On Pu‘u Huluhulu: Photograph by Will Tenney

On Pu‘u Huluhulu

After driving up the Saddle Road from sea level to about 6700 feet, we stopped to climb this ancient cinder cone. A remnant of a long past eruption, it was similar to the more recent cones seen in the distance, but is now covered by vegetation. The Hawaiian name means “hairy hill” and completely surrounding Pu‘u Huluhulu are relatively recent still black ‘ā‘a lava flows from Mauna Loa, leaving this hill an island of vegetation (a kīpuka in Hawaiian) and a sanctuary for birds and indigenous plants.