Stop 4 Nāpau Trail Hike to Pu`u HuluhuluAround mile marker 3.5 on the Chain of Craters Road, you will find the turn off for the Nāpau Trail hike which leads to Pu`u Huluhulu and Mauna Ulu. From 1969 to 1974, frequent rift eruptions from the Mauna Ulu cinder cone blanketed large portions of the Chain of Craters Road, eventually closing it down for a 10 year period starting in 1969 (refer to Figure 14). For the full history of Mauna Ulu’s eruptions, please click here.
The 45 minute hike to the top of Pu`u Huluhulu led us over worn 1974 pahoehoe flows. As we hiked, we passed numerous cairns and a substantial number of lava trees, see Figure 15. Pu`u Huluhulu or "hairy hill" to the native Hawaiians, is a kipucka cinder cone known for the diverse animal and plant species found within the forested mound. Kipucka is a term used to describe areas that have become isolated as a result of older surrounding lava flows. Due to Pu`u Huluhulu’s isolation, the evolution and adaptations of endemic species have occurred at rapid rates (Derrick, 2011). The hike to the top of Pu`u Huluhulu is best done on a clear day when sites of Pu'u ō’ō, Mauna Ulu and the thick sulfur dioxide smoke rising from Halema‘uma‘u can be seen. Unfortunately, mother nature was not cooperative for us during our hike as we were greeted with overcast conditions, heavy fog and drizzling rain. |
Sources
Hazlett, Rick. 1992. "Road Guide to Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park." Reterived December 19, 2011 (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~volcano/texts/DekHawaii.html)
1999. “The Mauna Ulu Eruption 1969-1974.” USGS Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Retrieved November 6, 2011 (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/1997/97_05_02.html).
Derrick, John. 2011. “Chain of Craters Road.” Guide of Hawaii. Retrieved November 9, 2011 (http://www.hawaii-guide.com/big_island_of_hawaii/spot/chain_of_craters_road).
Banner photo by Ellen Sorenson
1999. “The Mauna Ulu Eruption 1969-1974.” USGS Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Retrieved November 6, 2011 (http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/volcanowatch/1997/97_05_02.html).
Derrick, John. 2011. “Chain of Craters Road.” Guide of Hawaii. Retrieved November 9, 2011 (http://www.hawaii-guide.com/big_island_of_hawaii/spot/chain_of_craters_road).
Banner photo by Ellen Sorenson