We started Wednesday off with our Pololu Valley hike. It was hot, and the terrain was steep, but this was probably one of my favorites things we saw on our trip. We were on the oldest volcano, Kohala, which is in later stage volcanism. As a result, there is much more growth and vegetation in the area, and the sand is much more fine than down in the south part of the island. This is because there has been more time for plants to grow and for rocks and sand to be weathered down by wind, water, etc. The sand was black with some white crystals and contained sodium rich feldspar and more alkaline basalt. While there is more flat, sandy ground at the bottom, there are sand dunes all around that have been formed over time by wind. It’s crazy to think that King Kamehameha hid in these very same forests years ago!
Another component of this location I found interesting was the large number of fish waiting in the bay for some more rain!
— HG Kornberg