Early History
This 35-mile (55 km) route from the small community of Kapapala (near present-day Pahala) had been used in Ancient Hawaii to make offerings to Pele during eruptions. The name comes from 'aina pō in the Hawaiian language which means "darkened land", due to heavy clouds at the mid-elevation sections. At higher elevations above the clouds, the landscape is dry and barren lava rock. The climb is from about 2,000 feet (610 m) at Kapapala to above 13,200 feet (4,000 m) at the summit of Mokuaweoweo. The trail was furnished with camps which provided rest areas and an opportunity to acclimate to the increasing altitude. The camps consisted of temporary huts, or rock shelters, one of which was in a lava tube. In areas where the trail was hard to discern, rock cairns marked the way, placed to be visible along the skyline as travelers moved upwards.
In 1794, Archibald Menzies, a naturalist on the Vancouver Expedition, used the trail and about 100 Hawaiian porters to reach the summit and measure its elevation with a barometer. Lieutenant Charles Wilkes of the 1840 United States Exploring Expedition first attempted to use a shorter route, but resorted to the Ainapo trail after making much slower progress than he planned in his trip to the summit. The trail was widened in 1870 and again in 1913 when horses and mules started bringing more visitors to the summit.
Read more about this topic: Ainapo Trail
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