Chez Fonfon

Our adventure started as soon as the business meetings ended. We spent our first evening dining in the Five Points area, and specifically at Chez Fonfon, a French-themed restaurant in a trendy part of the city known for great food.

With one of us from France and the other having spent a great deal of time there, we are tough critics of restaurants that dare call themselves French. Chez Fonfon is undoubtedly the best we’ve encountered outside of France. The charcuterie entrée (the actual French word for appetizer), moule frites, swordfish with beurre blanc and strawberries and cream dessert were fantastic. The Sauternes digestif we chose with the meal was the perfect compliment to our choices. Day one ended with one of the best meals we’ve ever had.

Farmers Market

Saturday morning started with the Pepper Place Market, an open-air farmers market not too far from downtown Birmingham. It was obviously very busy as we approached and parking took a few minutes. Our first encounter was with Steven Febres-Cordero, “The Spoon Man” who managed to sell us a tropical hardwood replacement for the wooden spoon we destroyed in the blender just a week ago. Hopefully the harder wood will survive our poor utensil practices.

We continued through the vendor stalls to find the Chilton County peaches recommended by a friend from that famous peach-growing place. We also picked up fresh plums and perfectly ripe strawberries to take on a hike planned for later that day. There were plenty of dogs, a bluegrass band and even a nut vendor dressed in a giant peanut outfit. Though the sun was strong, the day was not very humid and it was the perfect place to be that morning.

Ruffner Mountain

Once stocked up for our hike, we made our way to the outskirts of the city to Ruffner Mountain, the first of a series of ridges that mark the beginning of the Appalachian Mountains. We grabbed a map at the gorgeously architected Visitors Center before striking out on the network of trails that covered the ridge top. We made our way through the quiet forests and along old quarries and easily forgot that we were only a few miles from a city.

The high point of day, literally, was a rock outcrop that gave us a great view of rolling hills to the north and Birmingham’s Downtown to the south.

Cajun style

Cleaned up and energized, we spent the afternoon at a crawfish boil hosted by two families that brought in 150 pounds of live crawfish from Baton Rouge, LA. Both were LSU alumni that stuck close to their roots in Cajun country by having the annual event that brought together many friends to enjoy steaming piles of gradually spicier crawfish, corn, mushrooms and sausages. We were warned about the mushrooms’ ability to soak up the spices, but were surprised to find that the corn on the cob actually was a strong competitor for ‘hottest item.’

We arrived with few expectations and left with a series of great memories of a weekend spent enjoying a historic Old South city. If you get the opportunity to spend time in Birmingham, let us know and we’ll be happy to give you our recommendations for how to get the most out of it.

After our recent hike from Haleakala Crater to Paliku Campsite in April 2012, we were back to complete the peak-to-ocean journey by completing the lower section from Paliku Campsite to Kaupo Trailhead near the beaches of Southwest Maui. We did our research and found the Kipahulu Campground in the Haleakala National Park, just 12 km (8 mi) from the Kaupo Trailhead and adjacent to the very popular Ohe’o Gulch and its ‘Seven Sacred Pools (locals will tell you they’re not at all sacred), 16 km (10 mi) beyond Hana.

When we first arrived we were almost ready to set up our campsite in the open field that makes up most of the campground. Each site has a picnic table and BBQ grill, and there is a centrally located pit toilet (but no water). We would have been perfectly happy. By chance, we happened to walk the perimeter and discovered sites that were set apart from each other and the rest of the campground and right along the cliffs over the ocean. We were fortunate to find the best campsite we’ve ever had.

The site doesn’t have easy access to the sea, but that’s not the point along this rugged coast. Watching the waves crash on the cliffs is one of the most peaceful activities we know. The steady breeze that blows past this part of Maui brings occasional showers (especially after sunset) but the breezes are steady and cool. Even in the warmest part of the day, the temperature was ideal. As we went to bed, the waves were a soothing way to fall asleep and to wake up in the morning.

Kipahulu to Kaupo

We left the world’s greatest campsite at Kipahulu shortly after breakfast and continued clockwise around the island. The village of Kaupo is 13 km (8 mi) from the Kipahulu Area of Haleakala National Park but getting there involves one of the most torturous roads, at times both dirt and paved, in the Hawaiian Islands. There are sharp turns that require horns, and even with warning, meeting an oncoming car in the wrong moment would be disaster. It is a beautiful but deserted drive through the least-populated part of Maui.

Kaupo Trailhead

At the end of this isolated section and about 100 m before the Kaupo Store (and immediately to the right of the Haleakala National Park sign that you’ll need to see in your mirror, as it faces the other way), is the road that takes you to the trailhead itself. If you thought the road to get this far was rough, wait until you see the final stretch of narrow, broken pavement with tall grass growing in the center that leads to the trailhead.

Kaupo Ranch

The trail begins by crossing the Kaupo Ranch, owned by the Baldwin Family since the early days of Hawaiian settlement by Westerners. The trail wanders between wooded paths and ranch roads and at time is steep enough to make traction on the loose lava rocks a challenge. The day was getting warm by late morning and we were happy to make it to the woods at the edge of the Ranch that mark the start of the Haleakala National Park.

Entering Haleakala

While the cool shade was a relief, walking through the high grass was treacherous as it disguised the large lava rocks and holes beneath. We stepped carefully to avoid injuries but didn’t want to slow our very fast pace. It is a dangerous but gorgeous landscape that is beautifully green and lush, a reminder of the constant rains that come as the Trade Winds blow clouds into the peaks above.

Once through the grasslands, the trail climbs a series of perpendicular ridges, each a moment of hope that became just the top of another rise. The trail was good and even appeared to be at times a massive, ancient undertaking like some of the trails we’ve seen in Nepal and Europe.

We were surprised to see little water along the way and few waterfalls along the high ridges to our right as we climbed. This made reaching the water supply at Paliku an important objective as we finished most of our water in the heat of the way up.

Paliku Campsite

Arriving at Paliku Campsite was very similar to our previous hike, with light rain gradually increasing and the temperature dropping as we arrived at what must be the coldest, wettest place in Maui. We made tea near the cabin and finished just as the rain really started to fall. We were quite cold and hurried to make our way back down below that not-so-tropical zone.

Getting back down was easier but didn’t go significantly faster that our ascent, as so many sections had loose footing or grass-hidden obstacles. We were very sore when we finally reached the car, but realized we had just completed a significant challenge, perhaps one of the toughest we’ve done. We’ll be back to Maui, but first we need to tackle the Big Island and its even higher heights.

History

More than just a hiking trail, Echo Mountain is a piece of Southern California history. It was the location of two famous hotels, the Echo Mountain House and The Chalet, an observatory and a zoo. Unfortunately, all that remains today are the bull wheel of an incline railway and the foundations of the buildings that were destroyed by wind and fire over the years. Beyond ruins, there are picnic tables in the shade of pine trees, great views of Pasadena and Los Angeles, and an echo phone as a great diversion.

Getting there

The trail is mostly comprised of switchbacks as it climbs from the relatively level edge of Altadena to the top of the mountain. It is extremely well-maintained and mostly unaffected by runoff, unlike many other trails in the San Gabriels. The lower sections are also very smooth and hard packed which makes for quick hiking without worries about ankle turning. The upper sections, however, become much rockier and good shoes are a necessity to prevent sore or injured feet. Don’t take this advice lightly.

Where this trail is truly exceptional is in its views of Pasadena, Los Angeles and the LA basin. Hiked shortly after a rain, the views are incredibly clear  to Downtown LA and beyond. Even better than a continuous exposure to views, the trail emerges from Las Flores Canyon every so often with a reminder of how quickly you are climbing and how flat the LA Basin is compared to the San Gabriels. There are often views of the switchbacking trail below as well. The trail ascends Echo Mountain at a remarkably steady grade.

Echo fun

We always take turns using the echo phone even though the results never vary. It is one of those pleasures that can’t be easily explained to someone who’s never done it before. Beyond the echo phone, there are ruins to explore, views to take in, and a break to be taken before the steady downhill hike back to the car. Echo Mountain is a great, reasonably short way to get in a workout and enjoy nature on the edge of the city.

There are typically crowds if you go in the late morning or early afternoon, but for those willing to start early or end late in the day, it isn’t unusual to have the top to yourself.

Resources

For additional writeup on Echo Mountain, see these other great resources:

• Dan’s Hiking Pages
• Modern Hiker
• HikesPeak

Warning

There are patches of poison oak on both sides of the trail. They are easily avoidable by keeping to the center, but be careful.

Parking is the biggest challenge since there is no specific lot and the street parking is competitive to say the least. We arrived early afternoon and needed to park a few blocks away.

The lower section of the trail is very busy and if that level of crowd had persisted, we wouldn’t be recommending this trail. Fortunately, as you begin to make choices to hike higher and steeper sections, the crowds thin considerably. We chose to take the early turn to the right and to make a counter-clockwise trip around the Canyon.

The first significantly steep section is a staircase that is fairly eroded to the point that people walk to the left, right, and up the high steps of the wooden timbers that were used to unsuccessfully hold back the soil.

Hollywood Sign

Several groups  were at the top of this section as the views of the Hollywood Sign, the San Gabriels, Downtown Los Angeles and the entire metropolis over to Santa Monica are outstanding.

The trail rejoins a paved road above the stairs and continues upward at a more gradual pace until it leaves the ‘dog park’ section, where dogs are allowed off leash. If you watch to the left, you’ll find the trail that continuous up to the highest point of the park.

We found our way up to the highest point on the trail which by that point was not crowded and limited to those who you’ll typically see in tougher places to reach. It involved some steep sections that didn’t have the best footing but were no challenge for Mitch and Gwenn.

The way down was even more challenging with Gwenn eagerly pulling over very rough and loose terrain. Once down the steep section, though, it was easy going the remainder of the hike.

Runyon Canyon is a good getaway but we wouldn’t consider it to be a very difficult or long hike. It is close to the city and has great views of Los Angeles and is also a great off-leash dog park.

An excellent spoof on Runyon Canyon, check out Modern Hiker.

One of the best parts of camping is sleeping when the sun sets and waking when it rises. We were awake a little after 5am with the pleasure of enormous slugs crawling on the tent’s screen. It rained extremely hard during the night, leaving us wondering if there would be a flash flood on the hillside where we were camped. Fortunately, by the light of day the rain slowed down to a drizzle.

We made our breakfast and debated the best way to pack up our soaked tent. We finally decided that the best approach wasn’t to wait for the rain to stop, but to move as quickly as possible once we emerged. We packed the backpacks first so that the tent breakdown was as simple as dropping the poles, pulling the stakes and rolling up the rest.

Rainbows

We were essentially dry as we left the campsite but our pants were quickly soaked as we walked through light rain and wet vegetation. It was warm enough for us to be comfortable and we were delighted with rainbows over our trail as we hiked back toward the Haleakala Crater.

Even though we’d walked this route, by morning and in a different light, it was like a new adventure. We stopped for an early lunch at the first lava flow just as we left the rain behind, and were soon hiking once again through the lunar landscape of the Haleakala Crater. Our trip on day two was significantly more uphill and we could feel it.

Once across the Crater, we once again entered the rainy area that gradually became more green and less desolate. The final nearly 7 km (4.2 miles) was entirely uphill but a great way to finish such an amazing hike. The Halemau’u Trail is an excellent adventure for those who come prepared for the many climates of this unique landscape.

Halemauu Trail

The Halemau’u Trail starts at 2435 m (7,990 ft) on the main road through the park. By the time we grabbed our gear and left our car at the parking lot, we were enveloped in a mist that brought the kind of rain that only happens as clouds try to push over 3,055 m (10,023 ft) Haleakala shield volcano. It is so large that it takes up 75% of the land area of Maui and dictates the weather for most of the island.

The trail leaves the parking lot as a fairly straight path that passes through scrub before beginning a significant descent of the West Crater Wall to the Ko’olau Gap at the floor of the Haleakala Crater. The trail in places is cut from sheer lava rock cliffs and represents an enormous amount of effort on the part of the National Park Service. Each turn that faced toward the sea brought rainy mist, and each turn away brought relief from the wet.

The descent section lasted nearly three miles and left us ready to hike on more level ground. We’ve always found going down to be tougher on our bodies and more risky than climbing even steep trails. Add wet rocks and loose gravel and you have a recipe for injury.

Lunch

Once off the cliff trail, we found an excellent place to have lunch just inside a gate that was constructed to keep feral goats out of the park and away from the silversword, a plant unique to Haleakala National Park. We made ramen noodles and brewed up tea as we rested our legs and enjoyed taking off our packs for a bit.

Soon after eating, we started once again down the trail and soon entered an area of lava flows that had remarkable formations that made the landscape appear apocalyptic. There were patches of pahoehoe (smooth, sometimes ropey-looking lava) and a’a, the jagged lava that is nearly impossible to walk across, leading to jokes that a’a is the sound you make when you try. At one point, we found lava chutes that still bore the evidence of lava flowing from underground even centuries after the last eruption.

Soon after the lava flow section, we entered an area that could best be called desert. We were fortunate that it rained recently and the footing was better than usual. Still, we felt our energy slipping away on the soft trail. This section didn’t last very long and we were soon back on hardpack trail.

Lunar

The landscape of the center section of our hike could best be described as lunar. We made our way around several cinder cones that looked like they could have erupted just recently, though we knew that not to be true. Lacking water in the rain shadow of the Crater’s walls, erosion takes place very slowly without vegetation to help break down the rock. In fact, one of the only plants is the silversword, unique to this location and possibly one of the hardiest plants on the planet.

Leaving the Crater floor meant a return of vegetation, but also of rain. We also reentered an enormous lava flow that managed to wind its way through man-made and natural pathways. The mist became closer as we descended and soon we were again enveloped in the light rain of a cloud.

Two hours after finding ourselves back in rain, we arrived at Paliku Campsite.

Paliku Campsite

At 6,380 feet (1,945m), Paliku is located on the east end of a beautiful valley at the base of a rain forest cliff.  We were very happy to arrive and quickly looked for a campsite. Unfortunately, just as we began to unpack, the rain started coming down very hard and the inside of our mostly-screen tent was soaked before we could cover it with the rainfly. Jeanne spent the next several minutes drying the tent floor as best she could, but the damage was done and we would have a wet tent for the the night. We spent the next two hours eating salami, our dried mangos and sunflower seeds. Darkness arrived at 7pm, and we were fast asleep minutes later.

Up next: Part 2 of Hiking the Halemau’u Trail to the Paliku Campsite at Haleakala National Park

We showed up at the Kihei Boat Ramp just before 5pm and had a few minutes to enjoy the breeze and gorgeous evening before meeting Dennis DeRego, the minister who we found by chance the first time but have returned to by choice .

Our last time in Maui, Dennis offered to take us out in his boat the next time we tie the knot, and this was our chance to take him up on it. While the winds were strong, the skies were amazingly clear and the waves not so bad.  We decided to get remarried on the boat as a nice touch. It was an excellent choice, as it turned out. The pleasure of knowing Dennis and being able to do something most visitors never do makes us feel less like tourists and more connected to the island.

Molokini

Dennis expertly launched the boat and we were on the water within fifteen minutes of his arrival, catching up on life since we last spoke. In a seemingly short time, we were motoring around the offshore island of Molokini, a favorite local dive spot. We circled the island and then headed toward Black Sand Beach where we could have calmer waters for the ceremony.

Even though we offered to keep it simple to save Dennis the trouble of getting dressed, he insisted that we have the full experience, even on the boat. He put on his wedding shirt and robe, and even topped things off with his leafy headdress and brought out the famous Dennis DeRego conch.

Black Sand Beach

As the boat rocked from side to side, we had our ceremony. Of course, he chanted in Hawaiian before blowing the conch several times. His Hawaiian wedding chant is an excellent local part of being married by Dennis. He gave us each a moment to share our feelings about being married, but that part will need to stay between the three of us, as we love our private wedding ceremonies. We completed our mission to marry again and had an excellent cruise back to Kehei Harbor as it grew darker .

We can’t say enough about what being married each year means for us. We don’t need it as a reminder or even a refresh, but it gives us the same thrill each time as we know each other better. We agreed after that each year it has new meaning because of new experiences, challenges, and more life behind us.

We were married in Maui a few years back and decided to return as often as we could, annually if possible, to get married in paradise.

Day 1 – Arrive and stay at the Sheraton Maui in Ka’anapali. This hotel sits on a point of land known as Black Rock and has some of the best protected snorkeling and beaches on the same stretch of Maui’s West Coast. Being in a hotel the first night lets us rest up from the flight and be ready to hike.

Day 2 – Stay at beautiful Camp Olowalu near Lahaina and see a Switchfoot concert in Kahului on the East Coast of the island. Camp Olowalu has both cabins and tent sites and we’ll try each as we enjoy sleeping at the edge of the surf.

Day 3 – Get married (again) by Dennis DeRego in a small, sunset ceremony on the Molokini Atoll just offshore from where we were originally married at Makena (AKA ‘Secret’) Cove. We’ll take Dennis’ boat out to the island.

Day 4 and 5  – Hike from the top of the Haleakala Crater at 2435 m (7,990 ft) down to the remote campsite of Paliku at 1,944 m (6380 ft). The campsite is at the base of cliffs that form the boundary of the rainforest that dominates the Southeast Coast of Maui. Few people associate backpacking and Hawaii, and we’re about to change that.

There’s no limit to what you can do in a tropical paradise like Maui and the other Hawaiian Islands. That’s why we keep coming back here and know we’re only getting started. Watch our blog over the next week as we tell the story of another amazing adventure.

Aloha.

San Gabriel Peak was once thought the highest in the area close to Pasadena at 1878 m (6,161 ft) but is now considered the second highest after Strawberry Peak at 1879 m (6,164 ft). It was named for the Spanish mission that dominated the valley to the west and also lies at the head of Eaton Canyon, the site of many of our hikes. Eaton Canyon is the watershed for Mt Wilson, San Gabriel Peak and Mt Markham and has year-round water flow, regardless of rainfall.

To get to the trail, we took the Angeles Crest Highway (Rt 2) from La Canada to Red Box Road, the narrow, windy road to the buildings and antennas atop Mt Wilson. About halfway along the road, we parked at the trailhead.The lot was fairly full, not surprising for a beautiful March Saturday.

The tunnel

We were somewhat surprised (I guess we could have researched) that we were at the other end of the very familiar Mt Lowe Fire Road, once the site of the Mt Lowe Railway. It was such a well-developed road, in fact, that it even has a tunnel through a particularly vertical section of rock at the very head of Eaton Canyon. There aren’t many fire roads with tunnels in this area. We walked for a while with a Forest Service employee who was just taking down the signs from the 2010 Station Fire closure.

A few minutes from the other end of the tunnel, we came to a trail junction that offered three alternatives. To the left, a small trail that would take us to Mt Markham and Mt Lowe, continuing forward on the Mt Lowe Fire Road toward Pasadena, and to the right, which was our path to Mt Disappointment and San Gabriel Peak.

San Gabriel Peak Trail

This section of the trail was much narrower and threaded its way along the steep flanks of San Gabriel Peak itself. The Station Fire had done enormous damage here and there were few large plants that weren’t scorched. The renewed growth was remarkable, however and there was no shortage of vegetation starting over where a generation had been wiped out.

We reached another saddle where we could continue straight ahead toward Mt Disappointment and its communication towers (not interesting) or to the right, our choice, toward San Gabriel Peak.

Poodle-dog bush

The trail became steeper and began to switchback its way up the mountain. For the first time, we were very aware of the strangely-named poodle-dog bush, a plant similar to poison oak that doesn’t make its effects known for 24-36 hours after touching it. We were just as concerned about the dogs touching it and then spreading it to us as we were paranoid about our own movements. We haven’t experienced its effects and we didn’t want to find out.

Just before the peak, we found both snow and pine forest, which was a refreshing site after seeing so much fire damage, rock and little shade. The ground was actually muddy in places and it was pleasantly cool in the shade of the conifers. It was a very short time before we were standing on the peak.

The summit was one of more distinct we’ve climbed, with the highest spot being a US Geological Survey benchmark and an actual bench that was occupied by groups the whole time we spent at the top. We made our way down after talking with several people, including a gentleman who just starting blogging about his own hikes in the Angeles National Forest.

The view from the summit was outstanding, with Mt Markham, Mt Lowe and Brown Mountain to the west, Mt Wilson to the south, and Strawberry Peak and Twin Peaks to the east.

Heading down

We moved quickly on the way down, as always, and were back at the Mt Lowe Fire Road in thirty minutes. We debated eating our lunch but didn’t find a spot to sit, so chose to press on to the car.

San Gabriel Peak requires a longer drive to the trailhead than most of our peaks, similar to Mt Baden-Powell, so it doesn’t have some of the appeal that local hikes have in the LA Basin. We realized after looking down on Mt Lowe that we were close enough to reach San Gabriel Peak in either a very long day hike or a rigorous two-day hike from the Sunset Ridge trailhead in Altadena. This may be a great hike for another time.