Moalepe - Walk There Again

The Moalepe Trail on Kauai was the choice of our next walk after the Iliau Nature Loop because it was likely to be drier and flatter than some of our other choices after some serious rainfall.  We wanted to extend our stamina a bit and hoped to be able to complete the five mile total, in and back, walk.  Our estimation as to how much effort walking on the often slippery trail (we said it was drier, not perfectly dry) was off and we made it to the 2 mile point and had to settle for a four-mile round trip. 

It was a bitter pill for Tammy to swallow, but it was still a good decision because the last half mile was a bit of a struggle for both of us.  Tammy had to fight the last bit because there is still recovery going on.  Me? I hadn't been moving around as much as I would like to prior to our trip and I was invested in Tammy having consistent success in these walks.  As a result, I probably expended a good bit more energy that had less to do with my own forward progress. 

Still, it WAS a success.  We got back to the starting point and then recovered fairly quickly after!

If a person is on a Kauai hike for dramatic overlooks, then this one is not going to fit the bill until the very end (which we did not quite get to) as it connects with the Kuilau Ridge Trail.  But, there is still lots to take notice of as you go.

My eyes were drawn to a fairly wide range of flowers that were right up by the edge of the trail.  Now, before you get the mistaken opinion that it was a carpet of color every step of the way, let me remind you that many plants, especially perennials in a long-season environment, like to extend their bloom season and opportunity to be pollinated.

So, there were plenty of flowers, but you had to pay some attention to really appreciate them.  Some of them were pretty small, like this little yellow flower with a dash of red.  On the whole stem of this plant there were multiple buds, but only one was open.

Extended bloom time - that's the ticket.  

The picture above is a Sensitive Partridge Pea.  I found it interesting that there was actually a study of the presence of this legume-type plant to see if it facilitated the increase of invasive grasses.  If the abstract is any indication, there could be a link based on the increased nitrogen from cyclic die-offs of the Sensitive Partridge Pea plants.  

It does not appear that there is a direct correlation.  Maybe I'll dig into that paper some time in the future if my curiosity takes me there.  After all, the abstract tells me that increased nitrogen favors the invasive grass AND the cyclic die-off of the Partridge Pea adds nitrogen.  So, yeah, maybe it helps IF other conditions are also right to introduce the invasive plant.  Still could be a good case study as to how we like to take a study that gives us some information and perhaps leads us to extrapolate to get it to say something more than the collected data should be allowed to say.

Parts of the trail were nicely shaded, like this tree/bush tunnel that invited us to cool down a bit on our walk.  Other parts of the trail were sun-drenched.  And, since the path was surrounded in many places by mounds of soil covered in grasses, there wasn't much for air circulation.  Those places were a bit oppressive and things got warm enough to be slightly uncomfortable.  This was especially true for Tammy, who still had to expend more energy to walk on uneven surfaces than she might have prior to the surgery.  

For those that are curious, the first three quarters of a mile or so has abutting pasture land and is what is left of Old Moalepe Road.  The raised soil sides may be, in part, a natural fence as well as the result of this path becoming a channel for shedding rain water, the erosion continuously making the trench that is the path a bit deeper year after year.

We had some lizard friends that typically scurried away before our human eyes could focus enough to get a good look at them.  Usually there was a quick movement that might catch the corner of your eye and a rustling noise as the critter would seek shelter from the interlopers.

Like much of the plant and wildlife on the island, this is an introduced species, the Brown Anole (if my identification is correct).  The Brown Anole originated in the Caribbean and has spread to parts of the United States, Mexico and the Hawaiian Islands via eggs in dirt around nursery plants.  In Kauai's case, they probably came with shipments to the various resorts on the island.

Unfortunately, the Brown Anole is so successful at reproducing, they rapidly out-compete most native lizards wherever they go.  According to this article, it might be interesting to see if they run into a formidable opponent in another invasive lizard, the Gold Dust Gecko, on Kauai.

It didn't seem to matter, there were hints of lizards (probably anole or gecko) in both shaded and grassy locations.  It's just another indication that these animals are capable of adapting and being successful in a wide range of conditions.

There were also several types of ferns among the plants.  Some varieties provided an interesting display on the sides of the path, while others stayed further back so we could only see them periodically in the shadier locations as we walked by.  

 
Periodically, we would come across orchid plants in bloom as we walked the trail.  Shown above is a Bamboo Orchid, one of two different orchids that were fairly prominent on this walk.  

Yes, these are also an introduced plant.  At a guess, the native orchids on the island are probably less able to handle human developmental influences and are likely to only be found in the deeper parts of the rain forests.  All three native orchids in Hawaii were found on Kauai in recent years according to this 2012 article.

Another orchid was a bit more plentiful on the trail, and there were many of them in an area we nickname "Morchid Vale."  Yes, there were more orchids - hence "morchid."  And yes, there is a Tolkien reference there as well.  We both agreed that Morchid Vale was much more pleasant than the fantasy vale being referenced in our silliness.

The orchid that really showed off in this area is a Philippine Ground Orchid.  We both made note of the fact that the leaves for this orchid were much bigger (and there appeared to be more, but smaller flowers on a stalk) than the Bamboo Orchid.  The Bamboo Orchid, by contrast had fewer and smaller leaves, and just a few, larger, showy flowers.

We all put our energies into what we feel makes the most sense for our own realities, I guess.

Then there was the Eucalyptipath...  Ok, it was a row of Eucalyptus trees (with a few other trees mixed in).  After a stretch of sun that made us both feel a little bit uncomfortable, the shade from the trees was welcome.  And, to top it off, we had a bit of a breeze moving the leaves around.

I think the only thing about this part of the path that was a negative was the sheer number of roots IN the path.  I would have liked to have walked with my head up, smiling the whole way, to enjoy the sight of the filtered sunlight and the feel of the breeze on my face.  Instead, we had to keep our eyes on our feet most of the time so our faces did not get a close up of the ground and those same roots.

On one end or the other of the Eucalyptipath, there was this interesting tree that Tammy instantly took a liking to.  We think this would be a Pu hala (Pandanus tectorius), which is a type of screw pine that can have pineapple-like flowers.  

We made sure to greet it as we went about our business.

We ran into a part of the path where there were some very, very large trees that we have met before in years past.  We feel as if the largest trees near a path deserve recognition and we do our best to give it to them.  If they are close enough for us to put a hand on them and let them know they are appreciated, we often will do so.

We saw a batch of tulip trees in a lower section of woods near our walk.  At first glance, I enjoyed seeing the splash of color.  And, there appeared to be some birds that appreciated the tree(s) as well.  But, it turns out that the African Tulip Tree is a dangerous invasive plant that was introduced by people who wanted to add it to their own gardens.

People who travel to and from Hawaii can often be heard complaining about all of the restrictions on bringing plant products to and from the Islands.  But, it seems there needs to be more, not less, control if there is a true desire to protect the native flora and fauna on Kauai.  

Maybe that's a blog for another day.

At our turnaround point, where we recognized that we were not going to reach the end of the trail at the bridge that crosses the Opaeka'a Stream, we found an interesting patch of moss on a fallen limb that I thought was pretty cool.

It was soft to the touch and was interesting to view.  Then, we commenced the trek back - concentrating more on walking carefully and properly so we could get back on another trail in another day or two.  And we did accomplish that goal.  You'll just have to wait until next Wednesday when I share another Walk There Again blog post!

I hope you have a fine day.  Remember to spread a little kindness, tell another person that you appreciate something specific that they have done!