Saturday: Nualolo Trail, Emalani Festival

Early Saturday I headed to the west on Highway 50 and up Highway 550 to Koke'e State Park to hike the Nualolo Trail and also see the Emalani Festival.

I was the first hiker down the Nualolo Trail that day as evidenced by repeatedly getting spider webs in the face but it was worth it to get out to Lolo Point and have it all to myself. As a bonus, the trail offered me guava much of the way: handfuls of ripe fruit would either be right in the middle of the trail or easily picked up just at the edge. (I assume the fruit fell and naturally rolled to the slight depression usually near the center of the trail.)

Above is a shot looking down into the Nualolo Aina valley to the right (east) of the trail. It's always a striking view, well over 2000 feet down the steep sides. Inevitably white birds (egrets perhaps, they just look like white dots at this distance) soar through the air here. I can't imagine that the birds are flying around up there in order to get food: it must just be the beauty of the place that makes them circle seemingly without end.

I have already written about The Nualolo Trail before as the first leg of the wonderful loop hike: out Nualolo, over on the Cliff Trail, and back up the Awaawapuhi (with a walk back along the road to boot). The Cliff Trail that makes the loop possible has now been closed so had to do the Nualolo out and back.

It was absolutely clear out at Lolo Point (at the end of the trail, nearly four miles out). I took my time just looking around and savoring the silence ... that is, when the helicopters left the place alone. It must have been a busy day for them, at one point there were three of them flying around the one valley.

Heading back I ran into a few groups, in particular a nice couple from Iowa that I chatted with a few minutes. Back at the park, in my absence the place had filled up with cars parked along the road and over a section of the meadow by the lodge, and the festival was in full swing.

I had missed Queen Emma's appearance on horseback but got to enjoy the hula presentations and live music. As usual there was food and local groups of all kinds had booths set up in addition to the show.