Scott and Angie
Lots of cows grazing along the road.
One of the many waterfalls along the way.
Scott at one of the overlooks above the ocean.
Angie and I backpacked from April 11-13th at
Scott near the crater rim.
Angie.
From here the trail makes several switchbacks as it winds down to the crater floor. It was difficult to get good footing as we descended, since the trail was covered with small rocks which always seemed to slip out from beneath our feet. We were glad to have our trekking poles, but wished we had our hiking boots. We did this backpack in trail shoes, but in hindsight we should have worn our boots to protect our feet from the tough volcanic rock. We passed a few day hikers ascending the trail back to the trailhead.
Photoshop blend of 2 exposures of ~30mins each at f/4.0, ISO 100, Nikkor 12-24 dx lens. The first exposure was started during twilight to pick up some of the magenta color in the sky.
After eating breakfast, we broke camp and started heading to the Paliku backcountry campsite which is located 6.6 miles down the Halemau'u/Sliding Sands Trails. After hiking for about a mile we entered the middle of the crater where there is very little vegetation, but lots of volcanic rock/sand/cinders. The cinders are up to 3000 feet deep in this area. The rain that falls here quickly percolates down through the cinders and doesn't leave much water near the surface for plants to grow.
Looking up the crater walls to near the summit area.
Halemau'u Trail.
Pele's Paint Pot. The colors here are due to the minerals which are present in the volcanic rock. The camera doesn't really capture the full range of colors seen here.
Another photo of Angie crossing the volcanic plains.
Kawilinau, aka the bottomless pit. This vent is ~65 feet deep and was created by super heated gases which blasted though the crater floor.
After hiking 6.6 hard miles across the crater floor we arrived at the Paliku backcountry campsite. Our feet were very sore from walking over the volcanic rock. We only saw one other backpacker at Paliku.
There is a pasture area near Paliku for all of the stock animals which bring riders into Paliku. Here is a photo of Angie trying to sweet talk the burro into giving here a free ride out of the crater....it didn't work!
We spent most of the afternoon exploring around Paliku and ventured part of the way up the Lau'ulu trail. This trail was park hike, part rock climb and was pretty crazy. We also saw a pair of nene (native hawaiian geese) which loved to eat the grass near our tent. Although the nene are endangered, it is fairly common to see them in the park. They are notorious beggars, but should never be fed by backpackers/hikers, since they have plenty of natural food available.
Scott and Angie at Paliku with the Kaupo gap behind. The Kaupo gap has been formed by millions of years of erosion to the crater wall by the constant rains in the area. The rains are created by the warm ocean air cooling and condensing as it rises up the side of the volcano.
Interesting lava formation near the trail in the Paliku area.
Angie on the trail...note clouds beginning to form...more on this in a bit!
Scott at the junction of the Halemau'u and Sliding Sands Trails.
One of the few bird shots we got. This is a chuckar. These birds love to hang out in the bushes on the sides of the trail. As you walk by they blast out of the bushes making their chuck-chuck-chuckar-chuckar calls.
Angie on the trail again.
When we reached the middle of the crater on the way to Holua, the weather changed abruptly. The wind picked up and it started to rain. Here you can see the rain starting to fall...not good!
Angie hiking in the rain.
On our way Holua, we stopped by the Silversword Loop Trail for a few pictures. The silversword is a very unique plant which is only found inside Haleakala crater. The plant is a relative of the sunflower, but looks very similar to the yucca and century plants found in the southwestern U.S. deserts. The plants were not blooming that is time, (usually bloom May-October) but the silver color of the plants was amazing.
Shortly after the silversword loop trail, the wind picked up even more and started blowing the rain horizontally. We were starting to get quite wet, since the rain was finding a way around our rain gear. By the time we reached Holua, the rain/wind had not let up one bit, so we decided to press all the way out to the trailhead to avoid spending a cold night in the tent. This would make for a 10.3 mile day, but we were both ready get to the beach!
A small landslide on the trail. The constant rain had saturated the soil.
Angie on the Halemau'u trail near the trailhead. The trail was literally a stream, and our feet were completely soaked. This area was dry on our way down.
Despite getting rained out, we really enjoyed this backpack. Camping inside a dormant volcano is something very few people get to experience. The Haleakala crater is a unique area with some absolutely stunning scenery and stars. If you are considering a backpack here, make sure you bring your hiking boots. Your feet will appreciate it. Feel free to post any questions you have about the backpack in the comments area and I will try my best to answer them.
The first section of the trail travels 2 miles from Ke'e Beach (mile 0) to Hanakapi'ai Beach (mile 2). We had read that the trail is never flat at any point along the way, but I'm not sure we believed it. From the trailhead, we immediately began to climb and reached an elevation of ~500 feet after the first mile. The trail was a mess of roots, large rocks and mud. It was amazing how warm and humid the air was at 7AM. We started sweating instantly and were soaked after a half hour.
At 8:30 AM we arrived at Hanakapi'ai stream. We were glad to see the water level was low in the steam.
The next section of the trail travels 4 miles from Hanakapi'ai Beach (mile 2) to Hanakoa Stream (mile 6). After Hanakapi'ai the trail quickly rises almost 800 feet. Here are some pictures of us on the way up (Hanakapi'ai Beach in the lower left corner). This section of the trail got very hot since the sun was now beating down on us. 
When we sat down for lunch we thought we had already passed Hanakoa Stream. We were actually closer to mile 5, which left us one more mile to go just to reach Hanakoa. We were already starting to get fatigued, and finding out our true location didn't help.
Goats!
At 6 PM we arrived at Kalalau Stream (mile 10). Since daylight was fading fast, we decided to find a camping spot in the Kalalau Valley, instead of going 1 more mile to Kalalau Beach. We set up camp, ate dinner and were in bed by 8PM. Total hiking time was 11 hours to cover 10 miles!
After breakfast, we broke down our camp and headed down to Kalalau Beach. This was our first view of Kalalau Beach from the trail. Absolutely stunning!
We spent almost an hour searching for the perfect campsite. We found a great one near the beach, but couldn't quite get our tent to fit. At this campsite we encountered another "local." Unfortunately we never learned his name (we affectionately called him "Newman" from Seinfeld - if you are not familiar with Newman see the very bottom of this post for a description). "Newman" approached our campsite and asked if we minded if he sat down on some rocks near us. It seemed a little odd that he wanted to sit on a rock 5 feet from us, but we invited him to have a seat. He quickly started to tell us how he really liked to camp at this site and subtly implied that this was his site, not ours. Then things got really interesting when he started asking why, "America is full of voyeuristic perverts who only want to see themselves in satellite photos." Dumbfounded, we told him that we didn't follow his logic or what he was trying to get at. He said, "I think you do." Then promptly left. We hoped we wouldn't see him again, but we both had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time.
Inside Kalalau Valley.
After several hours, we finally found Big Pool. 
We spent an hour or so at Big Pool and then headed back down to our camp to rest. Not more than 10 minutes after we arrived at our camp,"Newman" strolled past proudly displaying his middle finger. 
Kalalau Beach sunset. Definitely one of the most beautiful sunsets we have seen.
We met another local guy on the beach who spent the whole afternoon balancing rocks at the east end of Kalalau Beach. His commitment to his job was very admirable. Here is one of his best works of art.
We arrived in Hanakoa at 8:15 AM and were cruising on our way out. We found the trip out to be much easier. The packs were significantly lighter since all the food had been eaten and fuel had been burned. It also didn't seem to be as warm on Friday.
When we arrived at Hanakapi'ai Beach on the way out, we were surprised by how many day hikers were headed into Hanakapi'ai Falls/Beach. Most of them carried no water and some even wore flip flops on this very difficult trail. 
Backpacking the Kalalau Trail was one of the best experiences of our lives. We were constantly amazed by the beauty of the Na Pali Coast of Kaua'i. During our 5 day backpack, we realized the people you meet along the way are what make Kalalau such a special place. We feel very fortunate to have had the chance to experience Kalalau and can't wait to do it again. See you again soon, "Newman"!!!!
