KOKE'E 2012

NOVEMBER

             Gil and I just returned from three days in Koke’e State Park.  For anyone not familiar with the terminology, the park borders Waimea Canyon, a geological fissure of great wonder that brings to mind the Grand Canyon.  Koke’e is loaded with hiking trails and many visitors come to Kauai just to hike here.  The trails are a bit treacherous as the soil is clay that is slippery when wet and crumbly when dry.  
            Park boundaries follow the contour of the land and some trails leave the park and enter Forest Reserve land.  The Alaka'i Swamp trail actually forms the upper border between forest reserve and wilderness reserve.  All too confusing, Waimea Canyon and Koke'e have become interchangeable terms.

Map of Waimea Canyon, Koke'e State Park, left
and Alaka'i Swamp, right

*Red arrow marks Lodge/Museum/CCC Camp area
*Left yellow arrow marks Kalalau Lookout over Kalalau Valley & out to the ocean 
(reached by car)
*Right yellow arrow marks Kilohana Lookout - a six foot platform overlooking
Wainiha Valley and the north shore (when not fogged in)
(reached by foot)

             When driving up to Koke’e, I recommend turning out at all the lookouts because each one offers a different perspective.  This is the first major turnout:  Canyon Overlook, but little divets along the road afford nice views too.

Canyon overlook at about 3100'

            Many people visiting the island drive up to the end of the road, peek over the rail and go back down.  If in their five minutes they happen to find it socked in by the ever-present mist of the forest, they leave disgruntled.  However, for those who dress warm and wait, they are usually rewarded with the vista of Kalalau Valley.

        Kalalau Lookout - about 4100'                                                         

Koke'e Lodge and Koke'e Museum are located at about mile marker 15.  Both the Lodge and Museum buildings were moved to their present location in 1952 by a small community organization called Hui O Laka, to serve as a visitor center for the park when Hawaii was still a territory.  Now there is a division of responsibility between the organization that cares for the forest - HUI O LAKA, and the State of Hawaii that takes care of the park and roads which are in good shape right now.  
Under this division, Koke'e Lodge is run as a for profit concession.  It is basically a restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch, sells souvenirs, and the State cabins can be rented through the staff there.  (The state cabins are just down the road; they have not been renovated, but do have fireplaces).   Koke'e Museum however, is run by Hui O Laka, protector of the forest.
                              

    Koke'e Museum

HUI O LAKA            
            All these decades later, Hui O Laka still runs the museum without federal or state funding.  The group also does countless projects that help sustain the forest.  In addition to hosting the Queen Emalani Festival each year (see October post), they are responsible for getting the CCC camp at Koke'e restored.  Membership is only $15 a year and keeps you in the forest loop.   

 The CCC Camp
            In the 1930s, during the severe depression the US faced, the government under FDR took unemployed, hungry civilians and trained them as a conservation corps.  The CCC was responsible for infrastructure built in difficult terrain throughout the country.  The trail over the continental divide through Rocky Mountain National Forest was built by the CCC (we still have a cabin on that trail) and they also built trails in Koke’e.              
            Thanks to Hui O Laka's Marsha Erikson, a few years ago the old CCC camp in Koke’e was declared both a federal and state historical site and grants provided the initial funds to reconstruct some of the buildings.  Volunteers and private donations provided the rest.

         Gil took this shot looking up to the restored CCC camp near Koke'e Lodge 

            There is a large community building with a commercial kitchen, program room with projection screen, ping pong table, and children’s corner; another large room for reading.  The walls are lined with historical projects done over the years.
The old barracks have been totally renovated with twenty beds each for groups doing research or volunteer projects.  While we were there a group of 18 students from Stanford was doing soil studies, comparing the oldest island of Kauai with the youngest island of Hawaii.  
The original foreman’s cabin has been refurbished as well – that is where we stayed, a very sweet spot indeed.

 Community room on right, bunk houses center, left

surrounded by Koa trees

 The foreman's cabin, now called the Mokihana Cabin  (behind the old chimney)

            The chimney is all that remains of one building that was not reconstructed.  Every year there is a gathering to make wreaths for the holidays - we sit here to construct them of redwood boughs trimmed from the trees along the meadow below.  This year it will take place on December 8th.

Interior of Mokihana cabin, two queen beds, two twins, 

Kitchen with fridge, micro & hot plate, plus bathroom - plenty of hot water - NO fireplace

            We stayed here in the Mokihana cabin that sleeps six.  The Orchid cabin sleeps 4 and has a regular stove.   

For membership and reservations, call Michelle at 808-335-9975

My car parked by the offices for Hui O Laka with an egret perched on top

            This week was very windy, and the first of the winter cold in Koke'e.  Too windy to hike, we took excursions in protected spots and managed to spend most of our time outdoors.

 Cliff Viewpoint

Canyon Trail visible left of  center

We usually hear the feral goats even when we can't see them

not goof for the plants because they eat them down to the root, 

they are nimble and amazing to watch cross the sheer canyon walls

White-tail tropic birds love the canyon

Dry - forest treasures, maile and koa

 Maile vine (my-leh)

            We watched a video about a group endeavering to raise maile in a sustainable nursery setting to protect the forest from pillage when it is collected for leis to celebrate graduations, birthdays, and for hula festivals.  Of course, Hui O Laka was involved in the project and the 2012 Queen Emalani gave a stirring chant.  It was really fun to see so much maile in the forest after seeing the video.

Healthy maile seeds in the dry koa forest

            Last month I spent three days up here as well while Gil visited family in Arizona.  Then I was hunting for a flower that should have been blooming (see Hunting in Koke'e below).  This time I wanted to see if we could spot the bats that live here – coming out at dusk.  We dressed really warm and headed up to Kalalau Lookout where the late, great David Boynton had always taken children to see them.  No such luck, no bats, however we had a gorgeous sunset.  Next morning, before checking out, we booked again for January.

Looking west - dusk at Kalalau lookout 

 Gil caught the pink reflection on the far side of Kalalau Valley and even on the 'Ohia tree

We weren't the only ones watching the phenomenon - 

this little apapane seemed to enjoy it too

Goodnight and thank you for another glorious day

Ni'ihau and Lehua cone are in the shadows if you look closely

OCTOBER

HUNTING IN KOKE’E  

            So I re-conned the CCC cabins while Gil was on the mainland, spending three nights in the Mokihana cabin by myself.  In fact, I was the only person on the hill at all, just a few campers in the meadow.  It was great so I knew then I'd be back often.

            Research for my book has occupied my focus for the last two years and now I am honing in on what photos are still missing.  The I’iwi is a little red forest bird about the same size as the apapapane above, 5" or so with a long curved bill.   The bill co-evolved with a lobelia that developed a long curved tubular pink flower.  Many drawings and even photographs show the symbiotic pair.  According to Katie Cassel's book called NA PUA O KOKE'E I knew I needed to trek the Pihea trail in October.

            When I checked in I told Michelle what I was after and she offered to call Jim Denny, the famous bird photographer of Koke’e, so I talked to him.  He told me at which turn in the trail to look for the plant but did not give me much hope that it would be blooming because he had not seen any evidence of it budding.  
            I was on the trail at 8:00 the next morning. The first hour or so the vistas down to the coast on one side and across the old plateau on the other side are extraordinary and many people only hike that far. 

 Kalalau Valley from Pihea trail in the morning

Plants and birds aren't the only distraction I have while hiking

            I probably spent 15 minutes trying to get a picture of Kauai's largest dragonfly, with its 6" wingspan - this was the best I could do even though they were zooming all around me!

View of the plateau opposite the valley

OK - time to start in earnest, I had a long way to go on that trail ahead of me

            I didn’t really expect October to be HOT but it was.  The round trip is nearly eight miles with a trail that is up and down to say the least, but it was much hotter than when I hiked the Alakai in August (see post with Native Plant Society).

Very hot, occassional shade felt good

This is the culmination point of Pihea with a USGS marker, 

I would soon have to climb down through the canopy below and across

Down the #%@&! Pihea Trail

            Not my favorite trail since I tore my shoulder hiking it in 2003, without surgery it took two years to recover, grumble, grumble. 

            My hunt continued and I found the plants just where Jim said I would, and true to his word there was no sign of flowering.  I called him a couple days later and we discussed the reality that as the habitat shrinks, there are fewer birds to do the pollinating.  When the I’iwi (little red bird) dips down into the nectar, the pollen gets all over his head which is then distributed to the next flower.  
           Apparently the forest Amakihi (little green bird) eats from the flower but doesn’t have the long bill that reaches down the tubular shape and does not pollinate.  The I’iwi does eat from the lehua flower but that does not sustain the lobelia.  The forest is such a fragile ecosystem. 
            Denny suggested I check again next October as the plant takes ten years from germinating to flowering; short in evolutionary terms but a long time in our modern threatening environment.

This is Koli'i - trematolobelia kauaiensis, they appear to be healthy, but not flowering

Try again next October!

All the little nectar eaters of the forest drink from the lehua, including the I'iwi

            Once my failed quest behind me, I continued on through the forest, taking my time, observing.  I love being deep in the forest, finding new treasures: ferns, lichen & moss, epiphytes growing on the tree trunks.

 tree fern's new leaf about to unfold

Incredible collection of lichens and moss - the carpet of the wet forest 

 Flowering moss!

Epiphytes growing up the tree trunks - a very busy forest

Detail from above - hairy little bugger

A fallen trunk provides a nursery for a variety of ferns

            Down the boardwalk stairs you feel like Alice in Wonderland.  Not all the wonders are positive.  Someone brought in various gingers over the years and while they all have a tendency to take over the native flora, the Kahili ginger is the worst by far.  There are work parties to eradicate them but there are acres.  An attempt to at least keep them at bay near the trails is a constant losing battle (good project if you have a group, call Hui O Laka).  The trail continues UP & DOWN.

 Beautiful and fragrant, the Kahili ginger wipes out the native plants

High on the list of agressive invasives

The knubs in front are where kahili have been eradicated, 

the entire understory behind is still the alien ginger

If you look closely, the wooden steps go down, and then back up - 

of course it will be in reverse on the way back

            It was hot and sunny across the Alakai Swamp. Not always the case, I’ve done it in the rain with about ten feet of visibility, too.  But the recent several weeks of drought we had on the island did not spare the bog.  Dried mud curled up in many spots and yet the creatures hang tough in their environment.

 Hard to believe this is usually under water, I was nearly to the edge before I saw standing water

The mud between and around these sedges was actually curled up

Native sedge with the little 2" high carnivore plant mikinalo

The cloud cover finally rolled across and was welcome even though it meant there probably would not be a great view from the Kilohana Lookout.

Heading for the edge and knowing it would be a white view was OK

            Other hikers all gathered at the lookout.  One Japanese couple thought they were on a little loop from their guidebook and kept saying – Dead End!  I dug out my maps for a few people.  Someone had a smart phone that was telling him the elevation.  It was weird to know there was reception out there as most of Koke'e is out of range.  Time to return from the edge of the universe.

Almost there and injury free- still not my favorite trail  
Aloha Pihea

 Looking back to where I had been was a relief

             Fooling around all the way over and part of the way back, I reached my car at 5pm.  I’d been in the forest for 9 hours.  Yippee!