Kalaupapa is Aloha
Secluded and protected
On the north shore
Of Moloka'i
By the blue Pacific
And steep sea cliffs
Reaching heights of 2,000ft.
Lies a flat leaf peninsula
Kalaupapa
Methods of getting there
Include a mule ride
Flying in
Or driving north on Hwy 470
Towards Pala'au State Park
Then hiking down Kalaupapa Trail
It’s about 3 miles long
With 26 switchbacks
However,
Before you do anything
You must obtain a permit
To enter Kalaupapa peninsula
Unless you’re sponsored
By a resident, or the NPS
Permits are available through
The Molokai Mule Ride or
Damien Tours
But once you’re there
It’s as if you’ve taken
A step back in time
To a place of serenity
And beauty
Kalaupapa
And its residents
Once endured
A time of fear and uncertainty
Without a cure
For Hansen’s disease
A time when family members
Were torn apart
Because loved ones were stricken
And sent to isolation
Kalaupapa served
As a second home
A Hansen’s disease settlement
That became a community
And to many, a place of rest
I was fortunate
To have spent some time there
As a volunteer
In partnership with
The National Park Service
And being sponsored
By a resident
A hānai uncle
That has since passed
Kalaupapa
Has so much to give
So much to tell
So much to share
Kalaupapa is rich
With aesthetic beauty
With natural and cultural history
It’s rich with character
And aloha
So, yeah, it was a special place to spend a week. January 3rd-10th, to be exact. Our trip leaders were John and his girlfriend Adaline. The crew members included Waimea , Natalie, David, Kanani, Debbie, Sherine, Nicole, Lori, Nina, and of course myself. We met up at the Aloha Island Air terminal and arrived at "top side" Ho'olehua Airport, Molokai and got into a van. We drove over to the Kalaupapa mule trail and met Jeff Trainer, Kalaupapa National Park's Plant Specialist. We then hiked down 26 switchbacks and arrived at the Kalaupapa Settlement. Our lodging was a Quonset hut dormitory. After taking inventory of supplies we picked up two more crew members, Mike and Ian who took the easy way down.
The next day, we worked at Kauhako Crater clearing brush for a trail and then clearing brush from a fence line that runs along the crater rim. That night, we met our diner guest Uncle Naia and his dog Zorro. Uncle Naia was a resident there and he shared with us stories of his life in Kalaupapa and living with Hansen's Disease. He loved card games and playing checkers - and was very good at it too.
The following days involved hiking along the rocky coastline to Waikolu Valley and eradicating cockle burr seeds and seedlings, we continued to clear the fence line on Kauhako Crater rim, removed Beach Heliotrope along the coastline, and removed Bull Thistle from an open field.
Overall, it was a good week. During our day off, we received a tour of Kalaupapa from Dean Alexander, Kalaupapa NP's Superintendent. We checked out a heiau at Kalawao, saw the "Rock Doctor" petroglyph, went down a lava tube called Old Woman's Cave, which opened up at a cliff overlooking the ocean, and then climbed up the 198 steps of the largest lighthouse in the Pacific and saw a 360 degree view of Kalaupapa.
Other highlights of the trip included:
- Watching John swim around in the stream looking for the car keys, thinking they fell in when he took a dip, but later finding them sitting in the ignition of the van
- Picking through the sand for Niihau shells
- Going deer "hunting" by driving around town with a diving light and finding a herd of a thousand and then scaring them with the van
- Star gazing at the lighthouse and at the airport - lying down in the middle of the runway
- Picking kamani seeds in the Kalawao Forest with ancient Hawaiian settlement sites
No comments:
Post a Comment