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Koko Crater Arch

Hiking the Koko Crater Arch Trail | November 17, 2018

It’s not very often that I absolutely despise a hike…but this one just about did it for me. Steep, narrow, scary ridges, rock climbing, strong wind, a near panic attack, crowds of people, and an eroded path down a railway that’s crumbling apart. This day could have been a total bust if not for the random side trail we decided to explore that turned things around.

I’m so upset about not liking the Koko Crater Arch trail. I had heard about it several times and seen pictures, and nothing I had seen hinted at the fact that it would be utterly terrifying for me. All I knew was about the bedrock trail and the arch, which made me think of hiking the (not-so) primitive trail in Arches National Park. I wanted to like this hike so badly, and I was disappointed that it wasn’t anything like I had expected.

To start from the beginning: Last December, we hiked the Koko Crater Railway trail, and disliked it because of how bad of condition it’s in and the large number of people that hike it. We swore to never do it again. Then, someone planted a letterbox at the top. (A letterbox planted at a super popular tourist attraction on Oahu…typical.) It came back on our radar. We had heard about the Koko Crater Arch trail and that piqued our interests. The Hiker’s Guide to Oahu doesn’t mention the railway trail, but it does list the arch trail to the peak. And so, when making a new ‘bucket list’ for Oahu since completing Konahuanui, we added this one to the list.

Hiking over the Koko Crater Arch

Finally, we had a weekend where it had rained the night before, and thought it’d be best to do this hike over a Ko’olau ridge hike. We drove to the Halona blow hole parking lot, then realized we forgot the hiking book. This was unfortunate because there aren’t clear signs to where this hike begins, so we had to rely on technology — the AllTrails app on Curtis’ phone, which hasn’t been very reliable lately. After some trailblazing and frustration, we found ourselves on the ridge and our way up. It only required a little rock scrambling, which I didn’t enjoy but assumed we wouldn’t have any more of that now that we were on the right trail.

Looking down the trail from the Koko Crater Arch

As it turns out, I was wrong. There were many moments where I found myself far outside my comfort zone, feeling mentally stuck in a place I couldn’t get out of. It took a lot of effort, encouragement, and sometimes looking for another way around each obstacle to get up the crater. The first real struggle was walking up the arch. Once we made it past that, I slowly became more comfortable with walking up to the rim of the crater.

Hiking along the Koko Crater Rim — complete with cactus!

Walking along the rim up to the summit was another story. It was a narrow path with steep drop offs on either side, with a strong crosswind beating against me, stealing the air out from in front of my face. But I couldn’t give up… if I could just make it to the summit, we could descend the crater on the railway trail and road walk back to our car. While the railway is my least favorite trail on this entire island, it had suddenly become the lesser of two evils.

The peak of Koko Crater — Taken last December

There was one last obstacle where I was sure I wouldn’t be able to get over…but thankfully we were able to backtrack and take a side trail on the South side that got me out of the wind. We finally arrived at the crater, sat down on the pillbox, and played PokemonGo together. That was the highlight of Koko Crater for me. Curtis looked around for the letterbox…which was missing — who would have thought!

The Koko Crater Railway — Taken last December

Finally, we began our descent down the railway. It was worse than I remembered, and oh so crowded. This time, I mean it: I’m never doing this again. The only part about Koko Crater that I enjoy is the botanical garden! We made it to the bottom, then began our long road walk back to the car.

The mouth of Hanauma Bay

Somewhere between Hanauma Bay and Lanai Lookout, we saw what looked like a path on the side of the road. Since we were already on foot, we decided, why not take it? Who knows if we’d ever get another chance? The path took us down to the mouth of Hanauma Bay (the opposite side from when we hiked Koko Head) and we stopped to enjoy the view of the ocean and the waves. Curtis had been collecting littered bottles and cans the whole time, and happened to find an unopened bottle still full. It was like the earth’s way of saying thank you.

Our 7th monk seal spotted in Hawaii — to the right of the “aloha”

Curtis checked the Geocaching app, and saw there was one hidden nearby at a landmark called the “toilet bowl.” We started making our way in that direction, and a man called us over. “There’s a monk seal over here!” he told us. Sure enough, there it was, sleeping beside the toilet bowl — which is actually a neat tidepool where the water level rapidly rises and falls as the waves rush in, which I suppose made someone think of flushing a toilet, and that’s how it got its name. It was fun to watch — and naturally, this part easily became the highlight of our hike. This was like a little reminder to me that if you’re ever having a ‘bad day’, to go out of your way and find a way to turn it around.

A scene from “Godzilla vs. Kong” at Lanai Lookout

Eventually we said goodbye to the man and our new monk seal friend and made our way back up to the highway. We were intending to stop at Lanai Lookout as well on our way back, but found it to be closed because it was being staged for a movie that’s being filmed on the island — Godzilla vs. Kong. Spoiler alert/Exclusive details: it looks like there’s a plane crash or something, with the wreckage scattered among the rocks of Lanai Lookout on the Southern coast of Oahu. Also, they were filming on the H3 this week. You heard it here first!

Walking along the highway, Koko Crater in front of us

On the rest of our walk back, we continued to pick up bottles and cans thrown around the highway. Once again, the earth rewarded us with a pair of perfect condition Rayban sunglasses! And we made $1.65 in redemptions for the bottles and cans. I guess you could say it was a successful hike/clean up day on the South shore.

Makapu’u Beach

Altogether, our hike was about 4 miles, and I thought the big loop we made around Koko Crater looked pretty cool on our trail recording. After playing a little more Pokemon at the blow hole, we began driving back home — but only after one last stop, where we successfully found a letterbox at Makapu’u Beach. We had visited this beach over a year ago when we first arrived here, and it’s one of my favorites on the island if only for the views of Makapu’u Lighthouse, the islands, and the Ko’olau cliffs behind us. Another weekend adventure accomplished, and another hike checked off our list. If this terrifying hike taught me anything, it’s that I would really like to take rock climbing lessons or something so that I’ll feel more comfortable on trails like this for when we return to the great Southwest!

Kaena Point Pillboxes

Hiking to the Kaena Point Pillboxes | Veteran’s Day 2018

One of our favorite things to do on the island is to return to a hike that we enjoyed and turn it into a new hike. To see the area from a different point of view, to find a ‘secret’ spot off a busy path to enjoy alone, or to take a lesser used side trail. On this particular weekend, we managed to do all 3 of these on an old favorite trail: Ka’ena Point, which leads to the Westernmost point of Oahu.

Curtis had most of Veteran’s Day off, so we drove up to the North shore and to the end of Dillingham highway. It was fairly busy that morning, but the path is wide enough that it didn’t feel crowded. We enjoyed the sound of the big, loud North shore waves crashing against the coral and rocks as we walked. It’s still a little early for whales, but we kept an eye out just in case.

We made it to the point, sat down at the pillbox and played a little PokemonGo before checking to see if there were any monk seals. Sure enough, we saw 2 right away, at the same spot where we saw our first one last February. We then began to wander around, looking for more, as well as other sea creatures in the tide pools.

We turned a corner, and saw one lying in a pool with its face underwater. We stood and watched, looking for signs of movement. We didn’t see any, so Curtis slowly walked around to get a better view. He looked for breathing, twitching, anything to show it was alive. He saw nothing. A dad and his young daughter came over and stopped to look at the seal. Curtis came back over and started to tell him, “If you want to see a live monk seal, there’s two over there–”

“This one is alive,” he replied, and sure enough the seal poked his head out of the water at that moment as if to say ‘Ha! I fooled you!’ Now you know, seals can apparently sleep with their head underwater! We were relieved, and watched him a bit longer before continuing our walk.

I had heard somewhere that there were pillboxes somewhere above the point, so we decided to find the trail that leads up to them. We left the enclosed protected area and searched the hillside for a trail. After scaling a rock, Curtis found a clear path, so we began our uphill trek. The trail was narrow and rocky, and started out by switchbacking up to a concrete platform. From here, we were already enjoying overlooking the rocky point and tide pools, but since we still could see more concrete bunkers above us we kept hiking. The sun was beating down on us and the trail became steeper, eventually just going straight up the hill. We passed by several concrete structures, including one with a ladder that went at least 20 feet down.

Looking down at Ka’ena Point from the pillbox — Note the difference between the waves from the North vs. West

We ended our side trek at what we recognized as a traditional pillbox, covered in graffiti. We stood on top and enjoyed the breeze. We looked out at the coast, and noted the comparison of how big the waves on the North Shore were compared to those on the West side. We then went inside the pillbox to explore and found dozens of HUGE spiders — yikes!

The downhill trek was a bit slow going at first because of the loose gravel and the steepness of the path, but we eventually made it down and walked back to our car. Altogether our hike was 6 miles long, and even though it was our 4th time hiking to Ka’ena Point, we still enjoyed it just as much as our first visit. I love that we were able to enjoy this remote area from a new point of view.

Maunawili Trail

Hiking the Maunawili Trail | Pali Lookout to Waimanalo | October 2018

I turned 26 on the last weekend of October. I know, I know…I’m officially old. Thankfully Curtis got to spend most of the weekend at home with me, and we fit in a couple of fun hikes. On Saturday evening, we returned to the Old Pali Highway and just walked the road up and back. It’s honestly one of our new favorites; it’s not very busy and is a great one to do after it has been raining so much and all the other non-paved trails are muddy. We hiked up and enjoyed the lookouts, and Curtis went and got a better look at Twin Falls.

On our way back, we met a man who was harvesting avocados in the ditch next to the road. We stopped to talk to him, and found out that he is actually the owner of this land. He inherited it from his father, but (un?)fortunately isn’t able to build on it. He graciously keeps the old abandoned highway open to hikers — which isn’t common for privately owned areas around here. He also gave us some avocados — not like the small kind you find at most stores, these were big and round, and just one can make both guacamole AND cover 4 pieces of toast. Score!

The next morning started off slow, and we may have just taken it easy had a friend not texted and asked if we were hiking. We haven’t hiked with friends in a while, and there was one hike I had been wanting to do which required 2 vehicles. Curtis and Zach agreed, and so we made our plans to meet in Waimanalo.

The hike for today was the Maunawili Trail, also called the Maunawili Demonstration Trail, which is a 10 mile long trail that goes from the Pali Highway all the way to Waimanalo, just past the back end of Olomana Ridge. While it is 9-10 miles long depending on where you start, the length is the only challenging part about this hike, because for the most part it’s a flat trail with very little elevation change that follows a contour of the Ko’olau Mountains. The Hiker’s Guide to Oahu calls it “the showpiece of Oahu’s trail system” and the trail was built between 1991-1993 mostly by the Sierra Club.

There were 3 different starting points we were considering: either the official trailhead which is a pull-off on the Pali Highway, the golf course/presbeteryian church in Kane’ohe (the trailhead for Likeke Falls and the Old Pali Highway), and the Pali lookout. If we were to start from the official trailhead, it would only be 9 miles, and parking either at the golf course or Pali Lookout adds an extra mile. We ended up choosing the Pali Lookout because it’s where we felt was safest for a car to be left all day, and the usual $5 parking fee is waived for military. All we had to do was get passed the large gate that blocks off the Old Pali Highway from the lookout…something that wasn’t as hard as we thought it’d be. I’m not sure why it’s there seeing as the trails to Twin Falls, Likeke Falls, the Old Pali Highway, and the Maunawili Trail are all legal, and it doesn’t seem like people get in trouble for getting passed it. Initially there are a lot of rocks lying on the old Pali Highway, so it might just be a rockfall hazard. Anyway, today it was just a small obstacle to get around, and we were on our way.

The first .7 miles were retracing our steps from the night before on the Old Pali Highway, walking downhill on the paved path, slick from recent rain. When we came to the fork in the path, we continued straight rather than left under the current Pali Highway back to the beginning of the Old Pali Highway/Likeke Falls trails. The trail was no longer paved, but still easy to follow, albeit muddy. We were beginning to get a taste of what the majority of today’s hike would consist of: following a contour of the Ko’olau Mountains with many twists and turns and small stream crossings with cascading waterfalls. After descending some steps, we finally met up with the official start of the trail, about 1.2 miles into our hike. There was a sign marking the way, and we set off on our long trek.

The 9 miles that followed all sort of blend together now. I couldn’t possibly give an accurate trip report of each part of the trail we encountered in which order. All that stands out are the highlights: the more impressive waterfalls, the occasional clearing with an impressive view of the Ko’olau Mountains towering above us, the different types of lush green flora, including a huge fern-type plant that we still have yet to identify. We were able to judge how close we were by the angle of Olomana. Thanks to our long hike and driving between Waimanalo and the Pali Lookout, we literally admired this prominent peak from every side.

One thing that we noticed often were the clear waterfall chutes up high between the Ko’olau ridges. Most were dry today, and we began wishing we could do at least part of this hike on a day right after a really heavy rain. However, as we continued walking, we noticed the dangers that come with heavy rains: landslides and fallen trees became more common. There was one particular downed tree that was so big, with the top part of the tree lying over the trail, and we had to weave our way over and under all the branches. For being a “maintained trail” as the book advertised, there was certainly a lot of upkeep that needed to be done. I suppose that’s why there aren’t many trails like this on the island; the trail maintenance would be constant and failure to do so could hold the landowner liable for any injuries that may occur.

We passed by the connector trail that provides an alternate route to Maunawili Falls. Our friend Zach had done this before and warned that it was much more overgrown. Honestly I’m not even tempted to take this path, as our experience hiking to the waterfall that so many friends raved about on the easier route had turned out to be a giant disappointment. I honestly enjoyed the waterfalls we came across on this trail much better than any of the waterfall hikes we’ve done on this island. Towards the end of our path, we crossed other side trails or maintenance roads such as the Maunawili Ditch Trail. Once we reached that one, it was an easy walk on a wide dirt road back to the parking lot in Waimanalo.

You may wonder what’s the fun in hiking such a long trail when there’s no reward, such as reaching the peak of a tall mountain? For me, I was almost just as excited to hike this trail as I was to hike Konahuanui. Just the idea of walking from the Pali Highway to Waimanalo seemed like an impressive accomplishment, and being able to admire the Ko’olau mountains up close on a quiet trail.

But as we walked along the repetitive trail, I decided that it was one of my favorite hikes I’ve done on the island. It felt so remote, despite beginning off a busy highway and ending in a town. The sights, sounds, and even smells made me feel so removed from the cities and traffic on the island. Don’t get me wrong, hiking to the Ko’olau Summit is always enjoyable, but it was a relief to look around and not see a major city wrapping its way around the island, taking over the entire Southern shore. Just a beautiful piece of (mostly) untouched land where I could walk for miles uninterrupted and get a piece of my sanity back. The perfect way to start out this next year of my life. And hey, I was able to walk 10 miles without feeling tired — maybe I’m not that old after all.

Hiking Konahuanui

Hiking Konahuanui (K1 & K2) | Oahu, Hawaii | October 2018

Upon moving to Oahu last year, we were met with two large mountain ranges, a long list of recorded trails on AllTrails, and all sorts of recommendations for hiking. It was all so new and uniquely beautiful and overwhelming. After a few months of living here, researching hikes, and studying maps, we decided what our biggest hiking goals were: to hike the most prominent and highest peaks on the island. This included Mt. Ka’ala, the highest peak in the Wai’anae Mountains and on all of Oahu; Konahuanui, the highest peak in the Ko’olau Mountains; and Olomana, a prominent and precarious peak which stands alone on the Windward side of Oahu.

Our hike up Mt. Ka’ala happened in our first month of living here. Some friends invited us to hike it with them, and I was blissfully unaware of how challenging and strenuous that hike would be. Had I known beforehand, I would have been much more hesitant to join them, but having others to hike with made me determined to finish. When we hiked Olomana, I was definitely aware of how dangerous it was, but we made a spontaneous decision to do so and overall that excitement and adrenaline helped me to reach the peak.

Konahuanui was different. I see this mountain every single day through my kitchen window. Or rather, I see where it should be, as it was usually hiding behind clouds. It only seemed to come out on days when we couldn’t hike, and on those days I could hardly take my eyes off of it. I would gaze up and wonder what it would be like to stand up there, high above the rest of the Ko’olaus. I did so much research on it, and sometimes I would read trip reports and feel as though I wasn’t ready. There were other days when I wasn’t sure I even wanted to hike it. I really believe there are peaks on this island that just aren’t meant to be hiked.

Konahuanui is on the left — this is from last December, the first time I remember seeing the entire peak

But one day a few weeks ago, I began to feel strongly that I wanted to do it, and knew we needed to take any chance to do so. Thankfully we didn’t have to wait long. The morning after our last sunset adventure, I got up early and looked out the window, and there it was — completely clear of clouds. I told Curtis, who was still in bed, but he shrugged it off. We had seen it before like this — completely clear, only to be engulfed minutes later by clouds.

However, an hour later I went back to look and saw that not only this mountain, but the entire Ko’olau summit was completely clear, and I couldn’t see a single cloud in the sky in any direction. I went back to wake Curtis and told him there was no way we weren’t hiking today. I threw out the idea of this hike, and we immediately started preparing. We threw together 8 liters of water, plenty of snacks, and got on the road as fast as we could. We drove to Round Top Drive, the road that goes around Mount Tantalus, to the Kalawahine Trail Head.

When hiking to Konahuanui via the Kalawahine Trail, there are a few significant parts of the trail that make it easy to break up and recall each section. The beginning is overall an easy and flat 2 mile walk through the woods. The second part is a mile long walk along a contour to reach the ridge. Finally there comes the exposed ridge which is also one mile and is where the majority of the elevation change happens.

Taken last July — the Pauoa Flats Trail

The whole drive over, we had marveled at how clear the skies were — both over the Ko’olaus and the Wai’anaes. However, we knew that things could still change quickly. It felt as though we were in a race to reach Konahuanui — racing clouds, rain, and heat. Thankfully the beginning of the trail is mostly flat which made it easy to keep up a quick pace. It was cool and dark under a thick tree cover. We followed a contour around the hills; the path was muddy and covered in yellow leaves and guava fruit.

Taken last July — lookout over the Nu’uanu Reservoir, looking at a cloud-covered Konahuanui

We passed by the trail intersection with the Manoa Cliffs Trail, one we had hiked a part of last April. After a mile of walking we met up with the boardwalk of the Pauoa Flats Trail, and accidentally took the wrong way for .2 miles before Curtis caught our mistake. Finally, we passed the junction with the Nu’uanu Trail, one we had hiked last July. For the next stretch of trail, we retraced our steps from that hike through the muddy bamboo forest up to the lookout over the Nu’uanu Reservoir and Pali Highway. This is where the trail ends, and the real fun begins!

From the bench at the lookout, we continued on a barely visible path between some trees on the right. After the initial narrow section, the trail became more obvious.

Konahuanui — we’re headed to the peak in the center

We weren’t expecting there to be such a long section following the contour, and we rather enjoyed it because it kept us out of the sun. However, as we went along, we observed several parts where landslides had occurred and nearly wiped out the trail. We tried not to think about how fragile this land really was as we were carefully maneuvering the especially narrow parts. Hiking this trail would not be smart during or after heavy rain.

Looking back down the ridge from where we came, with Honolulu, the airport, and Pearl Harbor in view

Finally, we reached the ridge. We had seen it from a distance as we made our way closer, and no matter how close we got it still looked incredibly steep and intimidating. But no time to turn back, we were noticing how clouds were starting to gather to the peaks North of us and were even more motivated to push through while Konahuanui was clear. There weren’t as many ropes on this stretch as I would have liked, but there were plenty of deep ruts in the trail to help with footing. This is caused by erosion, so I know it isn’t a good thing to be thankful for… There were a few good flat areas where we could stop for a break, but we never stopped for long. The ridges ahead always looked daunting, but as long as I kept moving I was able to focus on each next step rather than the steep slopes around me.

View of Southern Ko’olau Mountains from Konahunui, looking back at 6 different summits we’d previously done.

We finally reached the Ko’olau Summit Trail (KST), and were greeted by the best view I’d ever seen of the Southern Ko’olaus. From here, we were only steps away from K2, the shorter of the 2 peaks that make up Konahuanui. However, these steps were by far the muddiest and most overgrown of the entire trail up to this point. We stepped out onto the summit clearing, then just stood and relished the feeling of accomplishment and the beauty that surrounded us.

Konahuanui – Looking at K1 from K2

However, as I mentioned previously, Konahuanui is made up of 2 peaks: K1 and K2. We were standing on K2, which is about 45 feet lower than K1. I knew what came next: A half-mile long steep and treacherous mud slog down 100 feet and back up even more to the summit of K1. It wasn’t necessarily my goal to complete this, I knew I could be happy with K2. However, Curtis is a committed peak bagger, and being this close just wasn’t going to cut it. And so we began to very slowly make our way towards K1.

I probably would have gone the whole way had he not given me an out. Once we reached a point on the KST where we could see all the elevation needed to be lost and gained, he told me I didn’t have to do it. And there was not a single ounce of regret in my mind as I situated myself on a very narrow spot along the trail to watch as he made his way down, up, and then back down and up. I was perfectly content to sit and watch, as well as look out and try to figure out all the other ridges we had hiked to the South. This hike had truly been a long time coming, and now here I could sit and feel proud of all we’d done to get to this point.

Konahuanui – Looking at K2 from K1 – taken by Curtis

Curtis: As far as the hike between the peaks, it was a treacherous mudslide. Unlike the hike up, the trail between the peaks was saturated with mud and although it was rutted, there weren’t any conveniently placed steps (a natural product of people hiking these types of trails). As such, the only reasonable way to get down was to sit on my back heel and use my front heel to steer as I slid down 5 foot sections of trail at a time. Normally that would be fun, right? But when there is a steep drop off on either side, it makes it less fun and more terrifying.

The other side of the same coin is that on the way up the other side for every three steps up I would slide down another two. Eventually, after crawling on hands and knees up the steep incline I made it to the peak of the Ko’olaus. I ran into a group of hikers who had hiked up from the Pali Highway, a shorter but substantially steeper hike. They had plans to hike down to Manoa Falls and then shuttle back to the Pali.

Not sure if Jess could see me, and afraid that she would think I had fallen off if I didn’t make it back soon, I took some pictures, admired the view and then repeated the process a second, and hopefully final time.

Jess: It took him about an hour to walk the .8 miles there and back, and the first thing he said to me when he made it was “That ranks among the top 10 things I never want to do again.” He filled me in on the details of his short solo trek as we made our way back to K2 to sit down and enjoy some snacks. With one last look at the beautiful Southern Ko’olaus, we turned around and began our trek back.

Looking down from Konahuanui through the Pali Notch with H3 in view

Had we been much more skilled at technical rock climbing, we could have made this into a through hike. There are several different ways to reach these high peaks, one being to start on the opposite side at the Pali Scenic lookout, climb up the Notch Trail, up the Chimney which is a vertical rock climb, followed by more steep ridge walking to reach K1, then take the trail we hiked up back down. This is what the other hikers Curtis met were doing. While I’m impressed with the abilities of those much braver and more agile than I, I am perfectly content to walk down my well-rutted ridge that seems so safe in comparison!

For our way down, I strapped on my yaktraks to give extra security on the muddy trail. We took the hike down slowly and with caution as we watched clouds moving in over the peaks we had just climbed. The rain held off until we made it back to the contour trail, and we were kept mostly dry under the shelter of the trees and the shadow of the ridge. I couldn’t get over how perfect this day had been: While the skies weren’t completely clear at the top, particularly to the North, we were still able to have great visibility — we could see the outlines of Molokai and West Maui out over the ocean. It also wasn’t nearly as hot as it had been hiking Lanipo. We were tired from all the effort and miles we had already accomplished, but thankfully all that lay ahead was the easy forest walk.

Altogether, it took us about 7 hours to complete Konahuanui — 8 miles to the peak of K2, and 9 for Curtis all the way to K1. We reached the Kalawahine trailhead completely filthy with mud but also giddy with excitement. If you’re interested, you can see our AllTrails recording of this hike here (Curtis’ phone died towards the end of the hike so we unfortunately didn’t get the entire thing). We celebrated by stopping by a grocery store (still in our muddy clothes) and picking up ingredients for shrimp tacos and scored a $2 cake.

The Aftermath of Konahuanui: A Muddy Mess. Also, I’m wearing Curtis’ pants.

It’s hard to describe what completing this hike means to me, and why it felt so significant. Konahuanui isn’t the highest or longest peak by any means, nor was it the most dangerous trail we’ve ever climbed. It was simply a goal we had for an entire year, a peak we wanted to climb but weren’t able to for various reasons. It is a mountain that I look at every day and see how prominent it is among the rest of the Ko’olau Mountains. I went through stages of doubt of whether I actually wanted to be up there on that tiny little peak where the weather can change within minutes. I didn’t know if we’d ever have the perfect day to hike it. I didn’t know if I would have the courage to do so if an opportunity ever presented itself. But it happened, we did it, and I feel an enormous amount of relief that it happened, and it’s over. Who knows, maybe in a few months I’ll want to go climb it again, but now I truly feel like our biggest goals on Oahu have been completed. If we had to leave Oahu tomorrow, we would be content with that.

Konahuanui – taken last December

But we aren’t moving tomorrow — not for a number of years in fact. How will we find excitement in living here if we don’t have a major goal on this island to look forward to? I’ll admit I worried about that before completing this hike. But as we descended the mountain top and clouds started to hide the peak and fill the valleys, I realized how much of a relief this really was. No more would we have to get up and go straight to the kitchen window and look out and decide if today was the day we should hike Konahuanui. We now have the freedom to hike any old ridge we want — whether we’ve done it before or not — and not feel like we’re missing out of completing our bucket list hike. We’ve been blessed with being able to have some sort of weekend adventure almost every weekend here for a year now, but the next few years won’t look like that.

All that to say, Curtis still hasn’t hiked Diamond Head yet, so I guess he can’t say he’s accomplished all of his Oahu hiking goals. 😉

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.