as the first two nights.
January 1st
Fly to Hawai’I and summit Mauna Kea
We will depart Kauai in the morning and fly to Hawai’i, the Big Island. Our main
activity for the day is the drive to the summit of Mauna Kea. It's hard to believe you're
in Hawaii as you climb to 13,500 feet above sea level. Once at the summit we will be
afforded spectacular views of the horizon, Haleakala on Maui, Mauna Kea's world-class
array of telescopes and the famous Mauna Kea sunset. At the summit, you'll
experience the spirtiual energy of what many Hawaiians believe to be the most sacred
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place in all the islands. At the summit you'll stand on
top of the world's tallest mountain which rises from the
ocean floor to over 31,000 feet high.
Our tour will be led by Mauna Kea Summit Adventures
(www.maunakea.com). The trip begins mid-afternoon.
As we drive up the mountain, we will learn about island
geography, geology and natural history.
While
acclimatizing at the Onizuka visitors center (9,000 ft.),
we will find out why the world's largest telescopes are located here and a bit about
the lives of astronomers. We will also have dinner at the visitor’s center. The drive to
the summit is only half a mile up a very steep grade.
Once on the summit we will watch the observatories as
they begin to open and rotate into position. You'll
learn about famous observatories such as Keck, Subaru
and Gemini. There is plenty of time for photos while
the sunset transforms the area into a beautiful and
quite unearthly spectacle. When the best of the color
has past, we will descend down to mid-mountain,
where the sky is equally clear but the climate will be
much more comfortable for stargazing. We will have access to some portable
telescopes to view the stars up close. We will stay this evening in a hotel in Hilo,
most likely the Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel.
January 2nd and 3rd
Volcanoes National Park
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park is the site of two of the world's most spectacularly
active volcanoes. In Mauna Loa's rugged high altitude wilderness area, visitors can
inspect cinder cones, gaping chasms and barren lava wrought into fantastic shapes.
On Kilauea's more accessible slopes patches of vegetation thrive amid lava deposits.
Here a forest can be observed in all of its formative stages, from early re-growth
lichens and ferns to dense groves of mature trees. During our two days here, we will
do a series of hikes around this incredible park. We may even participate in some of
the ranger-led interpretive hikes to learn about the geology and history of the
volcanoes. One of our hikes will include an evening stroll across a lava covered road
(from a previous eruption) to an active lava flow. We will wait until it is completely
dark to observe the intense glow of the lava spurting up and into the ocean, adding
more “land” to the Big Island.
We will stay for two evenings in rustic cabins inside the
park.
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January 4th
Fly to Maui; free afternoon in Maui
We will depart for Maui in the late morning. After we arrive, people will have the
rest of the day to explore this versatile island. We will stay at a hotel in Lahaina,
most likely the Aina Nalu Resort.
January 5th
The Road to Hana, ending at Haleakala National Park
The Road to Hana (or Hana Highway) on Maui's north east shore is perhaps the closest
thing to a highway to Heaven as you'll ever find. The Road to Hana is 52 miles of
undeveloped road that passes by some of the most breath-taking scenery on the face
of the earth. It was literally a million years in the making. It's not a journey for those
in a rush. With beautiful stops and sights, 56 one-lane bridges, and 617 curves and
turns along this scenic route, it’s the journey getting there, not the destination, that
is the main attraction. Some of the very best sights on the journey lie beyond the
sleepy town of Hana: The 'Ohe'o Gulch (7 Sacred Pools), Wailua Falls, Pipiwai Trail,
South Maui's coastline, Kula in the Upcountry, and much more. While most people
turn around and backtrack, we will continue along a rural coastal road to the backside
of the Haleakala Volcano. We will spend the night at a campground a few miles
below the crater.
January 6th
Haleakala National Park
Haleakala Crater, at 10,000 feet, is home to one of the most unique landscapes on the
planet, complete with towering cinder cones, red and black sand, and wide open
views. At sunrise, unpredictable things happen. Clouds
shaped like a head of a woman are backlit by the rising sun.
Gentle golden color illuminates the harsh rock. We will rise
an hour before sunrise and abandon our camp and bundle up
for this extraordinary picture-taking experience. Once the
sun has risen we will descend down to camp to eat breakfast
and pack for our spectacular 10-mile backpack down into the
backside of the Crater. We will spend the night in the Paliku
Cabin.
January 7th
Haleakala National Park and sunset dinner cruise
We will hike out of Haleakala by a different route and come out a few
thousand feet below the lip of the Crater. After returning to Lahaina
we will clean up and spend our last evening enjoying a beautiful
sunset cruise along the Maui Coast. This will be our official good-bye
dinner and will include a full meal and open bar.
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January 8-9th
Free half-day in Maui; fly home
Our flight home will not depart until the early evening, so we will have another half
day to relax or explore Maui before boarding our overnight flight back East. It is an
overnight flight that arrives in mid-afternoon.
Accommodations and Meals
Our accommodations will consist of 3-star hotels, backcountry
campgrounds and rustic cabins. In Kauai we will most likely stay
at The Islander on the Beach (see picture to the left) the first
two nights and the last night. In between we will spend two
nights in a backcountry campground in the Kalalau Valley. On
the Big Island we will stay the first night at a hotel in Hilo, the
Castle Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. The second and third night will be spent in rustic cabins
inside Volcanoes National Park. In Maui we will stay the first and last night in Lahaina
at the Aina Nalu Resort. One night will also be spent at a campground below the
crater of Haleakala Volcano and one in a backcountry cabin within the volcano (see
picture below).
There is a good balance of comfier accommodations and roughing it. However, if you
are looking for complete luxury, you won’t find it on this trip. The resorts and hotels
are not super high end, but they do offer opportunities for showers, to do laundry and
take a break from your sleeping bag.
There will be a welcome and goodbye dinner, and breakfast and
lunch on the backpacks are provided. There will also be a light
dinner served on the Mauna Kea summit tour. All other meals,
including lunches on the backpack, are your responsibility. We
will be buying some cheap coolers if you would like to buy some simple lunch or
breakfast foods, and most of the hotel rooms will have small refrigerators. Food in
Hawaii is more expensive than you will find in the continental U.S., but there are
plenty of reasonable restaurants in each of the cities we are staying. We will
endeavor to drive into town the nights we are not camping and select an area that has
multiple restaurants to choose from. At no time will you be obligated to eat with the
group except for the welcome and goodbye dinners.
Transportation
There will be a group flight arranged from Boston or New York. Since we are taking
so many inner-island flights we must make sure that everyone is together on all of the
flights since the airports are not close to where we are staying.
We will be renting two mini-vans and a car. For each vehicle we will need a primary
driver and a backup driver. Please indicate on your application if you would be
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willing to drive.
Most of the days will involve shorter
distances, but on the day we drive the Road to Hana we will
spend several hours on windy, mountainous roads. Keep this in
mind before you volunteer to drive! Our intention is to empty
the backseat of one of the mini-vans for the bulk of the
luggage and have the majority of the people travel in the
other mini-van and car. Since we will have three cars for 12
people, this will give us some flexibility to separate for dinner
and other activities not planned in advance of the trip.
Estimated Costs and Cancellation
The estimated cost of this trip will be $2100 plus $1150-1250 for the trans-pacific and
inner-island airfare. The trip fee will include:
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3 star hotels in Kauai, Hawai’i and Maui
Backcountry campsites in Kauai and Maui
Cabins in Volcanoes National Park and the Haleakala Crater
8-hour summit tour of Mauna Kea with dinner
Vehicle rental, insurance and gas
Welcome and goodbye dinners
Breakfasts and dinners on backpacks
Park entrance fee
Medical evacuation insurance
Plan to bring about $500 for additional lunches and dinners, and personal spending
money.
The approximate $2100 cost for the excursion is based on estimates for trip expenses.
The final cost of the trip will be adjusted in accordance with the best arrangements
the leaders can make. Any savings they achieve, as well as any cost increase, will be
returned or assessed to you, respectively.
Please be aware that, in accordance with AMC policy, you are subsidizing a portion of
the leaders’ expenses, but not all of them. In accordance with AMC rules, the leaders
may not realize a profit from this excursion. Any unspent funds resulting from
negotiating better rates for lodging, local transportation, etc. must be refunded to all
the participants. The trip fee also includes an AMC overhead cost to cover
administrative expenses of offering Major Excursions, including the trip’s publication
in the Outdoors and liability insurance.
A registration deposit of $600 is due with the application. You must also submit the
registration form, the Confidential Medical form, and the signed Acknowledgement
and Assumption of Risk and Release form for the AMC. The rest of the payment will be
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due 90 days in advance of departure, which is September 28, 2007. Please make
check payable to the Appalachian Mountain Club.
Our cancellation policy is based on the precept that your cancellation shall not raise
the cost to any of the other participants or the leaders. Therefore, if you cancel, we
will refund any money you have paid, less any expenses already incurred, or future
expenses that will be incurred, that have been the result of your registration and that
cannot be avoided. Refunded money will also be less a $100 cancellation fee.
However, if you cancel and the trip still realizes full participation, then any and all
fees you have paid will be refunded to you, in full, minus the cancellation fee. If you
cancel after your airline tickets have been purchased, you still own the ticket and will
be subject to the airline’s cancellation policy.
When registration is complete, we will send all participants the names, addresses and
phone numbers of those going on the trip. We will be using email as our primary
source of communication. If you prefer snail mail and/or telephone communication,
please note that on your registration form.
If you have any questions, please call us so that we can discuss them. Our numbers
are: Stacia Zukroff at szukroff@yahoo.com or 781-648-5503 or Wyatt Biel at
wyattbiel@excite.com or 781-648-5503.
About the leaders
Stacia Zukroff leads about 2-3 trips per year, some of which have included hiking and
backpacking trips to the Canadian Rockies, a backpacking and kayaking trip to New
Zealand and Alaska, a trekking trip to Nepal and Tanzania (Mt.
Kilimanjaro). Her most recent trips have been to Canada (day
hiking) and Patagonia (Chile), and she did this exact trip 6 years
ago with a few friends. She is the chair of major excursions and a
member of the Boston Chapter. She is Advanced Wilderness First
Aid certified. Stacia works with a study abroad program that
sends students overseas to study.
Wyatt Biel is also a leader with the Boston Chapter. He has led
trips throughout New England and American Southwest. He
recently completed his first major excursion to the Canadian
Rockies, and will be leading another trip to Turkey with Stacia in
June of 2007. He is a registered nurse and currently a family nurse practitioner
student at UMASS Worcester and works part-time as a nurse at Massachusetts General
Hospital.
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Experience and risks
Physical Preparation
This trip will require a certain level of outdoor experience. You should have at least
intermediate backpacking experience and be able to hike at least 7 – 10 miles over
rugged terrain for multiple days. If you haven’t backpacked recently, you should plan
a hiking regimen to prepare for this trip.
There are sections on the Kalalau Trail that are narrow and have steep drop offs down
to the ocean below. If you have any fear of heights, please discuss this with us prior
to signing up so we can determine if this hike is a good fit for you.
Weather
The weather in January can be unpredictable since it is winter. The temperatures
will not be cold, except at higher elevations. The daily average temperature in
January is 65/80 °F (18/27 °C). When we are at altitude expect temperatures at
night and in the early morning to be at freezing or lower. For both the Mauna Kea
summit tour and the sunrise at Haleakala you will want to have warm clothing,
including gloves and a hat. There is also more rain in the winter months, so we will
need to monitor the weather conditions closely for the backpack in Kauai. River
crossings can become impassable and the trail can become quite muddy and slippery.
We will have an alternate hike or backpack planned if conditions do not permit us to
do the backpack due to weather.
Altitude
There will be two times when you will be exposed
to altitudes in excess of 10,000 feet. The first
will be the Mauna Kea summit tour on the first
day on the Big Island. Mauna Kea’s summit is
around 13,500 feet. Haleakala’s crater rim is at
10,000 feet. While on Mauna Kea we will be doing
a mandatory acclimatization stop at 9,000 feet for
more than an hour. We will ascend to the top in
vehicles. Once at the top you may choose to hike further up to the actual summit,
which is at around 14,000 feet. It is a short hike, but at this altitude you should plan
to go very slowly. Both on Mauna Kea and at Haleakala it is vital that you stay well
hydrated at all times. If you develop a headache or experience any nausea you should
tell us immediately and we will take you down. If you wish to speak with your doctor
about taking Diamox as a preventative measure, please do so well in advance of the
trip.
Clothing and Gear
Below is a list of the required gear for the trip. The gear listed under “Group Gear” will be
shared, so if you do not have this equipment, you will be able to share with others.
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Personal Gear
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Backpack (min. 4000-5000 cubic inches)
1 medium duffel
1 small daypack /lumbar pack for
sightseeing
15-20 degree sleeping bag (preferably
synthetic)
sleeping pad
2 Nalgene bottles / Camelbak bladder
Lunches and high energy snacks (can be
purchased in Hawaii)
Personal Clothing
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Hiking
boots
(broken-in
and
waterproof)
Waterproof wind and rain gear (top and
bottom)
One insulating layer of top and bottom
wool, synthetic fleece jacket and pants
Hat
Gloves or mittens
Synthetic tops and bottoms—hiking
shorts and/or nylon pants, short sleeve
and long sleeve tops (Polypropylene,
CoolMax, Bergelene, etc.)
2-3 pairs hiking socks w/ liners
(minimum)
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Optional Gear
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1 flashlight or headlamp w/ spare
batteries
Mess kit (fork/cup/spoon/bowl/plate
Toiletries
Stuff sack for food storage
Tevas or sandals (to wear around camp)
Gaiters (for rain and mud)
Bandana
Hiking poles
Pack cover
Compass
Matches or lighter
Map
Pocket knife
Camp towel
Casual clothing (for in town)
Camera and film
Playing cards
Camp pillow
Extra layer of insulation (if you are
bringing fleece, then bring long
underwear)
Camp trowel
Group Gear
Accessories
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Sunglasses
Whistle
Personal first aid kit
Sunscreen and bug repellent
Ziplock bags for trash
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2+ person backpacking tent w/ rain fly
(ideally less than 7 lbs)
Water filter and backup chemical
treatment
Cooking pots
Non-white gas backpacking stove
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