Part 1 – Hiking in Kokee – The Rainforests and Bogs of Kokee

Posted: October 26, 2008

When our Kalalau backpacking trip was over, 11 of the 15 backpackers flew back to Honolulu , while 4 of us — Justin Ohara, Patrick Rooney, Miyo Kimura, and I — continued on to Kokee for 3 more days of hiking in the mountains overlooking the Na Pali Coast of Kauai.

Koke’e is one of my favorite places on Kauai — there are over 2 dozen trails each with its own special beauty. One of my favorite hikes is through the native rainforests and bogs of Koke’e via a combination of 2 trails — a portion of the Pihea Trail (~2.1 miles) that connects with a portion of the Alakai Swamp Trail (~2.5 miles) and terminates at the Kilohana Lookout (a ~9.4 mile tround trip). The hike starts from the second Kalalau Lookout at the end of the paved road.

When we arrived at the 2nd Lookout, the skies over Kalalau were mostly clear with just a few clouds overhead. As a result we had a magnificent view of the fluted cliffs of Kalalau with red lehua flowers blooming along the cliffs. As we peered down some 4,000 feet into the valley below, I recalled what a great time we had splashing in the pools and waterfalls of Kalalau Valley just two days before.

The Pihea Trail initially follows the rim of Kalalau Valley. As we admired the magnificent view along the edge, I was thrilled to see a distinct variety of ohia lehua known as Metrosideros polymorpha var. dieteri, one of the 8 named varieties of M. polymorpha, blooming along the trail.

Perhaps the most distinctive feature of dieteri are its unusual leaf buds, called “muo” in Hawaiian which start out as vibrant red growths. These leaf buds start out as tiny red balls, grow into scaly buds, and then open into young leaves, called “liko” in Hawaiian.

Clouds rolled in when we reached the Pihea Vista so we continued along the boardwalk to see the native rainforests dominated by ohia trees covered in mosses and ferns. Ekaha ferns (elaphaglossum) grow on trees along the boardwalk and also grow in large patches on the ground. Boardwalks have been installed through the wettest rainforests and bogs — which receive 180 – 280 inches of rain per year depending on the location — to enable hikers to pass through without wallowing in ankle to knee-deep mud.

Most of the trees are about 6 inches thick and are no taller than 25 feet high although much larger specimens dot the landscape. Miyo and Pat stand in front of the underside of an exceptional ohia tree that was knocked over but continues to grow in a prone position.

The boardwalk on the Pihea Trail curves down as it descends to cross Kawaiko’i Stream and then climbs back up through lush vegetation. Kahili ginger, one of the most invasive plants on Kaua’i, thrives in great numbers along this section of the trail.

Pat and Miyo stand in front of a toppled ohia tree that has put out “legs” to buttress itself in the horizontal position. Ferns, mosses, and other epiphytes thrive on the tree and collect moisture from passing clouds. Water droplets condense on epiphytes, roll down the branches and roots of the tree as fog drip, and seep into the earth.

Waves of clouds rolled in as fog when we reached Alaka’i Swamp. The rain and fog drip from these clouds saturate the ground and create a network of bogs. The waterlogged earth is dominated by grasses, sedges, mosses, and lichens which grow in hummocks (raised mounds) over the landscape. Standing water deprives plant roots of oxygen and stunts plants. A distinct form of ohia lehua, known as Metrosideros polymorpha var. pumila, grows as a stunted shrub 6-12 inches high in Alaka’i Swamp.

Ohia are slow growing trees under the best of conditions. In waterlogged environments where nutrients are continually leached away, ohia trees take even longer to mature and produce flowers. The small ohia trees with red lehua flowers are mature ohia trees which have reached their full size in the bog.

When we reached Kilohana Lookout, thick clouds completely blocked our view. While Pat, Miyo and I were disappointed that we could not see Wainiha Valley and Hanalei Bay, we were reminded that the moisture from the clouds over Kokee are the source of water for Kalalau Valley.

Rainfall and fog drip over the forests and bogs of Kokee seep into the earth, join the ground water, and emerge as gushing springs in the very back of Kalalau Valley. Kalalau is on the leeward side of Kauai and receives an average of only 20 inches of rain per year. Were it not for the springs that supply Kalalau with water year round, Kalalau would be practically a desert and an intolerable backpacking destination.

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This is the first blog entry in a series of posts about my Kokee hiking adventure with 3 HTMC friends after the Labor Day weekend. The next (2nd) entry is here.

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SOURCES

Big Island and Kauai: Hawaiian Weather and Climate Discussion, Oregon Climate Service

Metrosideros polymorpha (Ohia Lehua), Species Profiles for Pacific Island Agroforestry, April 2006. ver. 3.2

Native Hawaiian Plants , University of Hawaii, Department of Botany

Northwestern Kaua’i, Recreation Map, Earthwalk Press

Plants and Animals of Hawaii, by Susan Scott

The Unofficial Kokee Hiking Guide, Web Guide

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Part 1 – Hiking in Kokee – The Rainforests and Bogs of Kokee

Posted: October 26, 2008

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