Hiking Waimano Pools

Hello all, it's the weekend!

Quick Reference:

-Waimano Pools/Falls hike, valley
-Buried in Ewa Forest Reserve in Waimano Valley
-3 miles round trip
-Home of "Cardiac Hill" (700 ft elevation gain)
-Bring swimming gear!

This has been a hectic summer and it only seems to wind up as time presses forward.

Circumstances granted that my immediate family and I all be reunited for a week and we have been jackknifing all over the island at my brother's behest to visit some old haunts. We hunted down some favorite foods and eateries, lounged beachside and attacked the surf at White Plains (see previous post), along with those things you can't plan for like vehicle troubles. (The day my spare tampon plugged a rotted radiator hose and we went on our merry way.) It was such an event-filled week I struggled to remember which days we did what as I updated my journal.

Anyway, on to today--my brother and I had made plans to go snorkeling up North Shore and snag some Matsumoto's shave ice on the way back Friday. Didn't happen. Saturday we hit the swap meet at the stadium and had a huge family party for my brother. Then Sunday rolled around and my bro decided to do other activities, while my sister insisted we go hiking.

Panoramic of the ridge between two very narrow stretches of grove--almost at the bottom!

She chose Waimano Pools and we both fretted if we had already done this trail. It turns out we hadn't.

After a light lunch, Darcie and I headed to Pearl City and took off E Komo Mai [Welcome] Dr., following the road all the way to the end where the trail head sat. I knew we'd reached it when the tiny residence road was packed with vehicles parked on either side of the street.

A view of the west side from the trail.

Squeezing through the fence at the end of the road, we started down the Manana Trail and up a paved road to a water tank and promptly onto a dirt trail. It had rained a rare thunderstorm the night prior and the way was muddy. I always cringe finding soft trails at the start because the deeper into the valleys you go, the more muddy the trails become. Yes, I started with white shoes on this hike and they ended up caked.

The path split on us a couple times and my sister and I are the types who want to explore every branch, just to see where it goes.

We picked our way through the trees up and down gradual grades until the path narrowed and dropped into the valley. A sign pointed us to "Waimano Falls 1 mi" and my sister and I threaded our way over a large exposed root section. This had to be at least a hundred foot root system. We used the trees lining the trail for stability here on out. There was a few spots I would have tumbled headlong had I not been holding onto a guava tree.

A rocky section met us next with another steep grade we had to carefully negotiate because the rocks were wet and our shoes were muddy. The stream danced in and out of our path as it too wound its way to the stream at bottom.

We crossed a narrow bit of stream maybe midway through the trail and descended more, broke out into an open section of ridge that was breathtaking and plunged back into a very narrow section of grove.

The bit of stream we hopped on our way down.

We spilled out at the bottom at last, hung left at the fork, and followed the path upstream. The trail took us over an unfed split in the stream, back to the main branch and we tracked this all the way until we hit the falls.

Smaller panoramic of the stream winding its course through Waimano Valley.

The 'split' in the path had us cross over the active and inactive sections of the stream. Gorgeous!

The first thing you see is the smaller waterfall with a rope swing strung above it. Behind that is the larger falls which made an impressive sight.

The lower pool of Waimano Falls and the swinging rope. I loved the 'weeping rock' on the right.

I was not planning to swim. I usually do not swim as a precaution against contracting a nasty bacterial infection known as leptospirosis. The bacteria comes from infected animal urine or feces left behind in mud or in runoff and can be a waterborne illness in Hawaii. But when my sister (and a whole host of other people) ducked under the big waterfall, I couldn't help myself. I always ache to swim when I go to any waterfall and today I threw caution to the wind.

And the major fall! I could not resist its charms. The water felt great!

It was a blast.

We both swam beneath the big falls and I marveled at the sheer power behind that drop. We also both slid down to the smaller fall and swung off the big rope into the pool below that. Great fun. We must have hung around the falls for a solid hour before making our way back up "Cardiac Hill." And yes, I did have to stop twice to catch my breath.

But it was a gorgeous day and a welcome release to not only hike but hit the water. Here's hoping I came out as clean as I felt.

Happy Sunday.

Aiea Loop Trail

Hello everyone, it's the weekend!

Aiea Loop trailhead sign.

Aiea (eye-ay-uh) Loop trail is one of my personal favorites here on the islands. It's a 4.8-mile loop hike set at the very end of Aiea Heights Drive. True to what the drive suggests, the trailhead is buried high and deep in the Aiea valley. I'm always amazed to climb and climb through residential roads and suddenly burst into jungle straight out of Jurassic Park. It's wonderful to escape the bustle on this trail, even if you hear the roar of vehicles along the H3 for the second half of the hike.

I've hiked this trail several times though I usually only go so far as the H3 overlook before heading back the way I came. The H3 as you can see in the bottom right corner of the picture below is one of three major highways in Oahu. The H3 connects the south to the east and is my family's thoroughfare to get to Kaneohe, Kailua, or Bellows (which was mentioned in a previous post.) Otherwise I have to contend with the mud of the 'lower' section and then push my already muscle-torn legs up the steep road back to the car.

I started recording my return trip from the H3 overlook, so really I hiked 3.16 miles.

There is plenty of skirting mud pits, picking over roots, ducking fallen trees, jumping fallen trees, and hills to fill in the first 'half' of the hike--so my roughly 3-mile stint is satisfying. It also doesn't take an eagle eye to see feral pig signs all along the trail--any spot with churned up mud details a pretty picture of pigs rooting around for, well, roots. And in the right season, the trees will either be in bloom or fruiting. It's not quite as fun catching the after-fruiting season because flora like this strawberry guava drop, rot, attract insects and generally stink.

This trail gets very muddy too. I remember thinking I would hike Aiea a couple days after a storm and it would be fine. Wrong. The trail started out dry enough but the farther you push into the jungle, the larger the mud puddles become. Being stubborn, I threaded my way to the H3 overlook and returned topside with brown shoes, brown legs to the knee, and funny looks.

These puddles will stick around for days and lift your shoes if you're not careful.

But when the trail is dry, it's great! There are some sections that are very narrow and you're rarely far from a drop off. You might have one hand on the wall as you lean away from sheer plunge. Every time I hike this trail there's some new surprise. A new fallen tree blocking the path or having torn out an entire section of trail. I'm not sure who comes in and hacks notches into the more stubborn trees, but it makes the going a bit easier--especially when the other options are belly-crawl under or risk a tumble over. 

Hand and foot notches in one fallen tree along the first half of the trail. 

I do have a couple favorite spots along the trail as well. The sudden wide expanses of eucalyptus trees are a heartsore for me. The dapple of light and whiff of faint but sharp citrus is what really makes me love this hike. There are no falls here. There is a creek hikers cross at what I lovingly refer to as the humid 'lower' section of the trail; literally a hop or skip or jump to ford before you wend your way back up out of the valley.

My favorite spot--a paperbark grove roughly one mile in from the upper parking lot.

I notice most folks seem to pass me in the opposite direction, which means they start the trail in the lower parking lot and enter the nondescript tunnel of floral to begin their trail. I enjoy starting in the upper lot which I believe is the actual trailhead because all the signs and warnings are listed there. Granted, you do have to make that horrible long haul up at the very end when you're already exhausted.

For any interested in hiking Aiea Loop: Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, bug spray (although I usually don't have any bug troubles), an umbrella, and ignore the smaller 'branch' trails. Those are pig trails. There are also a couple other trails that branch off from the Loop but the Loop trail is often the wider course, so stick to that and you shouldn't have any troubles.

Enjoy and happy Saturday!

The H3 overlook as seen from the crest of Aiea Loop. 

Ka'ena Point Hike

Hello everyone, it's the weekend!

Ka'ena Point is the westernmost point on Oahu "ka'ena" in Hawaiian means "the heat." No small wonder that. Both times I've hiked to the point have been in the sun with a hot wind on my shoulder, so to speak. The mountainsides are often parched and shade is sparse, but a number of animals and vegetation call Ka'ena home.

I hiked from the North Shore entrance with my sister back at the end of March. It says about 6 miles, I started the log late. We did a lot of stopping too (so I could take pictures) but it was lovely. And hot!

This is the hike I did today with my friend and her hubby. I only recorded us going one way. It was an earlier start so slightly less hot. But still hot!

The uneven road leads to a Natural Area Reserve for moli (Laysan albatross) and wedge-tailed shearwater, which is actually fenced off from rats and other opportunistic animals prowling nests. There are also a number of native plants inside the reserve under the same protection. Hikers have to pass through a double-door enclosure to get inside and must stay on a marked trail for the remainder of the hike.

Fun fact: Some ancient stories depict Ka'ena as the launching point for souls bound for the after life.

All right, I've actually done this hike in two parts. The first time I went with my sister from the northern entrance (and these are the pictures you will see below) roughly a month ago during the heat of the day. The second time, today, I went with a good friend of mine and her husband from the western entrance. Most of the other Hawaiian isles have a road that goes around the entire island. This is not the case in Oahu. Our roads dead-end at Ka'ena Point.

I participated in geocaching on today's hike rather than taking pictures, which I really enjoyed! Modern treasure hunting, ahoy!

A young Hawaiian Monk seal takes a nap in the sand.

Having done the entire hike from both sides, albeit on different days at different times, I can say that the western entrance is much easier to walk as the northern has potholes galore. However, the northern entrance treated us to many more welcoming little coves to explore and swim and we were treated to many more animal sightings. I'll make a list!

North Shore (northern) 2.5 mi; 5 mi round-trip                

PROS

-Faster to get to (less lights)                                              

-Plenty of native wildlife to see                                        

-Plenty of little private coves to dive into and explore                                                                

                                            

CONS

-It's hot                                                                       

-The terrain is really rough and four-wheel drivers are everywhere       

-No restrooms       

Waianae (western) 2.5 mi; 5 mi round-trip

PROS

 -Mostly even terrain for hiking

 -Less competition for parking

 -Less four-wheelers squeezing you out on the path

CONS

-It's hot

-The road is washed out toward the end, you'll have to do some minor climbing. 

-No restrooms                                                  

I highly recommend anyone who goes on these hikes to bring plenty of water and sun tan lotion and to leave early enough to beat the heat. I hiked the first time right around 11 a.m. and it was a scorcher the entire way. I'm not one to walk around with my shirt off unless I'm swimming, but I did that day. After swimming. Which was perfect after hiking the bulk of the trip.

LOOK--A WHALE!

Both entrances lead to the point and are roughly a 2.5 mi trail, which ends up being a 5-mile hike there and back again. Set aside a good 3 hours for this one. And seriously, the earlier you can trot this beast, the better. Not only will you get better parking, but you'll only overheat for maybe half the hike.

Ka'ena Point, the westernmost point on Oahu. If you look closely, you can spot two monk seals. Can you find them?

Other than the blazing sun, little shade, and bumpy terrain in spots, this makes for a nice hike. And the views are gorgeous!

Looking back toward Oahu, the path splits east and south.

The first time I hiked this trail, my sister and I walked from North Shore, which lies in this direction.

And for the second hike my friends and I came up from Waianae. 

Fun fact: The point was named after one of Madame Pele's, the volcano goddess, brothers.

My sister was game to go swimming in one of the inlets on my first hike and that was awesome and totally refreshing. The second time I got to geocache with my friend Michelle and her hubby. It's a lot of fun hunting around for the containers and seeing what little treasures are in them. It's also neat to see other people 'playing' this worldwide game and the last time the cache was 'looted' so to speak. 

Either way gets you to the point and either way has its pros and cons, but it is a hike I recommend all visitors to Hawaii (and residents for that matter) do, if not to take in the scorched western side, than to see some native flora and fauna and take a dip!

Happy Sunday.

The trend begins

It's a new year. Well, rather late into a new year to get started, but I'm starting now anyway.

You know how dogs pick up a scent and run with their noses to the ground? I feel like a lot of people run through life this way; we pursue this goal with our heads down and forget to look up to see what's surrounding us. That was me last year until I took this trip. Blindly charging forward, not even knowing what I was chasing, probably following this scent in circles and not really going anywhere.

The game changer.

Until I stopped. And looked up.

I can't be the only one who feels like 2014 is a breath of fresh air. Maybe its the nice seven "2014" makes or because the Magic Eight Ball told me so--but this year has got some mojo to it.

And you know the Magic Eight Ball don't lie.

But change is on the horizon. A good change. Here are some resolutions I wrote on a 3x5 card for this year verbatim--feel free to steal a few for yourself:

-12 months, 12 books, no excuses! (5/12)
-200+ minutes of exercise/week (I already biffed on this one, but every week is a new week)
-Get into grad school  
-Get a book published (or at least secure an agent, come on)
-Write an original piano piece  (And it was terrible! More on this later...)
-Online writing, peddle your craft, be serious! 
-Sing more, get out more, LET IT GO (Yes, Elsa left a profound impression on me)
-Learn a new skill
-NaNoWriMo 2014, you know which one (No, I don't.)

I came to the realization a lot of successful people already know and that's 'Life is what you make of it.' I never really grasped this concept so fully until I actually stuffed my inhibitions and really put myself out there. I made new friends and we went places and did things I never would have done otherwise. What you're willing to put in is exactly what you will get out of it. So I've resolved to be a producer this year. Hence the spine for this blog.

I've had this trend for the last month at least where I was doing something every weekend; hiking, writing group sharing, convention-ing and I figure, heck, why not share a bit about the experience? You've talked about maintaining a blog and you want to be a producer? Post something every week!

So that's what I'm going to do.

Tomorrow I'm hanging out with friends and finally hiking the Pillboxes in Lanikai.

While I won't carpe diem every diem, I will make a sincere effort to keep my nose off the ground and look up. Come with me--it's the weekend!