Haleakalā National Park
Your visit to Haleakalā National Park might include a glimpse of a rare native bird, a hands-on experience with Hawaiian culture, breezes through the bamboo forest, or warm sun on your back as you hike a volcanic landscape.
First you have to choose the experience you are seeking and where to discover it. Do you want to explore the summit? The coast? Do you have time to experience both? Perhaps you can spend a few days and plan an overnight adventure.
Whatever you choose, be prepared. The Summit and Kīpahulu Districts are remote. An ambulance can take up to 45 minutes to arrive at either district. People with respiratory or other medical conditions should be aware that the summit of Haleakalā is at 10,000 ft. There is no food, beverages, or gasoline in the park.
Located on the island of Maui, Haleakalā National Park extends from the 10,023 foot (3055m) summit of Haleakalā down the southeast flank of the mountain to the Kīpahulu coast near Hāna. These two sections of the park are not directly connected by road, but both can be reached from Kahului.
Please note that there are no gas stations within the park. The last place to get gas in route to the Summit Area is in the town of Pukalani. If you are heading to the Kīpahulu Area, the last place to get gas along the Hāna Highway before Hāna is in the town of Pāʻia.
There is no public transportation available either to or in the park.
No place can prepare you for the experiences and feelings you will have on the summit of Haleakalā volcano. The landscape - deeply sculpted, richly colored, and intensely evocative will be unlike any landcape you have known. Visually expansive, the summit area continually eludes any attempt to understand its scale or dimensions.
You may spend a few hours hiking in the cinder desert landscape or a few minutes looking for native birds in the shrubland - whatever you choose to do, you will do it surrounded by native Hawaiian plants and animals. The mountain summit is one of the only easily-accessible areas of Hawaii where our rare and endemic species survive and thrive.
Already impressive in the light of day, the summit takes on a new dimension at night when the darkness reveals the brilliant night sky.
What to bring:
- Sun protection (hat, sunglasses, sunblock)
- Cold/wet weather clothing (raingear, pants, jacket, poncho)
- Food (no food for sale in the park)
- Water bottles (drinking water available at all visitor centers)
- Sturdy shoes (hiking boots or athletic shoes)
http://www.nps.gov/hale/
.--.-.-.-.-.-.
http://app.strava.com/activities/frank-vs-the-volcano-part-trois-35261005
Ryder Hesjedal :: Haleakala Record from Media One on Vimeo.
Cycle to the Sun: Bicycling up Haleakala, Maui
7 Tips for Conquering the Mother of All Climbs by bike
"Haleakala is simultaneously the longest paved continuous climb in the world as well as the shortest ascent from sea level to 3.055m (10,000 feet) in the world. Though not terribly steep, this is a long, grinding climb that will reduce a strong rider to a whimpering lump." —Velominati
Cycle to the Sun, biking Haleakala
1/ TRAINING How does anyone train for the longest paved climb in the world (~60km)? If you aren't in shape and plan on simply taking it easy and spinning to the top of Haleakala, you may end your ride short of the top of Haleakala's lunar summit at almost 10,000 feet above sea level—although the grade is steady, the length and altitude make for a grueling day in the saddle. Afterwards, cycling up Haleakala seemed much like an assault on Everest, with some advanced planning, preparation, and strategy required.
Being out of shape and carrying too little fuel (see below) can be the major challenges for the ride, and training beforehand on Maui is limited (see rides) with heavy traffic on the limited roads (although traffic on the Haleakala climb is not an issue). Going out too hard to the base and steeper, first third of the climb may come back to bite you later on, say above 8,000 feet, and can make finishing difficult leaving you short of breath and feeling like one of those slow-motion, zoned-out climbers slogging towards the summit of Everest footstep-by-footstep. This is the biggest surprise of the ride — the last 2,000 feet or so is a lot harder than expected (although the road is excellent and elevation gain gradual).
Biking Haleakala 3d Map
National Park Service [click for full 1,920 x 1,440 pixel image]
http://www.nps.gov/hfc/carto/wallpapers/FullStandard/haleakala_west_1920x1440_F.jpg
After reaching the top, you may find yourself desperately looking around (and pointlessly) for a soda machine like I did. After giving up, I promptly laid down on the warm sidewalk and napped for a good half hour. Ride total: about 7 hours and about 90+ miles round trip cycling from Kihei. Also read full ride reports, esp. the comprehensive Chain Reaction diary of biking up Haleakala (links below right).
Haleakala Cycling Route Map
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=99875
Click on Haleakala Cycling Map
2/ Check the weather Also like summiting Everest, try to time your ride on clear day if you have multiple days for biking in Maui. This can still be tricky — morning may be clear and it may cloud in the afternoon anyway (although you may have climbed above it by then). Read ride reports on other sites about problems with weather and you'll know how important this is. Leaving at first light (around 7:30 am), I climbed under clear skies and was at the summit when clouds starting shrouding around the 6,000 foot level.
In another late December stay of about ten days, about half the days were clear and half were overcast and rainy (overcast days in Maui during December run about a 42% chance - see web page below on climate in Maui). Winds can also kick up as you reach the higher, exposed portions increasing fatigue though I had only light breeze. Cycling down Haleakala through the clouds is like going through thick, moist fog with little visibility although not uncomfortably cold.
Maui Climate Chat
MORE: [Maui climate information at http://maui.cliatemps.com]
R E S O U R C E S
Biycling Haleakala Route Map
Maui (Wikipedia)
Haleakala (Wikipedia)
Biking Haleakala on STRAVA
Haleakala Ride Reports & Other
Chain Reaction Haleakala Biking Report
Haleakala Ride Reports Climbbybike
Haleakala Record Ride Attempt
Maui Bike Rides (and bike rental)
Cycle to the Sun: Haleakala Annual Road Race
3/ Sunscreen Apply often and completely, my calves and a few other missed spots were cooked after hours exposed to the strong sunlight at higher elevation.
4/ Fuel Brought bought and ate all of what was thought to be adequate and still bonked badly around 9,000 feet (about two miles to go). This almost ended the ride. Doing it again, I would take a longer rest at the 7,000-foot visitor center, eat and drink, and then push on for the remaining ten miles after feeling gels kicking in.
5/ Cold riding gear Limited to what I could stuff in jersey pockets which included arm warmers, light windbreaker, and winter gloves (no knee or leg warmers). The chilly wind gusts begin about 8,000 feet, but a windbreaker was enough and the rest was adequate for cycling down the descent.
The temperature ascending Haleakala drops about 3 degrees for every 1,000 feet of elevation, so at the Haleakala Visitor Center’s 9,740-foot elevation it’s about 30º colder than at sea level. After descending for about 90 minutes back down and onto Kahului (for Jamba Juice at the Queen Ka'ahumanu Center), it was in the lows 90s wit blazing sunshine.
6/ Consider biking side roads up to the park (about the first third of the ascent) instead of busy Haleakala Highway. Coming from South Maui (Kihei), it was an obvious choice bike an old route — Pulehule Road (right on Hansen, then shortly after look for the dump trucks turning on the road to the right - this is Pulhule).The climb up Haleakala averages only 6%, with two pitches as steep as 17%, but this alternate cycling route was not as gradual with steep pitches in some early sections before entering the park (especially the terrible killer Lower Kimo) and surface not as smooth, but there was sparse traffic and much greenery. Of course, if you bike from Pa'ia you should go up other alternative routes (see other ride reports).
7/ Pause at both the pleasant Sunrise Market and Park Center The Sunrise Market is at about 3,500 feet up Haleakala, on the left just after entering the national park (don't ignore the sign which states no food or services afterwards!). If you're only planning one stop (though you should also pause at the visitor's center at 7,000 feet), this is the last place for sweet drinks and solid fuel and the owner stocks everything you'd ever need (repeat: there is no place to buy soda or food within the park after the Sunrise Market). Downhill cyclists also congregate here on the way down so you can swagger around telling everyone how easy going uphill is will be.
Many cyclists begin the climb of Haleakala here, as it is the official start of the park land. Also check out their wall map of what's to come. Later, at 7,000 feet, there is water and restroom at the park visitor's center. If this was Everest, consider the visitor's center base camp IV from which you'll make the final and hardest push (the next source of water, a fountain, is ten miles later at the summit). Above 9,000 feet I stopped more than a few times, the mental battle to reaching the top was equal to the physical exhaustion and made me wish I had planned my recovery and refueling stops better.
ARRIVÉE
After you've done it, give yourself a pat on the back, but before you get too cocky you should know that there are cyclists who around every June, July or August actually race up Haleakala and there are a few very, very disturbed souls who actually race on foot to the top.
RESOURCES & NOTES
For much, much more information see the very detailed Haleakala ride reports above right (including elevation profiles). Although United charged $80 each way for my Landshark bike, there are full carbon rental bikes are available in a few shops now, including West Maui Cycles (Lahaina), South Maui Bicycles (Kihei) and North Shore (Crater Bikes in Kahului). There is also one road tour operator, Go Cycling Maui. Excellent although limited riding in Kihei cycling along the excellent road (with bike lane) fronting the Wailea resorts, about 45 minutes roundtrip to the end of the bike path (you can ride all the way to La Pernouse although the road is narrow and choppy).
Frank Strack's Haleakala ride on Strava:
Have the kids along? Here are some notes about that.
http://www.veloasia.com/resources/rides/hawaii/maui_kids.html
—Patrick Morris
R E S O U R C E S
Biycling Haleakala Route Map
Maui (Wikipedia)
Haleakala (Wikipedia)
Biking Haleakala on STRAVA
Haleakala Ride Reports & Other
Chain Reaction Haleakala Biking Report
Haleakala Ride Reports Climbbybike
Haleakala Record Ride Attempt
Maui Bike Rides (and bike rental)
Cycle to the Sun: Haleakala Annual Road Race
http://www.cycletothesun.com/results-2014/CTTS2014%20-%20Results%20(Overall).pdf
http://cycletothesun.com/
http://www.virr.com/
http://www.southmauibicycles.com/
http://www.landsharkbicycles.com/
http://www.westmauicycles.com/
http://www.cratercycleshawaii.com/
http://www.gocyclingmaui.com/index.html
http://www.veloasia.com/resources/rides/hawaii/haleakala.html
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario