Walk through the volcanic oasis

As someone who doesn’t normally participate in social media or watch TV, it’s been interesting to become someone who regularly uses these spaces to produce content. I don’t like what social media does to people, but I believe that when used thoughtfully, it can be a space for inspiration and connection. The Internet is a very expansive place; maybe the algorithm will bring my content to someone who needs it. We hope that you, as a reader, need this particular content. This is my second day backpacking in Haleakala National Park and I woke up at Paliku Campground.

I stayed at the campsite

We woke up in the fog at Paliku Campground, rainy and drizzling. It was windy all night to the point that our rain fly was pressing against the sides of our tent walls. It was beautiful to wake up and the air felt fresh. After being in the city, it’s a strange feeling to be able to hear a soft noise. It’s something difficult to describe. When we reached the crater, my ears were ringing. The silence still felt strong from all the overstimulation. There were no disturbances here, just wind and birds and the light patter of rain and mist dotting our rain fly.

Image source: Paige Combs, “Bright and Early,” June 2026.

I got up and did my normal routine. I forced myself out of my sleeping bag to go outside to pee. I opened my awning a little so I could see the views while I cooked my food. All our things were damp from the humidity in the air. Brought back memories of Southern California and Oregon, getting caught in storms over and over again. Once Napolitan was awake, we had a quiet morning and packed our things to continue our hike.

Day 3

We made our final hike to Camp Holua, only 6 miles per day were planned. Conditions totally changed once we emerged from the cloud pocket around Paliku. No longer trapped by fog and rain, we emerge from the patch of clouds towards the volcanic rock. We had more climbing planned today, but not much, just about 1,000 feet. The landscape went from tropical greens to volcanic rock and volcanic sand. We walked through Holi’i Crater and the sands were a vibrant yellow and red. There were jagged rocks and fog in our vision, with an unmaintained trail sign. Napolitan and I toyed with the idea of ​​returning to check it out, but the day had other things in store for us.

We paused about 1.5 miles from Camp Holua after seeing the dark, dense clouds stretching in front of us. Given our options, we knew our gear would never dry out in that cloud layer, so we took a short break around 10am and spread out our gear. It dried pretty quickly, given the heat of the sun. We were trying to avoid as much sunlight as possible because of our sunburns. The Neapolitan was the most affected. Reminders for next time: Bring sunscreen.

Image source: Paige Combs, “Multicolored Sands,” June 2026.

Image source: Paige Combs, “Fog Rolling In,” June 2026.

Image source: Paige Combs, “Mountain top,” June 2026.

Friends at the Holua campsite

After our break, we walked along the sand on the final stretch to Holua. We identified our neighboring campers, who stayed at the Paliku cabin: Amy and Sandy. We chatted a little, offered them ibuprofen and filtered the water. Their children walked behind them. Sandy had blisters that were slowing her down and Amy had a flight that night after they finished their backpacking trip. They were both worried about finishing on time.

Napolitan and I were watching the weather while having lunch with our friends at the picnic table. The Nēnē honked and stayed close to us. They were thirsty and stole water from my filter as I walked back and forth from the faucet. Fog and clouds were also trapped in the Holua camp. Our tent was dry, but the moment we set it up, we knew it would be wet again.

Image source: Paige Combs, “Nēnē Nibbling,” June 2026.

Once his kids showed up, we all started chatting. They offered to take us if we wanted to walk the last 4 miles today. He really couldn’t refuse the offer. We both agreed to walk the last few kilometers out of Holua with them instead of camping for the night.

The final miles

Our last few kilometers were magnificent despite the fog and cold. The tropical container that contained the crater enveloped us. It was a quick mile to the switchbacks for our return to the road. We walked with our three other new friends, Noah, Sage, and Kehlani. It was a pretty steep and rocky climb, but nothing too challenging. We made our way to the Rainbow Bridge, which was also covered in fog. There we met another family from Santa Cruz. We chatted about aliens and… Santa Cruz. You know, the typical stuff. We took pictures of them and then they were on their way.

The family we planned to return with followed us and took a short break at the top before continuing. The last kilometers were easy. We left the clouds and returned to the sun. A beautiful day just outside the cloud bank.

We love our return. They offered us seltzers and even though I offered them cash for the trip, they declined. We were dropped off at our hotel and finished our trip. We shower and take care of our burned skin. By changing our flights, we were able to return home a day early and see our puppy, Kona. Who has now become our neighbor’s best friend.

Image source: Paige Combs, “Rainbow Bridge,” June 2026.

Image source: Paige Combs, “Back to The Top,” June 2026.

Image source: Paige Combs, “Flight Home,” June 2026.

Statistics in the desert

Temperature range: 68° – 77°

General Location: Halemau’u Trail to Hiker Pickup – Haleakala National Park on Maui

interesting fact: Nēnē are the rarest geese in the world and are only found in the Hawaiian Islands.

What land am I on?? Find out why it’s important to respect the land we travel.

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