Week Three: Na Ala Hele

Our second week of work was spent with Na Ala Hele, a trail maintenance group working under the DLNR. Compared to our first week of work in Waikamoi there were some major differences in our purpose for being there. Monday and Tuesday were spent on the Lahaina Pali trail where we cleared loose rocks from the path to lessen the chance of hikers getting injured. Safety is important after all! Thought the trail was long and the work was tedious, the beautiful view was definitely worth it.

The next two days were spent working in the Kula Forest Reserve, a complete different site all way on another mountain. We went through with our different tools to clear the Waiakoa trail, sloping the hills to prevent slides and brushing off built off dirt that might cause major run-offs. We went in thinking that it would be relatively the same thing as the past two days, just a different climate. Though it was much more than that; because of some erosion on a certain section of the trail we had a new mission-to build the path back up. Two of our site managers, Matt and Claude, got to work with their chainsaws and began cutting up eucalyptus trees while the rest of us began pounding them into the ground. After a long day of work we were able to stand back and admire our magnificent trail building skills. After pounding the cut wood into the ground we reinforced them and filled the large gaps with dirt. Thus, our trail was complete and more team bonding had ensued.

Friday, our last day, was spent clearing a trail at the Makawao Forest Reserve. Though it wasn't as exciting as building a trail, the 6 mile hike through the forest did have its rewards. The second week of work allowed our team to getting to know each other better, though we all weren't best friends with each other, we were slowly getting comfortable.