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| Pu'u Wa'awa'a Cone Trail, HI | | -
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| | Pu'u Wa'awa'a Cone Trail, HI | | | |
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Pu'u Wa'awa'a Cone Trail, HI
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| Hiking | 5.33 Miles |
1,348 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.33 Miles | 3 Hrs 57 Mns | | 1.97 mph |
| 1,348 ft AEG | 1 Hour 15 Mns Break | | | |
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| no linked trail guides |
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| no partners | | The girls picked this hike (climb) for our daily activity. I read up about it but apparently, I didn't realize it was up all the way; even the somewhat short flat sections seemed up  . However, the first mile and one half is on a paved road. Thankfully for me, along this part of the hike were shady parts. I took advantage by hiking from shade to shade as I'm pretty much out of decent hiking shape. I did enjoy the flora as I made my way up to an abandoned building. There was an outhouse here which was nice, literally. However, my clothes were soaked, so that was a bit of a struggle.
I told them I didn't feel I could go much further and Jenaya suggested I hike up to the bench which was just a little bit further. They started up the trail on this beautiful green grass which would continue as far as I hiked. They stopped at an old fallen tree trunk. They also noticed a dead cow and investigated that while I continued up to the bench. Once there I could smell it and decided to hike up to the gate. Jaelyn said I should try to make it up to the last flat section so I could see the view to the other side and Mauna Loa. Easy for her to say, NOT easy for me to do as it involved even more up and several false little summits.
I started up the wide grass path and tried to persevere, but I started getting nauseous to the verge of being sick. I got the rain jacket out of my pack, laid it down and then me. I got my umbrella and I rested for about ten minutes. Up I continued, hoping that flat section would eventually appear. I asked a hiker if I was getting close to where I could see the other side and he said I wasn't too far now. So up I went, checked out the livestock chute that actually had a shade overhang. There were also small cement blocks in the area behind it. These were left over from the dairy part of the ranch.
A little bit later I was at the so-called flat area. I couldn't see the top of Mauna Loa due to cloud cover, but I could see the part of the trail that headed straight up this east side of the rest of the mound (cinder cone). I was going to hang there and wait, but I decided to head back to the bench area since they are such fast hikers. Even going down, it was steepish. I did enjoy the nice trail of grass. I also heard what I that were goats that I couldn't see. I finally saw them across a little gully. I got a little closer to film them and get some photos.
I pulled over at the log to wait for the gang to return. I was entertained by some Saffron Finches while enjoying the view  as the clouds started to build. I talked to the hikers I had talked to earlier. They are originally from the east coast, then Peoria AZ and are now on the Big Island. They were in a hiking club and are now in a paddling club here. They commented about hiking in Arizona and how they don't miss the rattlesnakes, but loved the desert.
My hiking companions apparently took a detour so it took them a while to return. I was almost getting worried. Andy was starving so we headed down the mountain to the road. It was now mostly cloudy so made for nice temps as we barreled down the last mile and a half to the TH. And suddenly, Tootsie took out at a dead run to the right and Puja to the left. Those dogs are fast. They were after the goats but not successful.
Jenaya hiked with me for the rest of the way. This hike is less than a half hour from their house and it is a rather scenic drive. During my research when I got back to AZ, I was disappointed to learn how much of the plant and wildlife is non-native  .
And here is the video for this Sunday on the Big Island: [ youtube video ] |
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Wildflowers Observation Light
lots of non-native species. |
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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled. |
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