I spent three days on the upper windward slopes of Kohala, in some of the wettest cloudforest on the island. We were cutting invasive ginger and learning about the state of Kohala's ecosystems. The boggy landscape varies between short thick wind-blasted windward slope scrub forests, sheltered deep ravines with a taller and much more varied flora, and weird mossy leeward slope forests. All except the steepest slopes were growing out of a generous spongy sphagnum bog layer up to several feet deep.
The cabin we stayed at was located in the center of the windward Kohala forest at 4600 feet elevation, 3 hours of wet boggy sloshing hike in from the end of the road. The initial part of the hike followed the historic Upper Hamakua Ditch along the upper rim of Waipio Valley, and at the end of the ditch (the start, actually) we went upslope cross-country. A steady parade of tour helicopters buzzed us as we sloshed our way through the scrub.
There were a few plants specific to the area that I had never seen before. Gunnera on the cliff faces of the deep valleys (e.g. Waipio Valley, etc), native violas in the sphagnum of the deeper forest, and Kohala-specific clermontias and dubautias. There are also true lobelias on the ravine walls, but sadly I didn't see any and it rained too hard on the return trip to stop and search for them. I also saw a few of the 'bottomless pits' that early naturalists wrote about, with walls lined with sphagnum and overhung by surrounding trees draped in dripping sheets of mosses and ferns.
Bird life was a bit more sparse than on the larger mountains. Counts were always lead by Hawai'i 'amakihi. 'Apapane and Japanese white-eye were close behind. 'Elepaio and hwamei were frequently present. Red-billed leiothrix and kalij pheasant were sparse. There may also have been very scarce nutmeg mannikins and house finch.
The weather was mixed, but winds were low so I slept very comfortably in just a sleeping bag out on the cabin's covered deck. The first night I woke near midnight to flashes from New Year's fireworks reflecting on the sky all around the horizon. (none were directly visible over the crest of the mountain, just the sky flashes) There were numerous shooting stars overhead. The next night's fireworks were provided by lightning flashes from the tops of thunderstorms off the coasts. There was just one mosquito in the three days out there.
The cabin we stayed at was located in the center of the windward Kohala forest at 4600 feet elevation, 3 hours of wet boggy sloshing hike in from the end of the road. The initial part of the hike followed the historic Upper Hamakua Ditch along the upper rim of Waipio Valley, and at the end of the ditch (the start, actually) we went upslope cross-country. A steady parade of tour helicopters buzzed us as we sloshed our way through the scrub.
There were a few plants specific to the area that I had never seen before. Gunnera on the cliff faces of the deep valleys (e.g. Waipio Valley, etc), native violas in the sphagnum of the deeper forest, and Kohala-specific clermontias and dubautias. There are also true lobelias on the ravine walls, but sadly I didn't see any and it rained too hard on the return trip to stop and search for them. I also saw a few of the 'bottomless pits' that early naturalists wrote about, with walls lined with sphagnum and overhung by surrounding trees draped in dripping sheets of mosses and ferns.
Bird life was a bit more sparse than on the larger mountains. Counts were always lead by Hawai'i 'amakihi. 'Apapane and Japanese white-eye were close behind. 'Elepaio and hwamei were frequently present. Red-billed leiothrix and kalij pheasant were sparse. There may also have been very scarce nutmeg mannikins and house finch.
The weather was mixed, but winds were low so I slept very comfortably in just a sleeping bag out on the cabin's covered deck. The first night I woke near midnight to flashes from New Year's fireworks reflecting on the sky all around the horizon. (none were directly visible over the crest of the mountain, just the sky flashes) There were numerous shooting stars overhead. The next night's fireworks were provided by lightning flashes from the tops of thunderstorms off the coasts. There was just one mosquito in the three days out there.
