A Camper’s Journal

We explore the natural grandeur of Maui’s eastern shoreline.

 

Ashley Stepanek

 

Photography by
Jason Moore
Ron Dahlquist
Ashley Stepanek

One of the few places on Maui to remain simple in these modern times, the eastern shore is a reminder of the bare essentials . . . and how honest and noble those are when you take the time to notice. Wanting to appreciate its undemanding splendor, some friends and I make the YMCA’s Camp Ke‘anae our weekend destination. 
   
Ke‘anae is alive in the truest sense of the word.
   
You can feel its vibrancy with each new mile on the Road to Hana. As you snake along the high cliffs and low valleys of this ancient craggy coastline, your breath stops with the sight of each new vista. Vast tropical green canopies glisten in mist from a mild passing shower—their ornate leaves swaying in the breeze, whispering wise old secrets about life through the ages. Waterfalls rush from above with the force of a storm in the watershed, flowing into rivers wedged into rock carved millennia ago by erosion. Sparkling streams converge with deep saltwater in broad ocean bays, or, with man’s ingenuity, are diverted for drinking water and feeding traditional fields of agriculture.
   
We take our time exploring the region. Pulling carefully off the road near mile-marker 13, parked near an old white bridge behind a string of local trucks and brightly hued rental cars, some of us put on swimsuits for a dip in Ching’s Pond. This popular watering hole is nestled in the bend of the road, shaded by tall forest branches. Large, smooth boulders and tree-rooted soil keep the water flowing on course, drip dropping from pool to pool. We pick a place to sit and watch as people splash and play, all the while deciding where to enter. The water is cold and refreshing.