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Cautions and hazards

Hypothermia? On Hawaii?

It’s possible if you go into the mountains. Remember that going higher is equivalent to going north into colder climates, and mountains are often very windy. Please be prepared as you would be for going into any mountainous region.

Biodegradable? Ha, ha, ha!

The following things are popularly supposed to be biodegradable if you bury them: toilet tissue; facial tissue; sanitary napkins; tampons; disposable diapers. That must be a joke. They often last long enough for either running water to exhume them or animals to dig them up. It’s actually pretty easy (and much better for the environment and the scenery) to carry them out if you put them in a heavy-duty self-sealing bag like a Ziploc bag.

Companions

The standard advice is: Never hike alone and never camp alone.

Cloudy skies over Honolulu, seen from its trail system, threaten afternoon showers. Don’t forget that rain gear!

Water

Take your own drinking water for the day. No open source of water anywhere in the U.S. is safe to drink untreated. If you must drink water from a stream or spring along the trail, treat it chemically with iodine or chlorine preparations designed for the purpose. Look for such preparations in camping stores and drugstores. Filtering or bringing water to a boil works, too, except that filtering may be ineffective against the bacterium that causes leptospirosis (below).