As a newly winged Marine Corps pilot, I was assigned to a squadron stationed at Kaneohe Bay, HI in 1997. There aren't a great deal of outlying areas around the islands for tactical training. Especially so of you need remain close to home base. One of the most useful was the old airstrip at Kaulapapa, which we were allowed to use through an agreement with the state. The stipulation was that we could not shut down or remain there if an emergency forced us to do so. We used the peninsula so often that the planning portion of a Kaulapapa mission was not of much use for the older pilots (It was a running joke that if we needed to plan a tactical mission in a short amount of time we would say "I'll just give the standard Kaulapapa brief").

In any case, I can attest to the absolute rugged beauty and isolation of the peninsula and, in fact, the entire north coast of Molokai. Beautiful beyond description and completely deserted. Waterfalls too numerous to count and so many axis deer that it was standard to make a low pass over the lonely airstrip to clear them prior to landing.

I always wished that I could go there alone with my pack and rifle and spend a couple weeks exploring the and valleys of the north shore.

Reply