BLOG | Saving Time in a Bottle

Ka’iwa Peak

Sunset Hike up the Back Trail of Ka’iwa Peak | October 2018

Ever since we first hiked to the Lanikai pillboxes last February, we’ve always said that we should hike up to Kai’wa Peak via the back trail to avoid the crowds and enjoy this ridge in a new way. Yet every time we have gone for this hike since then, we’ve always returned to the main trail so that we could go to the beach afterwards, or because we were hiking with family or friends and wanted to take a familiar path. But last Saturday evening, we decided the weather was ideal for a sunset stroll, and it was the perfect time to check out this new-to-us path. Curtis found a loop trail that we could do on AllTrails, so we prepared for a short hike and drove to the trailhead off of Kamahele Place in Kailua. (Note: AllTrails has the trail listed as closed, but it reopened as of September 2018.)

The trail begins with a staircase at the end of a cul-de-sac right in the middle of two different private properties. You start out in the shade of trees but soon emerge onto an exposed ridge of grass and shrubs, much like the front side. Also like the main trail, there are steep sections and side trails breaking off the main path, but overall this route is easy to follow. It wasn’t quite as eroded, but after heavy rain in the days prior it was a bit slick.

It was only .4 miles and under 600 feet of elevation to reach our desired destination — Ka’iwa Peak, the highest point of the ridge. There is a pillbox here, but it’s not one of the main 2 that people usually hike to see. We only saw 4 other people this entire hike, which is much less than we’ve ever seen on the main trail. We hung out at the pillbox for a while enjoying the changing colors of the sunset. Curtis caught Pokemon, Charlotte sniffed everything.

When we were ready to continue, we started heading on a new trail heading South towards a low ridge. We came to some great vistas that provided views of the Ko’olau’s as well as our neighbor island Molokai. But once the trail dropped a bit more in elevation, things became more difficult. The trail became extremely overgrown, with grass taller than I am. The wide dirt path disappeared and became very narrow and muddy.

After losing quite a bit of elevation, Curtis checked his phone and noticed that we had missed a turn that should have taken us off the ridge and into a neighborhood. We turned around in search of the hidden path. Unfortunately, Curtis’ phone was also nearly dead, and I had left mine at home. It was quickly growing dark, and we realized how unprepared we were for this situation. After a little more searching for another trail, we decided to return to the pillbox on Ka’iwa Peak and return the way we came.

Things could have ended poorly, but thanks to the city lights and pale moonlight we were able to make out the path. The hardest part was losing depth perception in the dark, as the trail was rocky and uneven. At first I was stressed about the situation, but as I kept walking I thought about why I felt that way, and realized that if I were to just take it slow, walking in the dark could be very relaxing and enjoyable. Especially because there aren’t mountain lions hiding in the bushes.

While I may enjoy walking slow, Charlotte was having no trouble finding her way and was always ahead of us. Curtis eventually passed me to catch up with her and made it to the car, and then returned with flashlights that he had stored in there. We won’t leave those behind on sunset hikes anymore, that’s for sure!

We will definitely be returning to hike the back trails to Ka’iwa Peak in the future — I’m sure we’ll still occasionally take the main trail, but it’s nice to be familiar with the other option now. However, we will most likely stick to the trail on Kamahele Street and not the other overgrown one that we couldn’t figure out! Overall, our hike was just over a mile.

If you are considering whether to hike the main trail or the back trails to Ka’iwa Ridge, here are a few considerations: If you’re hiking to see the sunrise, I would say definitely take the main trail. You will have an unobstructed view of the ocean and Mokulua Islands for the majority of the trail and will have a better view of the rising sun. If you’re looking for the more picturesque pillboxes, the first 2 on the main trail are what you want. If you’re planning on spending time at either Lanikai or Kailua Beach, it’s more convenient to take the main trail. However, if you want to take the path less traveled and eroded, the back trails up to Ka’iwa Peak are definitely the way to go. There are trails that connect between all of these points, so you can still hike to the other pillboxes with views of Lanikai. You could also plan a through-hike of the ridge, starting at one end and hiking to the other if you can work out the logistics.

Kahuku Point

Easy North Shore Hikes | Kahuku Point & Kawela Point | October 2018

The past couple weeks have been different for us compared to the past 6 months. Rather than only having only an average of one day off for a weekend, Curtis has been having consistent one and a half days or even 2 full days at home! We haven’t been able to travel or do anything especially adventurous over our extra time, but it’s been so nice to not feel like we have to fit adventuring, chores/projects, and relaxing into one day. On the first weekend of October, we decided to go out on Saturday and do some shorter, easier hikes with Charlotte, then maybe something longer on our own the next day.

It was raining over the mountains and across the island on Saturday, but we were able to find some dry and remote coastal walks along the North Shore that were dog friendly. We started by driving up to Kahuku and parking in the lot for the Kahuku Golf Course. We had hiked to Kahuku Point before starting at Turtle Bay (and I had gone another time with my family), but this was our first time starting from the South end. The Hiker’s Guide to Oahu advertised this as a remote, quiet walk, but when we arrived we found the lot packed with people and the whole street lined with cars. What was going on? Was there an event at the golf course? We were able to find a spot, and once parked we figured out what it was: a cross country meet. While I was never in cross country, I remember the meets I watched as being either on hot and humid or cold and rainy late summer/early fall days, and the course going through larger city parks. Here, the race course went right along the ocean. How cool would that be?! I wish my sister’s team would travel here for a meet. 😉

Anyway, we made our way around them and to our trail, which came close to the course but not in the way. I think the races were wrapping up when we arrived at around 9:30. We passed through the golf course and made our way to the ocean. Besides two fishermen right at the beginning, we were all alone for our coastal walk. We made our way North, either walking through the sand or along the coral, looking out for monk seals or other creatures. The only wildlife spotted today were crabs scurrying across the sand, which Charlotte would chase around until they ran into an incoming wave. She would wait for the water to recede, then would be completely perplexed when there was no trace of the crab.

Along the way, we spotted some cool coral and shells. However, there was also more trash and plastic lying around here than we’d seen at any other beach. I’m sure you’ve seen pictures around the internet trying to bring awareness to the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the ocean and on beaches, but here we were walking through proof that it exists, and it was heartbreaking.

We wandered just over a mile along the coast headed towards Kahuku Point, but ultimately ran into a stream filled with high, brown water and said “No thank you!” Occasionally after it rains, there will be ‘brown water warnings’ across the island, which usually means sewage or other run-off is in the water and there are high bacteria levels. Clearly, it’s not smart to play in or cross water like that, so we turned around and made our way back to the car.

For our next short walk, we drove North just a little further to the other side of Turtle Bay resort and parked along the road near Kawela Point Beach Park. Here there are many paths going out to the coast and through the trees. They are mainly developed for guests at the resort, but there seemed to be a lot of locals at the beach in the neighboring bay. Curtis’ motivation for exploring this area was to find a letterbox, but it turned out to be a very pleasant walk with a few surprises along the way.

The first ‘surprise’ was a huge banyan tree, one of the widest that we’d seen, that is actually somewhat of a celebrity. A nearby sign read that it had been a backdrop in both Lost and a Pirates of the Caribbean film. Curtis went in search of a geocache while Charlotte and I went to check out the quiet beach. I was hoping to see sea turtles, but there weren’t any out today. (I still have yet to see one here — if I don’t see one while living here I’ll be very disappointed!) We walked back to find Curtis. I spotted him right away slightly hidden by the tree, but Charlotte could only hear and smell his tracks and it took her a bit to find her way to him. As it turned out, while he was searching for the geocache he accidentally came across a letterbox! I thought that only happened in Connecticut!

After that, we followed the trail North for a ways, walking along the quiet bay and out to Kawela Point. Here there is a small pillbox with a great view of the two surrounding bays, with Turtle Bay resort to the right and the foothills of the Northern Ko’olau Mountains to the left. It was the perfect spot to sit and watch the big waves of the North shore come rolling in, crashing against the coral rocks in front of us. Curtis found another letterbox nearby, and we made our way back to our car. Altogether we had hiked 4 miles today. Here are the links for our recorded hikes on AllTrails if you’re interested: Kahuku Point / Kawela Point

We had parked near the Kahuku Farm fruit stand, so we stopped by to pick up a breadfruit, something Curtis had been wanting to try. We’ve tried to forage it a few times but haven’t had any luck, and didn’t want to miss our opportunity as ‘breadfruit season’ is coming to a close. After a little experimenting in the kitchen, he ended up making breadfruit fritters which were pretty good.

Unfortunately, we noticed once we were home that Charlotte was having some issues, so instead of going for another hike the next day, we stayed at home monitoring her and taking her to the vet. While we were sad that taking her for a long walk had turned out this way, it was good we did take her because otherwise we wouldn’t have noticed this possibly ongoing issue. She seems to be on the mend now and hopefully will do better next time!

Kaiwi Shoreline Trail

Sunset on the Kaiwi Shoreline | September 2018

Before moving to Oahu, I had read about people complaining of “Island Fever.” I’m not sure if there are specific ‘symptoms’ for this, but I imagine we’ve experienced it from time to time here. For me, it usually comes during the week when I’m home alone and thinking about how small and congested Oahu is, looking over expenses and bemoaning the cost of living, or feeling isolated and so far from home.

The best solution for Island Fever is honestly just getting out of the house and appreciating the beauty of this place. It doesn’t matter if it’s a new-to-me spot or one I’ve visited dozens of times, all it takes is being somewhere peaceful and scenic, where I can stop, take a deep breath, and just admire the beauty. The way the waves crash into rocks. The way the clouds change from white, to yellow, pink, purple, and blue as the sun sets behind the mountains. The clear turquoise water on a sunny day. The sharp ridges of the Ko’olau Mountains when the clouds pass and the sun hits them just right. It’s in these moments that I think I’m crazy for ever wanting to leave this place. It’s been a year, and the views still never cease to amaze me.

A few weeks back we decided to go out for a sunset stroll to a very familiar place: Makapu’u Point. This time, however, we took the Kaiwi Shoreline trail out to the coast, to a small beach known as Alan Davis Beach. There’s a rock formation overlooking the inlet called Pele’s Chair. This is a spot mainly visited by locals, and people visiting enjoy jumping off rocks into the ocean, which has calmer waves compared to its neighboring beaches — Makapu’u and Sandy Beach, which aren’t meant for swimming. The trail is just a quarter mile long on a dirt and rocky path. Since we were here to enjoy a new perspective on this corner of the island, we bypassed the beach and continued on the Kaiwi Shoreline trail along the South shore. We admired the way the giant waves crashed into the rocks, and how the water in the tide pools stayed perfectly still, reflecting the rocks and purple clouds.

Koko Crater is on the right, and Koko Head is to the left in the distance

After that, we hurried up the paved path to the first lookout on the Makapu’u Trail to catch the sun slip below the mountains and enjoyed the last colors of the sunset. We hurried back to our car to get out before the gates closed and drove home in the dark, Island Fever successfully cured…for this week, at least. 😉 You can check out our short hike recording here. While there’s no denying that the sunset colors are beautiful here, they’re having us reminisce the extra colorful hikes we enjoyed 2 years ago together in the Northeast: Maine, New Hampshire, and Upstate New York. We miss you, Fall!

Lanipo Ridge Trail

Hiking Lanipo Ridge, AKA Mau’uame Trail | September 2018

We’ve slowly been knocking out peaks and ridges in the Ko’olau Mountains. In order from East to West, we’ve completed Kuli’ou’ou (twice), Kulepeamoa, Hawaii Loa, Wiliwilinui, and Mount Olympus (If you’re interested, you can view a map of every hike we’ve done on the island here). The peak that seemed to be the logical “next step” with our level of hiking was Lanipo Ridge, AKA Mau’uame Trail. Lanipo Ridge/Peak falls between Wiliwilinui and Ka’au Crater trails, is 6.5 miles, and is known for having plenty of ups and downs while hiking the ridge to the summit.

It had actually been a while since we’d gone for a longer hike or conquered a higher peak. Our weekends over most of August and September haven’t been as adventurous as we’d like, with other things such as fixing the car, DIY house projects, hurricane/tropical storm warnings, and more car issues demanding our attention. However, we have some pretty big hiking goals we’d like to accomplish while living in Hawaii, and we know we need to be in excellent shape in order to achieve them. The result of needing an exciting new adventure and feeling motivated to get in shape led to us deciding to hike a more challenging peak on a rather hot day.

We began our hike around 8 on a weekend morning. The trailhead begins off of Maunalani Street at the end of a steep uphill drive. It reminded me of Wiliwilinui and Hawaii Loa trails, and at first it made me think that we wouldn’t have as much elevation to gain — but I was wrong about that. After a short and steady uphill stretch between two fences, the trail drops down 600 feet in the first half-mile. Next comes regaining all that elevation, and then some — and that seems to be the theme of the entire trail. One could think of it as a nuisance, but an optimist might see it as a chance to be constantly going back and forth between working out different leg muscles. The choice is yours!

Regardless of whether you view Lanipo as a glass-half-empty or half-full situation, the truth is that there is no “easy part.” It took us the same amount of time hiking back as it did hiking up to the peak. Also, looking at our recording on AllTrails isn’t as exciting as I expected it to be — I thought it would look much more dramatic with all those ups and downs.

When we began our hike, we could see the Ko’olau Summit covered with clouds in the distance. Normally this would disappoint us, but today we were eager to reach that part in the trail. Clouds meant getting out of the hot direct sunlight. The trade winds were basically non-existant this weekend, so we relished every breeze that came across the ridge.

Another challenge that Lanipo Ridge Trail presents is that it is extremely overgrown. Thankfully we read about this beforehand and prepared accordingly: Instead of wearing my usual outfit of shorts or exercise clothes, I went with the much more practical and extremely fashionable choice of Curtis’ cargo pants. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture to show the world how amazing I looked, but perhaps next time we’ll get one — Yes, I’m sure there will be a next time, because they worked so well! All that to say, if you’re hiking the Lanipo Trail, be prepared to walk through tall bushes on either side of the trail and uluhe branches that grab onto your clothes and scratch up bare skin.

After all of these warnings, one may be wondering why anyone might subject themselves to a trail that is steep and constantly gaining or losing elevation, and is so overgrown that you can’t even tell if there’s a trail under all those weeds? Because hardly anyone else hikes it, of course! We only saw one other person on a weekend (Well, also a family as we were finishing, but given how hot it was I doubt they went very far). While we could still hear traffic, sirens, and car alarms down in the valley, we were very much alone for the majority of this hike. Despite the struggles and the sun beating down on us, we very much enjoyed this experience.

One of the aspects of Lanipo Trail that I had been most looking forward to was getting a look into Ka’au Crater. Not only were we able to overlook the entire crater, but we also saw the many waterfalls coming out of the crater’s marsh and down into the valley. There is a “trail” that climbs up all of those waterfalls, up to the Ko’olau summit, and around the entire crater, but I admit that seeing the trail from a distance has made me positive that I don’t want to hike it. I’m content with the view we had from the neighboring ridge!

The final stretch up Lanipo Ridge was steep and exposed, but we breathed a sigh of relief once we reached the Ko’olau Summit. Honestly, we hadn’t been expecting much in the way of views — there had been clouds and even a little rain over the mountains earlier that morning — but we were rewarded with the best view we’ve had of the Windward side. We still weren’t able to see the peak of K1/K2, but the clear skies out over the ocean made the water bluer and the land greener than we’d seen before. We took our time at the peak, partially just enjoying the view, but also avoiding the hike back down.

Technically, we didn’t reach the actual peak — in order to do that, we would have had to walk a quarter mile on the precarious, muddy, and overgrown Ko’olau Summit Trail to reach it. I saw it from a distance and knew I wasn’t interested in hiking it. I told Curtis he could if he wanted, but he agreed that it wouldn’t be smart. As we hiked up Lanipo Ridge, we had been wishing that we would have arranged a through hike with friends so that we wouldn’t have to descend the same trail, but knowing we’d have to continue on the KST longer, we realized it was smarter to return the way we came.

Our return hike was slow-going, filled with water breaks and plenty of sweat, but it made finally reaching the end even sweeter. The 6.5 mile trail took us 7 hours to complete (counting all breaks and time spent at the top) and we consumed 6 liters of water throughout the entire hike (we always carry about 8 and rarely drink more than 2). 6 miles never seemed like a lot when we lived on the mainland, but here it feels like a big accomplishment. Hiking a mile an hour sounds ridiculous on mainland trails, but considering trail conditions and the hot Hawaiian sun, it makes more sense here. Hopefully we can continue to improve and conquer more peaks in the near future!

Old Pali Highway

Hiking from Likeke Falls to the Old Pali Highway | September 2018

I’m sure most have heard about the eventful hurricane season we’ve had here in the Pacific. Or maybe not, considering that they were overhyped and uneventful, at least for Oahu. When I first heard of Hurricane Hector at the beginning of August, I immediately stocked up on non-perishables and prepared a disaster kit just in case. Hector stayed pretty far South and really wasn’t a concern, but I’m glad I prepared then so that I could avoid the craziness that came with the next storm. I believe there’s been 4 hurricanes/tropical storms that we’ve kept our eye on since then — Lane, Miriam, Norman, and Olivia, and we are very thankful that we weren’t affected by any. They just brought a little extra rain and cooler weather to our island, and Curtis even got a couple extra days off.

After Olivia passed, we wanted to get out and go for a hike but wanted to avoid the muddier trails. We decided to revisit Likeke Falls, and this time check out the trail that leads from there all the way up to the lookout off of the Pali Highway. We drove to Kaneohe and parked in the large lot, then made our way to Likeke Falls. This part was short and easy, albeit a little muddy, just as we remembered it. We took a few pictures and then turned around, ready to explore new trails.

We took the Likeke Falls spur trail back to the main trail where we turned right and kept going until we reached another 3-way intersection. This is actually where half of my family and I got turned around when trying to find the falls, so I knew that the trail to the lookout was to the left. We followed a narrow contour trail up and down through the forest, sometimes muddy, sometimes overgrown. It wasn’t the easiest to hike or follow, but not unpleasant either. Bug spray was definitely a must though after all the rain!

We came to another fork in the trail, and this time were uncertain of the way. We followed it to the left for a while, thinking it would switchback down to the old Pali Highway, but gave up after a while of following the confusing trail. We made it back, then tried out what looked like another trail to the right, but it quickly became clear that this wasn’t the way either. Finally we tried the trail straight across from the original trail, which didn’t look like a trail at first, but once we started it became more clear. It dropped down to a flowing stream and met up with the Old Pali Highway, where we had been trying to get all along.

From here, the hike was much easier and was very enjoyable on this cool, overcast day. In Hawaiian, Pali means cliff. The road is aptly named for some rather steep cliffs with a rather storied history. In pre-Contact Hawaii, the Nu’uanu Valley was the fastest way to connect the villages on either side of the Ko’olaus. Nu’uanu Valley gently sloped up to a very low pass before dropping steeply down the Windward face. The Pali is also significant historically as the site of ‘Hawai’i’s Bloodiest Battle’: The Battle of Nu’uanu.

As early as 1783, King Kamehameha I began to unify all Hawaiians and by 1795 had assembled an army of 12,000. Armed with muskets and cannon provided by British traders, Kamehameha rapidly succeeded in conquering the islands of Maui and Molokai. He then pushed on to Oahu, landing his fleet of 1200 war canoes near Waikiki beach. From there his army marched Northwest towards present day Honolulu where they encountered the leader of Oahu’s (Chief Kalanikupule) forces near the base of ‘The Punchbowl’. Kamehameha’s army successfully routed the Oahu forces and began pursuing them further up Nu’uanu valley all the way to the Pali. There, whether by choice or pushed, over 700 of the Oahu soldiers fell to their deaths. And so King Kamehameha became ruler of another island and formed the Kingdom of Hawai’i (Kauai and Ni’ihau later submitted to King Kamehameha to bring all 8 islands into the kingdom).

In 1845, the first official road was built over the Pali out of cobblestone (portions of which we think can be seen on the trail to Likeke Falls) and in 1898 it was widened, paved, and improved to form the current ‘Old Pali Highway’. During the 1898 construction, over 800 skulls were found, allegedly belonging to the Oahu warriors. Then in the 1950’s the current Pali was constructed with its set of tunnels cutting through the notch, and the Old Pali Highway was left to be taken over by the jungle.

As we started out, the jungle growth was thick around and on the road with lots of White Ginger, and Heliconia in bloom. One thing is for sure, we’ve hiked a lot more abandoned roads in Hawai’i than we have anywhere else.

Once on the road, the only possibly confusing spot is when the road seems to end near the new Pali Highway. There, we crouched over and walked underneath, then up a ladder on the other side. From here, we took a right, and were soon back on an easy-to-follow road. Soon enough, we started finding breaks in the trees and were rewarded with amazing views over the Pali Highway, the Ko’olau Mountains North of us, and the entire Windward side of Oahu. If you can manage to hike this on a day when their aren’t clouds completely obscuring the Pali Notch, the views will be absolutely amazing.

There is another tall and impressive waterfall nearby called Twin Falls, which is normally only flowing when it’s raining or right after a storm, as well as a waterfall directly below the road. You can hike to get a much closer view off of the road, but we were able to see one of the falls from where we were and knew that they weren’t flowing as much as they could be.

We had been planning to hike up to the lookout, but we found that there is a huge gate blocking the Old Pali Highway from the Pali lookout. I think the reasoning for this is that the area immediately after the lookout has potential for rocks falling off the cliff, so the goal is to keep people from going down and getting hurt. However, as far as we know, hiking up the Pali Highway isn’t illegal — there were no signs at any point in our hike and nothing against it on online trail guides. Still, it was awkward being near the large gate when there were plenty of people at the lookout who could see us on the “wrong side.” Initially, our main reason for wanting to get to the lookout was for letterboxes, but when Curtis realized that one of the boxes was actually on our side of the fence, we decided to stay on this side and save the other one for another day. We were able to find the box — one that hadn’t been found in years, and now needed an update in the clues because of the giant fence — and were very satisfied with this hike.

We had one question remaining as we began our hike back: Could we stick to the Old Pali Highway the entire time, rather than having to follow the muddy and overgrown contour trail? The answer was yes! We loved the easy stroll back down the road. With just a little help from Google maps, we figured out where to turn off of the road, and with just a short jaunt on a clear path through the trees, we were right back in the parking lot. Overall, our hike was 4 miles round trip, and you can see our AllTrails recording here. If you wanted to make the hike to the lookout even easier, you could either forgo visiting Likeke Falls, or just do the short and easy hike to the falls and back and then walk the Old Pali Highway up to the lookout. The short trail to the road is to the left when you’re standing towards the back of the parking lot, facing the trail for Likeke Falls (Check out AllTrails or another source for maps or better directions).

Makaua Falls

Hiking to Makaua Falls | September 2018 | Written by Curtis

When it rains heavily the night before a day off, it’s hard to feel motivated to get out and hike. The peaks are always cloudy, the trails treacherous and muddy. But rain does bring out the waterfalls, if only for a day or so.

After combing through the numerous waterfall hikes on the island – ones we’ve done, ones that are illegal, ones that are obscure, and some that are extremely popular – we finally settled in on a lesser known hike North of us off the Kamehameha Highway. Driving up, the Ko’olaus were well ensconced by clouds and as we got close to the ‘parking area’ a rain squall came in and put a damper on our spirits. But having not done any real hiking since Kauai, we were still ready to at least give the hike a shot.

We parked at a beach park immediately off the Kamehameha Highway and started walking through a neighborhood to the mouth of a valley that we had often driven by and wondered about. At the end of the road, a trail cut between two properties into the lush valley. The trail wound through the typical jungle growth and quickly came to a fork. The left fork leads up to the South Wall of the Canyon, a tempting hike, but as it was raining we decided to stick to our goal and headed right down towards a stream.

We crossed the mostly dry stream and started heading up. The foliage grew in close to the trail and there was much ducking and weaving between the trees and branches. The rain eventually quit about the time we reached a point where the trail seemed to indicate it would follow the stream bed itself. We were hesitant to continue on as we hadn’t expected to need to wade but threw caution to the wind and continued on.

At about the half-mile point, the canyon walls drew in close and the ‘trail’ was almost exclusively the stream bed which had more water now that we were further upstream. We rounded a corner and saw our first set of waterfalls, just a low set of cascades which we walked alongside. And then, just behind those, a nice 30′ double cascade with a considerable amount of flow. At first I thought we had made it to the end, I had only seen maybe one picture of the waterfall and could barely remember that. But then Jessica (who has done a lot more research on the trails here than I) pointed at a group of three who were climbing up the waterfall. The real waterfall was beyond here.

We stood in a grotto at the base of the falls and discussed the wisdom of climbing up the waterfalls. Ultimately, we decided that I would push on and take what pictures that I could while Jess stayed where she was. I took off my backpack and left my phone with Jess and then waded into the pool at the base of the falls. The water easily went mid-thigh but felt good in the warm morning. I grabbed the rope and started pulling myself up the waterfall. Realistically, the waterfall wasn’t that tall, nor flowing that fast, but it still felt pretty cool to be climbing up a waterfall.

Once at the top of the falls I waved to Jess then continued following the stream. I quickly caught up and passed the group of three. Not wanting to leave Jess all alone I hurried along, wading through a deep pool (waist high) and climbing along the steep stream bank. And then, just like that, I was at Makaua Falls. The trail ends at a circular box canyon (a cul-de-sac if you will) with near vertical walls on all sides except the one I came in. And there was the waterfall — nearly 100′ high.

I stayed long enough to take a good look at Makaua Falls, take a couple of pictures and then turned right around to try and convince Jessica to come join me. But once at the base of the falls again describing everything to Jess, I realized that it probably wasn’t a good idea. So we turned and went back down the canyon. In hindsight, the canyon at this point is very narrow and any sort of falling debris could be quite dangerous, which is why Sacred Falls (another nearby waterfall) is off limits. There has been at least one fatality on this very trail just a few months back.

Before & After

As we continued down the canyon following the stream, we noticed that the stream looked higher. Not a Flash-Flood-Dangerously-Higher, just fuller. And when we got to a crossing that I distinctly remembered was dry when we came up only to find it with a trickle of water going through, we took a closer look. Sure enough, the stream was filling up little by little. Not slow enough to be boring, and not fast enough to be dangerous. So for the next hour we slowly walked along the stream watching it fill up; watching trickles form into rivulets, form into cascades of water. Some may find it boring, but we found it very peaceful and relaxing to watch the water fill all the nooks and crannies of the rocks, guessing at where we would first see the water start to tumble down. It reminded us of the time 3 years ago when we watched an icedam break on a small creek off the Red Canyon Trail in Dixie National Forest, Utah.

Before & After

Eventually the trail turned away from the stream so we were forced to leave our little show behind. We made it back to the car shortly thereafter. Overall the trail is only 1.5 miles round trip, but we ended up taking almost 3 hours given all of our stopping. We drove home happy to know there were still little gems that we haven’t seen on the island.

If you’re interested the Makaua Falls Trail, check out our AllTrails recording here.

Kuilau Trail

Hiking the Kuilau Trail | Kauai | August 2018

Initially we didn’t have any plans for our last few hours on Kauai. We thought we’d drive up as far as we could on the North shore. However, when traffic proved to be much heavier than expected, we decided to forgo that plan and instead just turned onto a random road heading West. The road took us out of town, into quiet neighborhoods and through a series of narrow twists and turns. When we came upon a construction zone, we took the detour and ended up on Kuamo’o Road, which we had driven on briefly to visit Opa’eaka Falls on our first morning. We continued heading West until we came to a trailhead that Curtis had heard of while looking for letterboxes. It was called Kuilau Ridge Trail, found near the Keahua Arboretum. We parked in a pull-off next to a river and one lane bridge and walked back to the trailhead.

I had heard nothing of this trail, and while it was much like the lush green hikes on Oahu, it was so interesting seeing new perspectives on this island. I was struck with the same feeling as hiking Nounou Mountain, when I looked out at other mountain ranges and realized I knew so little about them. All that we knew about central Kauai was about the high peaks in the center of the island, and that hiking there would require a multi-day backpacking trip along miles of unimproved ‘trails’ through an enormous swamp (it’s not the rainiest place on earth without consequences). This trail gave great vistas of the ridges and valleys that make up the center of the island. It also gave views of many of the other minor ridges to the North and South and even a couple glimpses of Nounou and the ocean to the East. It all just reminded us of how much more there is to see. I mean, we couldn’t possibly see the entire island in just 3 days, but we gave it our best try!

We hiked about 4 miles round-trip, ending our hike up in a small clearing with a pavilion and picnic tables, and Curtis was able to find all 5 letterboxes. That certainly made the Kuilau Trail extra exciting — it had been a long time since we had found that many boxes in a day, let alone a single trail! Besides that, the entire hike was very pleasant. The path gradually gained elevation and was clear and wide with large white Albizia lining the trail. No wonder they filmed most of Jurassic Park out here. (You can actually hike to several of the filming locations from where we parked, although what sets and props that were left were wiped out by Hurricane Iniki as the filming was wrapping up).

So glad we have this picture so that we’ll never forget about the time Curtis had a mustache…hahaha

According to AllTrails, the path continues a while further eventually reaching one of the many ridges coming off the central peaks, but we were content with what we were able to hike that afternoon. This hike was easy, quiet, and despite not boasting of the dramatic views that the other hikes had on the island, we still loved it just as much as the others. It was the perfect way to wrap up our time on Kauai. If you’re looking for a less popular hike that shows off the gorgeous flora of the island, the Kuilau Trail is the perfect choice.

Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail

Hiking the Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail | Poipu Kauai | August 2018

We began our third and final day of vacation by driving to Poipu, South of Koloa, where fancy resorts and condos line the beach. Our hike for the morning was the Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail, beginning at the end of a cul-de-sac off of Pe’e Road. The trail is 6 miles round-trip, following the coast without much elevation difference.

As we were putting on our hiking boots, a woman came up and asked us if we had been here before. We said no — I had seen this hike recommended somewhere and just thought it would be a fun early morning coastal walk. She gave us a few tips: 1) When we come upon the stream at almost 2 miles in, look for the bridge and don’t cross the stream. 2) Before crossing the stream, look for the sinkhole. 3) Look for the tortoises across the stream that help by eating the non-native vegetation. And lastly, 4) Watch out for the monk seal which was born last April but is still very large. We were unaware of all of this so we were thankful to have run into her. We grabbed our bags filled with water and snacks and began our hike.

The beginning of the “trail” wasn’t so much of a trail as it was following either a beach or pavement running beside a resort. We felt out of place with our hiking boots and camelbacks. Once we climbed up to the small cliff on the East side of Shipwreck beach, we left the resorts behind and were met with a beautiful vista — the first of many stunning coastal views. We wandered along the coast and through kiawe trees on the sand dunes. We came across an area with signs saying it was a sacred sanctuary, and to be respectful and stay on the path. However, beside all this untouched and sacred ground on this beautiful coast was a rather large golf course. It just didn’t seem to fit. It was even more bothersome on our way back when some particularly bad golfers hit several balls that came within feet of hitting us.

Besides that, we really enjoyed this trail. Each rocky inlet seemed to be more dramatic and remote. We saw our first wildlife along the trail, a flock of Nene geese in the golf course.

Because our phones had low battery, we weren’t using AllTrails, and didn’t really know what to expect or how far we should go. We just knew we wanted to see the sinkhole and tortoises. After making our way around some farms and stables, we finally found the “sinkhole” that the woman had told us about. I wasn’t expecting much, but when we came to the first overlook our jaws dropped — it was massive, with palm trees and native plants growing inside far below us. I sat down to rest and take it all in while Curtis walked around the entire thing. There is also a cave along the North side that is open for tours on certain days, but unfortunately not while we were there.

We knew there had to be turtles around here somewhere, so we crossed the bridge and came across the most exciting sign we’ve seen while on a trail. It pointed us in the right direction, a giant fenced in area with signs welcoming you to enter and see the tortoises. We walked around and checked them all out before continuing on our way.

At this point, we could have easily turned around and been content with this hike, but now we wanted to see the monk seal. We followed a dirt road until we found a path to the nearly-empty beach. While there are a couple of small gravel parking lots, we hardly saw anyone out here, and we were all alone walking between the parking areas. We eventually found the monk seal napping in the shade of a tree somewhere along the beach. He had the right idea — the sun was getting higher and the day was quickly heating up. We had brought an umbrella because of the “chance of rain,” and ended up using it to block the sun instead.

After 3 miles, we came upon Mahaulepu Beach, with beautiful, clear turquoise water, fine sand, and smooth black rocks creating little tide pools. This would have been where I would choose to stop, but Curtis wanted to keep going and I agreed. We were nearing a remote mountain called Haupu, and we both wanted to see how close we could get. It started raining on us briefly, but it felt so good in after walking so far in the sun.

Finally, we found our way to Kamala Point, which provided a gorgeous view of both the remote mountain range and the ocean. The mountain range doesn’t have any trails leading to the peak — at least that we know of — but that’s probably for the better. The peak is undeveloped, preserved, free of litter and erosion that comes from hikers. After having walked over 3 miles just to get a closer look, being able to take it all in from this vantage point was reward enough.

On our return trip, we stuck to the gravel roads rather than the beach because they’re easier to walk on. We drank a lot of water and did our best to stay out of the sun. When we finally reached the resorts of Poipu, we discussed whether we would be able to get away with jumping the in the pool. I’m sure all the people staying there were glad we didn’t! We finally reached the car, grateful for the air conditioning. Maha’ulepu Heritage Trail was beautiful and so worth doing, with several exciting surprises along the way — but if you’re visiting in the summer, definitely start early and bring plenty of water! If you’re interested in the details of this trail, check out the AllTrails listing here.

Koke’e State Park

Hiking in Koke’e State Park | Pihea Trail | August 2018

Perhaps the most controversial aspect of our trip to Kauai was the lack of time spent exploring the impressive Napali coast. Of course we knew all about the dramatic coast and the various ways one can experience it — it’s impossible to search for attractions, hikes, or recommendations for Kauai without coming across all of these. We could start from the North shore and hike the Kalalau Trail, or hike one of the many ridge trails in Koke’e State Park. We could also take one of many boat tours, or take it all in from above with any of the helicopter tour companies. However, with the goal of this trip being a budget friendly, do-it-yourself kind of adventure, the second two were off the table. Because of severe flooding last spring on the North shore, the Kalalau Trail is closed until further notice and we couldn’t get to it even if we tried because of closed roads. Therefore, our only option was to hike one of the trails in Koke’e State Park, at the end of Koke’e/Waimea Canyon Road.

Looking out towards the highest peaks on Kauai, obscured by clouds

This area was also a victim of timing on this trip. We had just completed our hike up Waimea Canyon and were exhausted. The day was already heating up, with not a cloud in the sky to shield us from the harsh sun. As a result, we decided to take a trail that stayed up on the mountain rather than heading down closer to the coast. That led us to the Pihea Trail. While it was definitely worth our time and we enjoyed our hike, I feel that we missed out on the most dramatic landscapes that the coast has to offer. If we were to return, seeing more of the coast would probably be our priority. However, when I look back at this trip my personal favorite moments were spent on the trails I hadn’t heard about, in areas where I had no idea what to expect, and away from the crowds.

The beginning of the trail — it was dry today but can be muddy after it rains

We arrived at the Pihea trailhead at the end of the road around 8:30 that morning. There were several cars in all the lots we passed including this one, but we still had a good head start for the day. We did, however, realize some disadvantages to coming to see this area in the morning: since it’s North facing, the accordion ridges of the coast aren’t as defined, and they sort of blend together. Thankfully the longer we were there, the better the views became. I knew from much research that we were honestly lucky to have such clear vistas because it’s common for clouds to obscure or completely fill the valleys and hide the views.

As I mentioned, the Pihea Trail is the easiest one in Koke’e State Park. It’s 1.2 miles one-way and while it has several ups and downs, the elevation difference is less than 300 feet (Check out the trail profile on our AllTrails recording — note that Curtis only recorded it one-way though to conserve phone battery). There are plenty of clear vistas along the way mostly facing the coast, but we also enjoyed the South-facing views over the Waimea Valley. The trail dips down and goes through a bog-like area, and there is boardwalk over the trail where it would normally get muddy after it rains. The Pihea Vista Trail has a rather anti-climatic ending with a fence and a “Do not go beyond sign” sign, but if it’s any consolation, you can still bag the peak if that’s your kind of thing. We considered and even briefly began continuing on the Alaka’i Swamp Trail, but soon decided against it. It would have had more elevation change and a longer trail that goes inland before coming upon another view of another valley. Instead, we returned the way we came and made it back to the parking lot around 11:30.

Photo bombed by a dragon fly

We finished our time in Koke’e State Park by visiting the Koke’e Natural History Museum. The museum is free to tour and has exhibits on everything from native birds and creatures, to the record rainfall totals this area gets, to the CCC’s involvement on Kauai. There’s also a large campsite, cabins, and a small cafe here at the end of the road. There are at least 5 other ridge trails that begin in this area, so if we ever return to Kauai we’d definitely come back to hike some more!

Backpacking Waimea Canyon

Backpacking Waimea Canyon | Hiking the Kukui Trail | August 2018

My biggest concern with choosing to visit Kauai over the Big Island was that it would be too much like Oahu. Sure, it has higher mountains, no major city, and way less people; the mountain ridges would be unique and some much more dramatic than what we’re used to. But it would still have plenty of tourists, and the hiking still looks largely similar to that on Oahu. The best part about our Maui trip was exploring Haleakala, which is far and away nothing like the scenery on Oahu — not to mention basically anywhere else we’ve ever hiked.

Enjoying the overlook before beginning our hike

However, all my concerns melted away in the afternoon sun as we arrived at Waimea Canyon. Visiting Waimea Canyon was very much like our trip to the Grand Canyon and hiking it down and back in a day in 2015, and all the similarities had us feeling nostalgic for Arizona throughout the rest of our trip. We drove up to the first canyon overlook and walked along the rim, surrounded by people yet in awe of the vastness. Then we drove back to the Kukui Trailhead, strapped on our giant backpacks and began the trek down.

We had reserved a campsite at the bottom of the canyon in advance and were excited to have plenty of time to explore. The site was at the end of the Kukui Trail, right next to the river. Today’s hike would be easy and all downhill, which was good considering how hot it was. Despite the hike being easier, our backpacks were very heavy and I felt like I was burning energy far quicker than I should have been.

The Kukui Trail is 2.5 miles long (one way) and has almost 2200 feet of elevation difference from the rim to the river. Compared to hiking the Grand Canyon’s Bright Angel Trail down to the Colorado River, (which is just over 7 miles one way with ~4380 elevation change) this hike was definitely shorter, but much steeper. The first mile had a few switchbacks but was nothing like the well maintained and much busier trails of the national park. After that, the trail descended straight down. I’m not sure how much rain this area gets and how muddy it could be, but I wouldn’t want to hike down this trail if it were anything like the mud on Oahu’s eroded slopes.

Despite the challenges presented, we absolutely loved the scenery. Everything reminded us of our time in the Southwest. The steep trail was reminiscent of the Painted Desert in Petrified Forest National Park, or Badlands National Park. The colors were bright and vibrant in the sunlight. Another pleasant surprise was the complete lack of crowds. We only saw 3 other people on our hike down, all on their way back up. The canyon was quiet and peaceful, except for the helicopter tours that flew through every 5 minutes.

After about 2 miles, we left behind the expansive views and entered a forested area. The path was narrow and there were several downed trees, but it was easy to navigate. We saw a group of wild goats running across the trail ahead of us, which brought to mind the time that we crossed paths with a bighorn at the bottom of Havasu canyon.

Hiking down the Kukui Trail

We finally made it to our campsite, which included a pavilion with tables and benches, an outhouse, and trail junction along the river. The people camping here from the night before were packing up their things, so we decided to keep following the trail to the left just to see where it went. We found a place to stash our heavy packs and continued walking.

This part of the hike reminded us of backpacking Aravaipa Canyon. The trails here were more established, but we still had to cross the river multiple times. The canyon walls around us were less dramatic than the grand view we had enjoyed at the top and the way down, but they still towered over us and made for a pretty backdrop. The crossings were never too deep and felt refreshing in the heat, though the state park website warns that heavy rains could cause flash flooding. We know just from the flooding Kauai has experienced this year that those warnings are to be taken seriously.

Walking along the river at the bottom of the canyon

We hiked about a mile and a half away from our campsite until we came to an interesting spot. There was a giant dam and tunnels near a cabin, and we hung out around here for a while — Curtis checking out the different tunnels while I sat and enjoyed the waterfalls the dam created.

Exploring the dam and tunnels at the bottom of Waimea Canyon

Finally we headed back to the campsite and sent up our tent. Curtis filtered water from the stream and we enjoyed hot soup over his little camp stove. There’s only one campsite in this area so we had it all to ourselves. It was quiet and peaceful, with only the sound of the rushing river. Our one complaint about this spot was that it was completely trashed. Until we reached the campsite, we hadn’t seen any litter all day, but here there were not only bottles and cans but also leftover food and packaging, clothing, and more. We aren’t sure exactly who is to blame, but it’s likely leftover from hunters. Wild goat and pig hunting is legal and common here, and we understand that it is necessary since these animals aren’t native to Hawaii and are invasive species. But all the leftover trash was just gross. We packed out as much as we could from our campsite, but it didn’t really make a difference.

Hiking up Waimea Canyon at sunrise

We slept so well through the night, and as a result got started a little later than we would’ve liked. We were back on the trail just after sunrise, all packed up and ready to hike up the canyon. It took just under 2 hours to make it back to the rim. The hike back up was just a reminder that we just aren’t as fit as we were 3 years ago when we hiked the Grand Canyon in a day…18 miles in 8 hours? How on earth?! We discussed all the differences in our life between then and now and decided to cut ourselves some slack. At that time Curtis had 12 college credits and only had classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we had all the time in the world to hike, and friends that often joined us and kept us accoutable. Our lives are much different now, and we’re doing good considering the time we have!

By 8:00 we were back at our car and ready to go take on another hike. Backpacking Waimea Canyon was a challenge, but I’m so glad we did it — not only did it spark so many happy memories, but it also reminded us to continue working hard and persevering. Someday we’ll be back in the place we love with a fresh perspective, having overcome these challenges and experiencing life in other places, and that will make it all the better.

• • • • •

If you’re interested in seeing Curtis’ AllTrails report for backpacking Waimea Canyon, click here — note that it only includes the hike down and along the river; his phone died and he wasn’t able to record the hike back up.