Ten Fascinating Facts about Seahorses that I Learned from Ocean Rider

Kim Steutermann Rogers
Destination: Hawaii (Big) Island
Article Source: Outrigger

On three oceanfront acres just south of Kailua-Kona airport on Hawaii (Big) Island, an unusual fish farm quietly operates. For 13 years, Ocean Rider has bred and raised seahorses. That’s right, seahorses. They really do exist. Read More

NASA Astronauts. Scientists. And Hawaiian Gods & Goddesses.

Kim Steutermann Rogers
Destination: Hawaii (Big) Island
Article Source: Outrigger

Mauna Kea rises to 13,796 feet above the sea, centrally located in the middle of Hawaii’s largest island—Hawaii, also known as Big Island. It is the tallest mountain in the Hawaiian archipelago and, measured from its base at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, is the tallest mountain in the world, besting Mt. Everest by a whopping 4,441 feet. Read More

Beyond the Rim: Hiking Volcanoes National Park with a Guide

Kim Steutermann Rogers
Destination: Hawaii (Big) Island
Article Source: Outrigger

Kilauea is like that. It engenders deeper exploration. So you may hike Kilauea Iki Trail, you may walk through Thurston Lava Tube, and you may even make the 36-mile round-trip drive down Chain of Craters Road at sunset to—hopefully—witness distant streams of surface lava flowing to the sea. But then what? Read More

Hiking the Hills--and Mountains and Giants--of Hawaii

Destination: Hawaiian Islands
Article Source: Outrigger

That's the thing about hiking in Hawaii. There's hiking along coastlines. There's hiking in urban settings. And, of course, there are hiking trails on mountain ridges, along cliffsides, and through canyons and valleys. As well, there is hiking with giants and kings and demi-gods. There's even a hike through the highest-elevation swamp in the world. Talk about variety. Read More

Rubbernecking at Kilauea Volcano

Kim Steutermann Rogers
Destination: Hawaii Island
Article Source: Blog Post

On my last visit a few weeks ago, Halemaumau Trail was closed at the seam where the trail’s descent through a shady rainforest met up with the desolate crater floor, a demarcation line as distinct as blue and red in this upcoming election. A few years ago, a lava lake at the southeastern end of Halemaumau Crater started to generate excitement. It split open the crater floor and has grown to nearly 500 feet in diameter and more than 600 feet deep. This “pit within a pit” is the reason for the glow that is visible after sunset from the Jagger Museum. This week, I read that the level of this lava lake was rising quickly and threatened to flood the floor of Halemaumau Crater. Read More

Cheating Death inside Halemaumau Crater

Kim Steutermann Rogers
Destination: Hawaii Island
Article Source: Blog Post

Halemaumau Trail at Volcanoes National Park starts at the historic Volcano House hotel and drops 425 feet to the crater floor in less than one mile. It’s known as the oldest of the park’s many hiking trails and likely the very same one that Mark Twain and Isabella Bird descended in 1866 and 1873, respectively. That’s all I needed to hear.

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Friday Photo: Humuula Sheep Station

Kim Steutermann Rogers
Destination: Hawaii Island
Article Source: Blog Post

This is a window at the Humuula Sheep Station on the slopes of Mauna Kea. As you might guess from the broken glass and weathered wood, the sheep station is no longer in use. Read More

Birth, Life, Death, & Rebirth in Hawaii Island's National Parks

Kim Steutermann Rogers
Destination: Hawaii Island
Article Source: Blog Post

Sitting on Hawaiian Airlines bound for Kailua-Kona, I got stuck in a middle seat between a man wearing a suit and reading legal briefs and another man, sleeping, who looked like he just left the beach, wearing Locals slippahs on feet pasted with sand. Sometimes, I feel self-conscious traveling alone throughout Hawaii. Not this day. Not with these guys. They didn’t bat at an eye at me, traveling alone. The theme of this trip for me was national parks. There are five national parks on Hawaii Island. Five. One island the size of Delaware. Five national parks. I had no idea. Did you? Read More

Kohala Zipline in Eight Steps and One Warning

Kim Steutermann Rogers
Destination: Hawaii Island
Article Source: Blog Post

These days, there are choices to be made when it comes to ziplines around Hawaii. On Kauai, there are two. On Maui, three. And, now, on Hawaii Island, there are also three. On a recent trip to Hawaii Island, I chose Kohala Zip, primarily, for one reason. Their environmental practices. And, also, because, while the name is different, Kohala Zipline is owned by Hawaii Forest & Trail, a company that promotes its tours as entertaining, educational and responsible. Responsible in this case means clearing just a few trees from the forest to create the course and, then, using those felled trees to build the structures--milled and crafted on-site.
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The New Hawaii Island is Big

Kim Steutermann Rogers
Destination: Hawaii Island
Article Source: Blog Post

Next week, I head to Big Island. Or “Hawaii Island,” as we are now asked to refer to the newest island, the one on the southeastern end of the Hawaiian Island chain, the one the farthest away from me, the one formerly referred to as “Big Island,” because of its size. Read More