Well, our final plan offers no big surprises from our initial plan.

The major change is how we will hike Hualalai and where we will be camping. Kamehameha Schools couldn't grant us our original camping request - because both those places are leased out to others. However, the new camp sites will be fine - and maybe just as good, if not, better.

So here goes:

Friday, June 20 - Arrive Hilo (ITO) airport before 5 p.m.
Drive to Honoka'a/Waimea area - where we will spend the night either at Peggy's (Pa'auilo mauka) or Soli's (Waimea).
For those of you who live on island and want to sleep "at home" - no problem.

Saturday, June 21 - We will drive up Saddle Road - to the area at Pu'u Huluhulu - that is near the intersection of Saddle Road and Mauna Kea Access Road (the road that heads up to Mauna Kea).
Hopefully, we will have at least 2 vehicles. We will leave one at Huluhulu - as we hike towards Hilo on Saddle Road and towards the second vehicle. After we get to the second vehicle, we will then
reconnect with the first vehicle and then head "home."

Sunday, June 22 - We will do the next 10 miles of Saddle Road - using the same 2 vehicle strategy. We will start where we leave off the day before.
Then, we'll reconnect and head home.

Monday, June 23 - We will do the last 9 miles of Saddle Road and hike through Hilo - to Hilo Bay.
Then, we'll reconnect and head home.

Option 1 - Instead of doing 3 days of approximately 10 miles per day - we could do about 15 miles per day, and create an extra day for fooling around. We could possibly spend a day down on the beach at Waipi'o Valley, or visit Mauna Kea summit and/or the adze quarry.

Tuesday, June 24 - We will start at Kaloko Mauka - above Kailua-Kona - and hike down to the mauka highway (Palani Road), then over (towards Kailua-Kona town) to Hina Lani Street (that passes the
area where Costco is), then down the highway (Ka'ahumanu Highway headed towards Kailua-Kona town) to the cutoff heading to Honokohau Harbor, then to the harbor.
After picking up the keys to the Hualalai/Ahu A 'Umi area - we will drive to the Pu'u Keanui cabin - where we will set up camp. There is a water tank there - but we will probably not drink out of it. We'll
have sufficient supplies of our own. We'll have to especially careful with fires and smokes - as the area is pretty dry. No open camp fires are allowed and I'm not sure about "contained" ones.

Wednesday, June 25 - We will backtrack up to around the "pinetree" campground - or maybe further - then hike towards Ahu A 'Umi, spend some time there doing ceremony, then going further to where
we ended our hike from Pohakula in 2004 - to make a connection.
We will return to the cabin where we spent the previous night to camp - at Pu'u Keanui cabin.

Thursday, June 26 - We will backtrack further up Hualalai - then hike back to where we started the day before.
We will camp at the Kipahe'e cabin. There is a water tank there also, but we will just drink our own water. If we want to, the cabin will be open for sleeping. I will probably sleep outside in a tent.

Friday, June 27 - We will have to get up very early and hike maybe 4 miles to Kaloko mauka - where we started hiking on Tuesday - to make a connection.
We will have to bifurcate things on this day. While the hike is going on - one vehicle will leave for Miloli'i - with at least 2 persons - with the ukana that will be transported to Kapua - where they will meet
Gil Kahele before 9:30 a.m. - who will take the 2 over by boat.
After the hike is over - the rest of the party will head for Miloli'i - and hike the 4 miles to Kapua.
We will be camping (on a parcel that used to belong to Gil's ohana many years ago), swimming, fishing, talking, exploring, resting, sight-seeing, etc., at Kapua for part of 3 days and 2 nights. The
stepping stone trails through a parts of the area are awesome.

Saturday, June 28 - Enjoying Kapua.

Sunday, June 29 - maybe a bit before noon, maybe earlier - Gil will return to pick up our ukana and shuttle it out to Miloli'i. The rest of us will hike back out.
Hopefully, we will stop at Ana Currie's at Kealakekua for showers and rest. We will then head for the Kona (KOA) airport to be there around 4 p.m. - so set your reservations around 5 p.m.

Cost: $150 per person for those coming for the entire time. For those not eating and sleeping with us [in other words driving your own cars and sleeping at home over the first 3 days - cost will be $25 for each total day spent with us (which may include the night before) and $5 for other days]. Basically, the cost will generally take care of gas and food. Additionally, I'd love to provide an honorarium to Gil Kahele with any "extra" money.

Conclusion: On this year's foray - we will complete the entirety of Saddle Road - and make a connection with the ocean at Hilo Bay. We will also be completing the Ahu A 'Umi section - making a second connection with the ocean. And we will go over Hualalai - making a third connection with the ocean. We will also be hiking for a total of around 55 miles - in the footsteps of our kupuna. We will be following the cultural protocols we started back in 2002 - with Kaho'ola (Baron Ching) in charge. And we will be remembering Lt. Nainoa Hoe who was killed in Iraq - having originally memorialized him and his life with a great ceremony at the summit of Mauna Kea about 4 years ago, when we were honored to have Allan Hoe, his father, with us.

Please let me know as early as you can. We will max out at 8 hikers (and we have 5 or 6 committed hikers already).

Hope to see you all soon.

ku