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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.

Nounou Mountain

Hiking to Nounou Mountain, aka Sleeping Giant | August 2018

We wanted to begin our time on Kauai with a short, easy hike that would give us good views of the island, and Nounou Mountain was the perfect choice. The trailhead begins relatively close to the airport so we were able to arrive early and get a head start on our day. There are three different approaches listed on Alltrails: one trail from the East, one from the West, and one that started way to the South. The Western trail was shorter and steeper at about 2 miles long while the Eastern one appeared to have more switchbacks and was 4 miles long, and the Southern one looked like it just wandered around the mountain before meeting up with the Western trail. We chose the Eastern trail, with the trailhead located off of Haleilio Road in Wailua. It’s located towards the end of a neighborhood with a small parking lot at the trailhead.

It isn’t very often that we come across trails with switchbacks on the islands, and this one was very well maintained and enjoyable. It appears that not everyone shares our affinity for switchbacks though as there were many worn paths cutting off the trail. However, we stuck to the main trail and loved the easy, gradual ascent. Most of the trail is shaded, but there are windows between the trees showing off little views of the surrounding area, and they got better and better as we climbed higher.

As we stopped to take in the views and catch our breath, I gazed out over the different mountain ranges and thought to myself, I have no idea what those mountains are called. I realized that it had been too long since I experienced that feeling of total newness and unfamiliarity. Hiking new trails to different peaks on Oahu can be interesting as we gain new perspectives on our familiar island, but regardless of where we are we can name the other ridges, significant peaks, or other points of interest nearby. Here, every peak was a stranger, and I constantly had to stop and get my bearings. I miss that feeling.

We reached the wide grassy area with picnic tables and a shelter, but didn’t stay here long. The trail continues down a more narrow path to reach the summit. Supposedly there used to be a “Do not go beyond sign” sign here to prevent people from climbing higher, but it wasn’t there so we continued. Ending the hike at the picnic tables would be rather anti-climatic as the view is obscured here.

Near the end of the trail is the steepest park with a little rock scramble, which we carefully climbed up and were rewarded with unobstructed views. First we took the trail to the right, hiking up to the summit itself. It was windy and overcast with clouds hiding the higher peaks at the center of the island from our view, but this really gave us a great perspective of Eastern Kauai. I had never seen pictures or studied maps of this area, so I loved just wandering around the summit soaking up each view. It felt like we were as high as the other peaks we were looking at, but later when studying a topographic map I realized just how much lower this peak actually is. Regardless, this peak is absolutely worth hiking. Our trip was off to a great start!

Kauai Island Hop

3 Days on Kauai | August 2018

After months of trying to take leave, Curtis was finally granted permission to leave Oahu for a full 3 days. You better believe that we took full advantage of those 3 days and fit in as much as we could! For our second island hop, we were considering both Kauai and the Big Island. After making lists and considering both the cost and the amount of things we wanted to do, we determined that Kauai would make a better 3 day trip. Most of what we want to do on the Big Island requires lots of driving and long hikes, and right now what we really needed was a relaxing vacation. With Kauai, we felt we could fit in everything we wanted to do and still have time to relax with just 3 days. (After reading this itinerary, you may conclude that our definition of “relaxation” still sounds rather exhausting, and you would be correct in this assumption!) This post will summarize our entire trip and what we did each day, and upcoming posts will go into detail about the trails we hiked.

We left HNL at 5AM on Sunday, August 12 on a mostly-empty flight, regretting our seat selections the entire time as the sunrise was better from the opposite side. The flight was so short that we didn’t bother with requesting to move across the row, we just craned our necks the whole time to see the bright red light begin to fill the sky. Less than 30 minutes after take off, we were transported to a new island, an unfamiliar place with all new mountains and no skyscrapers or interstates. But most importantly, a new county! (Curtis took all of getting off the boarding tunnel to update his map).

Just like our trip to Maui, our vacation started with a quick stop at Walmart for food, then we set out to begin experiencing the Garden Isle. We started by heading North to Wailua. Curtis suggested that we start with a short hike, but I had a few drive-by spots on my list that I wanted to hit while it was still so early. We started at Wailua Falls, which is a 4 mile drive off highway 56 on HI583. Curtis had his doubts when I told him it was a waterfall beside the road, but it proved to be worth the stop — especially this early in the morning, when we were the only ones here. The falls were beautiful, though a bit obscured by the walls guarding the steep drop off from the lookout. The surrounding area has many of Hawaii’s typical “Do Not Enter” signs that signify that an awesome hike begins right there. We weren’t even tempted though, because we know there are plenty of legal hikes that we could enjoy instead.

Our next stop was a few more miles up 56 off of HI580 in Wailua River State Park. Here we enjoyed the empty lookouts for Opaeka’a Falls and the Wailua River. Curtis also found his first letterbox in over a month, so this trip was already off to a great start! We then ventured just a bit further North to go for our first hike: a pleasant jaunt up Nounou Peak, also known as Sleeping Giant.

After our hike, we decided it was time to drive in the opposite direction to the Southern side of the island. The road was busier than before, and we were glad we had gotten an early start for these popular attractions. The drive between Wailua and Waimea was about an hour long, and here we encountered our first rain shower of the trip. I had been following the forecast around the island in the days prior to our arrival, and was disappointed that it looked like it could be rainy the entire time. However, we received hardly any of that predicted rain, and we soon realized that the weather reports here were similar to what we’ve grown accustomed to on Oahu: It is likely to always be raining somewhere on the island, though for the majority of the time the rain will be focused on the mountains. Kauai receives more rain than Oahu (they don’t call it the wettest place on earth for nothing) but that mainly falls on the high peaks in the center of the island, Wai’ale’ale, Kawaikini, and the Alaka’i Swamp.

As we made our way to Waimea, we stopped at the Hanapepe Lookout to get our first peak into one of the deep canyons carved by all the rain from Kawaikini. It was filled with clouds and mist, giving it a mysterious look. I hoped that the views further up the mountains wouldn’t be as obstructed by clouds though. We continued driving through Hanapepe and Waimea, then took Koke’e Road in Kekaha up into the mountains. The clouds disappeared and the scenery was drier and more desert-like, much like the Southeast and Southwest side of Oahu. As we rose in elevation, we noted how much it was starting to look like Arizona — if you ignore the big blue ocean in the rear view mirror!

We made it to Waimea Canyon, and decided to make one last stop at the Waimea Canyon Lookout before beginning our second hike. The lookout was crowded, but we still took our time to savor the expansive views of the deep canyon and the tall two-tier waterfall in the distance. There were some clouds in between the tall canyon walls, but they made it all the more beautiful. Curtis found another letterbox, I took plenty of pictures, and then we drove to the Kukui Trailhead for our hike. I had reserved a campsite at the bottom of the canyon for the night, so after squeezing all we could into our backpacks and removing everything from sight in the rental car, we began our trek down. (Read all about our night backpacking and exploring the canyon here!)

The next morning, we hiked back up and continued driving up Koke’e Road, all the way to the end. We stopped a few more times for different overlooks, then went for a hike in Koke’e State Park. Once we were satisfied with our time here, we drove back down to sea level, this time taking Waimea Canyon Road and stopping to see the crowded Red Dirt Falls along the side of the road.

Once off of Waimea Canyon Road, we made a short stop to check out Fort Elizabeth, a Russian Fort right off the highway in Waimea and on the coast. Our next order of business was to drive to Kalaheo to obtain a camping permit for a county park that evening, then we drove back to Hanapepe to check out the historic district. We stopped to see the Hanapepe Swinging Bridge and walked through a spice shop, then decided we could take our hunger no more and found a local spot for lunch: the Paina Pono Cafe. The staff was very friendly and appreciative of our business and we both enjoyed our meals — I had the chicken with guava rum sauce which was delicious, and since they serve typical Hawaiian plate lunches our meals came with rice and macaroni on the side which makes for a filling meal at a good price.

We thought about going to set up our tent and just relaxing at the beach for the rest of the day, but the beach where we were camping was hot and busy so we decided to drive around some more. This kept us both occupied and in the air conditioning — we kept wondering why it felt so much hotter here than we were used to on Oahu, and concluded that it was because we’re accustomed to the Windward side which is cooler and windier as the name implies, and the Southern sides of the islands are typically drier and hotter.

We drove to Koloa first to see the Spouting Horn — this was something I had seen recommended several times as an easy drive-by attraction and without further research I assumed it was just like the Halona Blowhole on Oahu. As it turns out, not only does it have a large active blowhole, it also makes a loud noise as the waves crash and pour out the spout — hence how it got its name. The area was pretty busy with people and vendors, but it was still worth a stop. There was another hike near Koloa that we wanted to do, but decided it would be best to save it for early the next morning rather than in the heat of the afternoon.

With still several hours until sunset, we decided to just start driving West. We knew that the highway ended at Polihale State Park, which supposedly has unimproved roads and some rental car companies don’t allow taking cars there. However, ours hadn’t said anything against it, so we decided to try. As it turned out, we were just fine to drive our little Nissan on the gravel road, which was nothing like roads we used to drive in Arizona. We made it to the state park and went for a little walk on the beach. There were hardly any people there, everyone spread out so the area felt vacant, and we enjoyed the views of the tall cliffs in the distance.

Finally, we drove back to our campsite for the night at Salt Pond Park. It was still busy in the early evening, but eventually the beach goers and sunset chasers left and we were able to get a good night of sleep right next to the ocean. The night couldn’t have been better for camping — not only did we enjoy the sunset and sunrise on the beach, but also had incredible views of the cloudless night sky, and were able to see the Milky Way, Mars, Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. It was the best night view we’ve had in a long time!

On our final day on Kauai, we drove back to Koloa to go for a hike which took up most of the morning. We were glad we had gotten an early start, as it was already becoming uncomfortably hot by the end of the hike. We decided to seek out some indoor activities for the midday hours, and ended up at Koloa Rum Co. just West of Lihue. We knew they offered a free rum tasting, and since rum is Curtis’ favorite we just couldn’t pass it up. The bartender made the 20 minute tasting both fun and educational, we learned about the decline of the sugar industry on the island and how they created their award-winning rum. They are 100% local Hawaiian company and offer tastings every day all with the purpose of sharing their products with more people in hopes that they will refer more people. If you’re over 21 and interested in free activities on Kauai, we definitely recommend this tasting! Not only did it get us into an air conditioned room for a half hour, but we also got free drinks on our Kauai vacation — score!

The Koloa Rum Co. is located right next to the Kauai Plantation Railway and a few other restaurants, shops, and a Luau, so we walked around for a while afterward. We made our way back up to Wailua for lunch at Tiki Tacos. At first we intended to drive all the way up the North Shore, but the traffic was heavy stop-and-go so we gave up and turned onto a random road that led into the mountains. If we ever have the chance to go back to Kauai, we will focus more on the Northern side. Currently, even if traffic had been better, we could only drive as far as Hanalei before the road is closed to locals only because of severe flooding last spring.

Instead, Curtis suggested we do one last hike that he had found thanks to letterboxing, and it ended up to be the perfect way to end our time on the island. The last item on our agenda was to find some lilikoi chiffon pie — something we had seen advertised often but none of those shops were open when we were passing by. We ended up finding it at a restaurant in Lihue called Hamura Saimin. It was pretty good, and inspired us to get more creative with our Hawaiian foraging finds.

We ended our trip by watching the sunset at Ahukini Recreational State Park which was nearby the airport. The sunset was incredible with bright purple and yellow streaks through the sky. We then said goodbye to this beautiful island, turned in our rental car, and waited for our 11PM flight back to Oahu. We made it home by midnight, and 6 hours later Curtis was off to work. Perhaps we overdid ourselves on this trip — the hot sunny days took a lot of energy out of us — but we are so grateful we had this chance to see a new island and glad we made the most of every minute!

Pu’u Pia

Hiking to Pu’u Pia | August 2018

Pu’u Pia is a short, easy hike in the Manoa Valley of Honolulu. While the summit stands beneath the much higher Ko’olau Mountains, it still offers views of the surrounding ridges, a peek into Honolulu and the ocean, and a walk through a lush tropical forest. As you walk up the clear but sometimes muddy path, you’ll pass by the unique flora Hawaii has to offer, and maybe even find some guava to snack on if it’s in season. The trail is only 2.5 miles round trip and almost 800 feet of elevation gain, yet it is less traversed than the other short and overcrowded hikes. It’s a great place to start if you’re staying in the city and want a nearby hike that isn’t as busy as Diamond Head or Manoa Falls. This is also an alternative starting point for hiking Mount Olympus, which is the trail to the right when you come to the fork. We can’t vouch for this trail as we started from another trailhead, but this one has more of an elevation gain because it starts in the valley rather than up on a ridge.

The day we hiked was cloudy and raining off and on, but the trees provided adequate cover to keep us dry. This area does attract a lot more rain so always be prepared for the trail to be muddy and possibly slick. My favorite view came before the end, with this little grassy area before the trail continued through the guava bushes. We were surrounded by the Ko’olau ridges and I stood and watched the clouds pass over the ridge, just barely hiding the summit from our view. We continued on to the next lookout with a bench, but I felt that the bushes around this one were higher and obscured the views a bit more. The trail appears to continue from here, but it isn’t really worth the effort: it becomes much more overgrown and just leads to the power lines. Once you’re finished with this hike, if you’re looking for more views or hikes nearby, Manoa Falls isn’t far away, and the Mount Tantalus area offers both drive-up views of the city and many more trails.

Pu’u Pia was actually Curtis’ first hike on the island last September. After his first 2 days on the island checking in to his new base, he found this short hike on AllTrails and did it as a Friday afternoon hike. I remember having just left beautiful, snowy Crater Lake and camping in my car at 30º when I received pictures and a video from his hike. I warned him that anything he did without me, he’d have to do again with me.

Strawberry Guava

The next day when I was looking up hotels in Bend, I noticed our shared search history was filled with Google searches such as: “edible plants in Hawaii” “red berries in Hawaii” “red flowers in Hawaii.” It was clear to me then that I was about to join him on an island where many plants were unfamiliar — and while there are lots of trails here that show off those plants, this one really does showcase many different ones in a small area. It begins in a lush forest with greenery shielding trees and draping over the path, then becomes less dense as you head uphill with taller trees surrounding the path. When you’re nearing the end, the trail goes through guava bushes — which are in fact edible and can be enjoyed in the late summer and early fall.

Today, we brought a container with us and filled it with as much ripe guava as we could find (at the beginning of August much of it was still rather tart) and brought it home to experiment. With minimal research, Curtis tried his hand at making guava butter, and it actually turned out pretty good. So far we’ve had it on toast and pancakes. Move over, Cinnamon’s, we’re coming for your brand!

Our Fifth Anniversary

Celebrating our Fifth Anniversary | Friday, July 27, 2018

Our fifth wedding anniversary was on July 27. We had made big plans for an anniversary trip, but the Navy unmercifully squashed our hopes and dreams. It’s fine, we’re over it. Instead, I spent the majority of that Friday eagerly awaiting Curtis to return from his exhausting 36 hour shift, then enjoyed every second of him for 2 hours before he crashed for the next 12 hours. Thankfully, I then had him all to myself until he went in to work on Sunday morning for his next 7 day work week. To top it all off, he also managed to get sick for the second time in a month. But that’s life, right? At least I did get to see him, unlike our second anniversary when he was at OCS. It’s all about perspective, enjoying moments together, taking advantage of free time, and laughing when things go wrong. Taking all that to heart is part of what has made the last 5 years of marriage so positive despite the trials thrown our way.

Obscure Hikes on Oahu

On Saturday, we slept in, enjoyed breakfast together, then made plans for a special fifth anniversary hike. I have recently been searching all sorts of blogs and Youtube channels looking for more obscure hikes. My interests as of late include less popular hikes that aren’t going to endanger our lives. A task easier said than done, but for today I had the perfect hike in mind. Since it was only going to be around 3 miles, we brought Charlotte along. In hindsight, we should have started the hike earlier for her sake. We made up for this mistake by carrying plenty of water and taking lots of breaks along the way.

Finding obscure hikes hasn’t always been so difficult — everywhere else we’ve lived, we’ve always managed to easily find great hikes that don’t get too much traffic, or we picked the right time or season to hike to avoid crowds. Here, that isn’t always so straightforward and simple, and yet we’ve never felt more desperate to take the path less traveled. On Oahu, we have not only a million residents on a small island all hiking the same trails, but we also have multitudes of tourists year-round.

There are many factors that come into play when searching for a more obscure hike. First of all, you need a place to park where your car won’t be ticketed or broken into. You also don’t want to be a nuisance to others, as so many hikes on the island begin at the end of residential streets.

Next comes figuring out if the hike is actually legal. It’s not always black or white, legal or illegal. Illegal can mean “this trail is closed, someone was injured, don’t hold us responsible if you get hurt” which really just means that it isn’t maintained but it’s still regularly hiked. In comparison, illegal could also mean “No trespassing, violators can be fined up to $2500, must appear in court and fulfill community service requirements.” There’s a certain sign you see often around here that says “Area closed, do not walk beyond this sign,” and it’s a known fact that some of the best hikes begin right behind the sign (for example: Crouching Lion, Pali Puka, and Pali Notches).

Now once you’ve determined you can safely park and go for the hike, you need to know how to navigate it. There are plenty of well-worn trails that are used daily by hundreds of people; these trails are suffering from erosion whether the conditions are wet or dry. Then there are the obscure paths that are hardly used and have become overgrown. Sometimes AllTrails is an option, but what if your hike is so obscure that it’s not on the website? Always come with a plan and plenty of food, water, and a first aid kit just in case.

Sometimes you can put in all this effort only to fail. But sometimes, you totally luck out and have a enjoyable scenic hike all to yourself on a beautiful day. Today turned out to be a success! With enough research, we found our way to the trailhead, up the path and to a gorgeous overlook. It gave us a new perspective on this now-so-familiar island. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I absolutely love that we’re still finding hidden gems on this tiny little island. Even after 10 months of hiking every weekend, there’s always a little surprise waiting for us when we put in the effort to find it. We may have hiked every ridge surrounding this one, but it still offered something fresh and inspiring.

We wrapped up our short weekend anniversary celebration with making dinner together at home, and delicious blackberry wine. As the years go by, I find myself reflecting less on our wedding day, and more on all the moments we’ve shared in our years of marriage. We opted to read old blog posts instead of watch our wedding movie this year. I’ll always remember it as my favorite day of my life up to that point, but since then there have been so many wonderful days together. Though life lately has been challenging, I’m certain we will one day look back at this time fondly. I hope we remember how we actively put in the effort to make the most out of every situation, and kept persevering week after week.

There’s so much I could say about things we’ve learned from five years of marriage, but it just seems fitting to share a recent adventure with musings from our life as of late. Out of everything we’ve done and learned, I think we both agree that the best thing we’ve done is commit to taking weekly “adventures” together. Not only is it valuable time spent together learning and experiencing new things, but it has also created hundreds of memories. Here’s to many more years of adventuring together.

Nu’uanu Judd Trail

Hiking the Nu’uanu Judd Trail | July 21, 2018

If you’re looking for a trusted resource to learn more about hiking on Oahu, (other than this blog 😉 ) we recommend The Hiker’s Guide to Oahu by Stuart Ball. It’s where we have found some of our favorite more obscure hikes, as well as gotten information for more popular ones. It shares how to get to the trailhead, where to park (because that isn’t always clear), a thorough trail description, different types of flora along the trail, history in the area, and other need-to-know information. It also doesn’t list illegal hikes where you could be fined, and omits some of the most popular hikes that everyone does (for example, Diamond Head and Koko Crater Stairway).

While it isn’t a priority for us to accomplish every hike in the book, we’re working our way through doing the ones that interest us. Before getting the book, we had hiked the Judd loop trail last December. Afterwards we read about the Nu’uanu trail that branches off the loop and ends at a lookout over the Nu’uanu Valley. We were looking for a new-to-us easier hike with a view, and this one fit the bill. We drove to the trailhead and began the loop trail going clockwise.

There are signs marking the way to the Nua’uanu trail, and we began heading up that path. It started by switchbacking back and forth, up through the pine trees. Once past the pines, the trail continued switchbacking up a hillside. I have to admit that I didn’t enjoy this part of the trail, and honestly wasn’t expecting much from this hike. I always prefer switchbacks over steep straight up the mountain trails, but it seemed as though the path was either super muddy or dry and crumbly. It also just felt dark, as it was West-facing earlier in the morning with a thick tree cover. This part lasted about a mile and gained around 600 feet of elevation.

However, once we reached the end of this stretch, it got better from here: we began following a ridge and had more views to the South, facing Waikiki and the deep blue ocean. One thing we had read from our hiking book was that there were cinnamon trees around this trail. We were starting to wonder which trees they were referring to, and kept our eyes out for any tree that looked unfamiliar.

Eventually the Nu’uanu Trail intersected with the Pauoa Flats trail, and here we took a left. If we were to go right, this trail would lead to the Mount Tantalus area, with other trail intersections that would take you to the Manoa Falls area. Both of these are areas that we’ve previously hiked, and it’s interesting to me to see how they all connect. Just looking at the AllTrails listing for this hike, you can see all the different trails that intersect in this area. There are so many different ways you could create a longer through-hike or loop hike in this area.

The Pauoa Flats trail took us through a large bamboo forest — as always, we enjoy walking through it and listening to the bamboo crash together in the wind, but it always seems to be muddier in these areas. Finally after one last uphill stretch, we made it to our destination overlooking the Nu’uanu Valley and reservoir. We were both pleasantly surprised by how great the view was. I admit I was skeptical that I would be impressed with this hike, but it was definitely worth it. The valley we were overlooking is where the trail to Lulumahu Falls crosses and the Pali Highway goes through. We loved seeing these familiar places from a different angle. (Note — since we hiked the Lulumahu Falls trail last December, they have begun construction on the reservoir so the path has changed. I believe the new trail cuts straight through the bamboo, but I honestly have no idea.)

From this point, the sanctioned trail is officially over, but if we were to hike to K1 or K2, the highest peaks in the Ko’olau range, we would continue on the path to the right for another mile and a half and 1600 feet up. I know this is pretty much the only trail Curtis REALLY wants to do, but unfortunately it’s almost always socked in by clouds. I’m not exaggerating when I say that — I can see this mountain out my kitchen window, and it’s very rare that I see it in its entirety. While we’re learning to appreciate cloudy hikes, this is one we’d want to do on a clear day to make it worth it. Today was definitely not a clear day — from where we were the wind was already strong, meaning it’d be even stronger at the top, and there were dark clouds hovering over the peak. Another day…

The view isn’t the only thing that makes this lookout fascinating — the valley is also a significant battle site in Hawaiian history. Curtis read aloud from the Hiker’s Guide to Oahu about the invasion and fight that took place in this very valley in 1795, that ended with Chief Kamehameha taking control of the island. I have to admit it’s so easy for me to forget that this island is so rich in history when all we see is how Americanized it has become. Taking in the view, it was so hard to imagine a battle going on right in the middle of this beautiful mountain range.

After a while spent enjoying this lookout, we began our trek down. This time, Curtis was determined to find the cinnamon trees, so he picked a leaf and crunched it up in his hand and smelled it. And what do you know — it was cinnamon! Just to be sure, he took a piece of the bark, smelled it, then put it in his mouth. His exact words to me were “It’s just like putting a stick of Big Red in your mouth!” As it turned out, we had been surrounded by cinnamon trees all along!

That wasn’t the only surprise we found on our descent. Have you ever been so focused on the ground while walking that you missed out on the views in a certain direction? I realized that I had missed all these wide South-facing views on the way up, and now was able to enjoy them. It was still just of Waikiki and Honolulu, though there was a small window where we could see all the way out to the Leeward coast and the Wai’anae Mountains. We stopped to appreciate them and the pleasant smelling cinnamon trees for the rest of our hike down.

When we returned to the Judd trail, we continued on the loop just to revisit the rest of the trail. However, we decided to skip returning to the Jackass Ginger pool/waterfall as we could hear all the people there from a distance. Instead, we returned to our car and called it a day, clocking in at 6 miles hiked.

Mokule’ia Trail

Hiking the Mokule’ia Trail to Peacock Flats Campground

Last month when we hiked the Kealia trail on the North Shore, we got a better understanding of what other trails there are in the area. I added a few more on our Hawaii bucket list, and since then have felt even more drawn to that area. We love the drier climate, unique views of the Wai’anae Mountains, and hearing the North Shore waves crashing on the shore even from a distance.

One of the hikes I had written down was the Mokule’ia Trail to the Peacock Flats campground. It was a 7 mile round-trip hike entirely on a paved road which is now inaccessible to cars. It’s commonly known as the “Peacock Flats” trail, though that name is totally misleading — we saw no peacocks and after the first mile it was no where near flat! It’s popular for bikers, joggers, and hikers alike.

We chose to hike this on Curtis’ half-a-day off because it had been raining on the East side all week, and because alternating East vs. West hikes makes adventures more interesting. We drove up to the North shore and parked on the side of the road across from the gate for the trail, which comes right before the Dillingham Airfield. Curtis had gotten off work late so we had a late start (almost 10am) and we soon realized that we were going to pay for it. The sun was high in the sky, it was hot, and this trail provides little to no shade. However, it seemed that all other hikers we saw were leaving, so we had the area to ourselves.

The beginning of the trail goes between farms, and we loved seeing the banana, coconut, and papaya trees, as well as taro and sweet potatoes growing in the gardens. The first mile is completely flat, and then the elevation begins. I won’t lie — it was hard in the heat, but as we got higher the breeze felt so much better! We took advantage of the empty road for some auto-timed pictures together, but aside from that we pressed on and made good time getting up. The views of the valley inland and the North shore were worth it!

We reached the campsite before noon and stopped for a short break. We considered continuing to see if we could meet up with where we stopped when we hiked the Kealia Trail, but saw how much elevation we would lose and have to regain, so we decided to save it for another day. I honestly would love to come back and hike further, as long as it wasn’t so hot! It would make a good hike in the wet season as well since the road is paved and we wouldn’t have to worry about muddy trails. Camping here could also be enjoyable, I’d love to hike up and watch the sunset on the North Shore, and spend an extra day hiking through the forest reserve. The main thing that would keep me away is that dogs aren’t allowed so we’d have to make other arrangements for Charlotte.

The hike back was easy, obviously as it was all downhill, and as we neared our car the sky became more overcast. It rained on us on our way back home — so maybe if we’d waited even later we could have avoided the heat! Oh well, we were just happy we had been able to get out and do something. We returned home to our sweet puppy and made homemade wontons for dinner together.