Hot, exhausting, frustrating, but fun, wind farm hike

Winds lash palms near the Malawi wind farm December 15.

Dec 15, Highway 30, Maui: The sun is shining and it is at least 70 degrees, but the red street light across the intersection is shivering from the north wind that is fluttering the fronds on the palms and making it  difficult to open the door on my Ford Focus and equally difficult to keep it from swinging off its hinges once I get it open. It's a good place for the mills of the wind farm, but I can't get to the hiking trail that intersects them because I can't find a safe place to pull off this two-lane road with incessant traffic that is occasionally intermittent. And pulling off is a problem for two reasons: the drop off along many shoulders, and the fee I'm charged if I do any damage to this clunky, 14-year-old rental. There were several moments when I had to resolve to stop using foul language; mine has become very colorful.

Eventually, I give up, head to Costco to get cheap gas (reportedly more than 50 cents less per gallon than where I finally fill up) before I see the length of the line, which is only natural due to the price differential.

On Saturday, Dec. 16, having learned that I didn't drive far enough to find the trailhead (that required passing through the island's only tunnel) I pick up Marian Abbott at 11 a.m. and we start out on an unbelieveably rocky, steep trail. A sign close to the trailhead gives the statistics:

We have to travel 4.8 miles to make the 1,630 elevation gain. The typical grade is 11.9 percent, with 35 percent of the trail being between 13% and 29% grade. The width of the trail is typically 68 inches, but the minimum width is only 10 inches, and that makes it easy to stumble and fall. Boulders are as large as 60 inches, and there are many rocks 20 inches wide.

It took us four hours to reach the 1 mile mark at Mokumana Glulch and return, a rate of 0.5 miles per hour. This has to be the slowest hike I've performed all year, including just casual meandering hikes with friends.

One example of what the trail is like

Heavily weathered basalt outcrops  display the iron content that has turned the ground red.

Just before this photo was taken, Marian saw a whale breach.

The hike to the wind mills provides a view of the channel which is the winter destination of the 40-foot-long and 40-ton humpback whales that come here in winter months. Their young are born in these waters.

On the descent, we could enjoy the deep blue of the waters. This  appears to be an area of corals and sand beds.

It was hot today and our progress was slow and torturous. We were cautious about drinking all our water and trying to go too far to have the energy to return. That was prudent, because as heat drained our energy I nearly drained my Platypus water system.  The only time we saw a wind mill was from the highway; we didn't get close to the line of mills climbing the mountain. I will carry more water on the next climb.

Satistics for the day:

Distance: 2 miles
Elevation gain: 855 feet -- 10 feet less that indicated by "GPS Status" software on my phone
Conditions: Hot, probably at least 85 degrees, under bright sun with uneven, difficult rocky path.
Load: Negligible: Cameras and water.

Statistics, year to date:

Distance: 1501.5 miles

Elevation gain: 63,525 feet; 8,530 feet to fifth Rainier