Kuliouou Ridge- Complete

My friend recently suggested we do this trail and it was a great opportunity to finish this trail.  The first time I did it I had 3 kids with me and they just pooped out.  This time, I finished it but there is no way the kids would have been able to finish this trail.  Maybe my 8 year old would last now.

The trail starts at the end of Kalaau Pl on the south eastern part of the island.  From Kalanianeole Hwy you will turn onto a road called Kuliouou so it’s pretty easy to find.  It begins on a board of water supply maintenance road and bears right.  There are signs to help you identify the route.  The whole hike is pretty well shaded for 3/4 of the hike.  Only the last mile or so is exposed.  Maybe it’s only a half mile, but the 200+ steps made it feel like a mile.  If you’re looking for a cardio workout you can get it with this trail.

All the work is worth it though.  When we got to the top of the ridge we had a view of Kaneohe and Waimanalo on one side and Hawaii Kai from the other side.  It’s was an incredible view.  We were thankful for the cloudy day because the last push would have been totally brutal if the sun was beating down on us.  I thought we were going to get wet several times but the showers were light an brief so we didn’t have to be soaked, except in sweat.

If you look closely you can see bellows field runway. Still visible even though it’s no longer in use

I’ve been trying to squeeze these trails in before I go and I have been doing that when the kids are in school.  So, as much as I would have liked to, I didn’t get a chance to explore beyond the end of the sanctioned trail on to the KST.  But, it was a great way to blast some calories, enjoy some incredible views and socialize with one of the most wonderful people I have met in Hawaii.

 

 

 

 

 

Oneawa Hills aka. Friendship Garden Trail

This is one of those hikes that’s been on my to do list for a long time.  I hiked Friendship Garden’s short trail 3 years ago with my hiking buddy Michelle.  At the time we spotted the trail heading up the ridge and said we wanted to come back when we were in better shape.  We never got around to it since I got busy with my diving adventures and she started working full time.

Another friend recently contacted me and said she had done part of this trail and wanted to finish it.  So we set out from friendship garden for our little adventure into the hills of Kaneohe on a Saturday morning.

The trail starts in Friendship Garden in Kaneohe.  It’s a privately maintained Chinese garden which is a great place to meditate and just enjoy nature.  The trail into the hills starts along the upper loop and goes up a crumbly slope to it’s first view.  After the lookout it goes up some more crumbly ground and continues back into the hills toward Kapa’a Quarry.

As the name implies, there are several ups and downs on this trail but nothing too severe.  Our route would total 5 miles including some bushwhacking to the veterans memorial cemetery where we would catch a ride back to the trailhead.

We intended this trail as and out and back hike until my friend became tired and her knee started to bother her.  About that time we met 2 other ladies on the trail and they offered a ride back to the start.  Looking at satellite imaging I determined that we were more than half way to the other end and convinced my friend to come and meet up with me.  As time went on we would lose our ride and have to call in reinforcements from town.  Luckily her friend was willing to give us a ride.  It was an adventure neither of us will soon forget but the views were worth it.

Others who have written about this hike have called the quarry beautiful.  I don’t know if I agree with that assessment.  It’s basically a big water-filled hole in the ground where rock is mined for commercial use.  I’m just not sure that I would consider such an industrial site beautiful.  Interesting or neat would be the words I would use.  The best views, in my opinion, are the ones looking back out to the coastline.

When all was said and done the hike took a little over 6 hours and totaled about 5.25 miles.  Under normal circumstances would probably take around 3 hours to complete done one direction and about the same if you were to hike in to it’s highest point an back out.

 

 

Iliahi

I found a group of people that hike every Saturday through my friend and dive buddy Debbie.  It’s great because there are enough people in the group that they always have enough to hike and the fact that they go on Saturday mornings is perfect for me.  Everyone in the group is pretty experienced and they often choose off the beaten path hikes.  It gives me a chance to do a bunch of hiking I might not otherwise find and some longer distance ones I have had trouble finding buddies for.

A typical Saturday morning starts at 8:30am at the trailhead that is determined by the group’s coordinator and emailed out on the preceeding Thursday.  This was my first hike with the group and it started at the top of Komo Mai Dr. in Pearl City.  It shares a trailhead with Manana Ridge, which I hiked with a friend earlier this year.

The name Iliahi is actually the name of a rare endemic tree that is found along the route.  The trail splits off from the Manana Trail at a set of power lines and continues downhill for the first half-mile or so.  It then begins a series of ups and downs that are quite tiring.  While it’s not a long hike, at 5 miles, and not particularly dangerous, it’s requires endurance.  The trail is cleared periodically by the Hawaiian Trail and Mountain Club and can also be done with them for a small fee.   I think I probably would have joined the HTMC if I had more time left here.

The views from the Iliahi trail are similar to those from the Manana trail, in fact, the Iliahi loop returns on the Manana trail.  I enjoyed the views if the lush green valleys and photographing my fellow hikers on the ridge in front of or behind me.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

Plains in the middle of a mountain range? Actually pretty typical of certain areas of the Ko’olau Mountains

I don’t know why, but I like to frame these cool dead trees in my shots

 

 

 

 

Kauai Day 2

Our second day in Kauai started out cold, but clear skies.  We were awoken by roosters, many roosters.  I thought the Pali look out and Haleiwa had chickens but they have few chickens in comparison to Kauai.  I even saw t-shirts that said that the rooster was the mascot.

We ate a breakfast of cheese danish and strawberries and then headed up to the look out points before the clouds had a chance to roll in.  It turned out to be a good move since the clouds roll in every afternoon.

When I originally planned this trip I looked at the proximity of the Kalalau trail to Koke’e state park figuring we could hike the canyon one day and the Na Pail coast the next.  It would have been a short trip between the two, if there was a road connecting them.  Instead you have to drive completely around the island to reach the Kalalau trail from Koke’e.  Fortunately someone pointed this out to me a couple of weeks before our trip so we knew what we were in for.  Michelle and I both felt like this was a bucket list trip and said we didn’t mind making the drive.  We had an alternate plan but didn’t need it.

Despite our restless night we set off down the long and winding road back to civilization.  Really, I’m not kidding, there is zero cell service up there and even my endomondo GPS couldn’t get a signal.  As we came down the mountain we were able to see the canyon on one side and Ni’ihau on the other.  Ni’ihau is western most of the 7 Hawaiian islands and is privately owned.  It has no hotels or resorts and is largely occupied by people of native Hawaiian ancestry who live off the land and have few amenities.  You have to be invited to Ni’ihau in order to travel there.

Once we hit the main road we decided to take a ride out to Barking Sands Missel range and see what it was like.  I tried to get a cabin there but they were all booked.  It’s beautiful with cabins right on the beach.  We watched some surfers for a little while before deciding to make our way back to the south and east and head to the Kalalau Trail.  Michelle’s husband is a Marine and if they ever get stationed there I am definitely going to have to visit her!

Along our route to the trail we got to see great coastline views and pass through some quaint little towns.  We stopped and took pictures of Hanalei Bay and explored some caves close to the beach.  The closer we got to our destination the taller the mountains became and the more spectacular the views were.

We finally reached the trailhead around lunch time and munched some fruit and more granola bars.  Yes, we pretty much lived on them all weekend.  We started the hike around 1 or so and it took us around 4 hours out and back.

The first .5 mile or so is shale type rock and usually wet.  There were lots of places to put your feet because it’s very well-traveled.  There is a lookout only about .25 mile in that many go to.  Beyond that first lookout there were fewer people but still a good number.  We planned to hike to Hanakapi’ai and see how we felt.  The water from the campground that we filled our camelbak’s with didn’t agree with Michelle so she was a little under the weather.  She stuck it out despite my offers to turn back.

We saw people of all ages on the trail but you could tell the ones that had thought the hike through and the ones that didn’t.  We saw people in slippers, barefoot, backpackers in boots and everything in between.  Slowly though, we saw families that passed us in the beginning turning back.  They were saying it was really muddy and slippery and some just didn’t have the stamina to continue.  But we pushed on because we’ve done mud and muck enough times that we were not concerned.

The last .75 mile of the trail is downhill to the beach.  Hanakapi’ai beach is the first pit stop on the 11 mile trail.  In order to get to the beach you must cross Hanakapi’ai stream.  Most were stepping from rock to rock trying not to get their feet wet or walking barefoot or both.  I decided to just wade through with my boots on for more traction on slippery rocks and because my balance isn’t all that great.  Michelle decided to do the same.  The day we were there the water was about knee-deep but it can rise quickly and people can be stranded on the far side.  It happens a few times a year usually.  On both sides of the stream are lifeguard floats which seem a bit ominous.  Hanakapi’i beach is rocky and is known to have strong currents.  There are signs at the top of the last flat before the descent to the beach for dangerous shore break, loose rock, and slippery ground.

We spent a half hour or so among the stilted palms on the rocky beach watching the surf before we turned around and headed back.   The climb back to the ridge above isn’t steep but it’s a good .75 miles and it is definitely a workout.  This was also the first time I used a hiking pole and I was glad to have it several times along the way.  I would definitely recommend them.  I am seeing more and more people using them on the trail.

On the return journey we chatted with a nice young couple and enjoyed talking to them.  They were heading back from their backpacking trip.  At one point they mentioned wanting a “bubba burger”, which I had heard are very good.  So our dinner was planned and were glad it wasn’t granola bars.

When we got back to the trailhead the ocean was calling my name and it was nice to get in the cool water.  We didn’t stay too long since we planned to spend the following day at the beach.  We did, however, take a quick shower since we didn’t want to take a cold shower at the campground when it was only 50 degrees.

The last day we were in Kauai we kept things simple.  We went and got souvenirs and planned to spend some time on the beach before our afternoon flight.  We should have done that in reverse because when our shopping was done it started raining. No wonder they call it the garden isle!  They get rain every day!

But, we were undaunted by the rain and decided to view 2 different waterfalls close to town and viewable from the road.  The first was Opaeka’a falls and it was really gushing.  Michelle said she had never seen a waterfall that big.  I have!  Niagra Falls!  Seriously this sucker was really moving.  The second was Wailua falls which is also viewable from the road and very nice if you just want the view without the hike.

So that’s our trip.  A few pointers for Kauai.  If you want the quiet island feel then Kauai is for you.  If you want night life, bars and restaurants its not for you.  Bubba burger is not very good.  The burgers are a little larger than McDonalds burgers but not much.  Teddy’s Bigger Burger is much, much better.  Along the trail we saw people hiking barefoot on their way in and some pretty grungy people on their way out.  Apparently there are actually quite a few people at the end that live there.  I understand that they like to trade food for a certain plant they have an abundance of if you catch my drift.  Kauai has a real country feel and we observed quite a few people live a nomadic lifestyle.  There were quite a few people living inside Koke’e state park in cabins only accessible with 4 wheel drive.  It has natural beauty and charm written all over it.  I’m so glad I got to experience it before I leave.

Likeke Falls- Two hikes is better than one

I’ve wanted to do this hike for a long time now. It can be done 2 ways, either from the Ko’olau Golf course or from the Pali Lookout. I chose the latter because it’s longer and the route sounded like more fun. Well, I asked for fun and I got it.

The first time we hiked this with 5 kids and 2 adults. Two of the kids are 10 or older and 2 more were 8 so we really only had one that needed a lot of help. Julia and I have become friends and we’ve found that taking all the kids hiking is a lot of fun and that they keep each other going. Neither of our husbands are big hikers so it works out nicely for keeping them busy on days off from school.

Our hike started out fine. We parked at the Pali Lookout and started down the old Pali Hwy toward where the trail splits. One direction goes down to the Maunawili Demonstration Trail and one goes to Likeke Falls. The Likeke falls trail is popular but not a state maintained or sanctioned trail and therefore there are no signs to guide you on the trail. Many of the trails here have at least ribbons to mark them but this one proved confusing.

Just after the trail splits there is a ladder that take you down under the current Pali Hwy. At the base of the ladder is a lot of cool graffiti and a trail that leads off to the right. Do Not take this route! Unless, of course, you want to slip and slip and slide down into a big gulch and get a little lost.

Obviously, we went right on our first attempt. It was a downhill slide on dried leaves and loose dirt down to a dry streambed where the trail vanished. We had a lot of fun along the way, though, so I don’t regret it at all. We came out onto a mysterious road that led to a few houses. After checking the map on my phone and having a snack Julia and I decided to stay on this old unused road and look for a better route back. The road led us to some other people and several trails off to the side. Thankfully, the other people were able to tell us how to make our way back and also where Likeke Falls could be found. We opted to turn back instead of going to the falls because it was getting a little late and neither of us really wanted to sit in traffic for hours.

Our second attempt came a couple weeks later and we went as a family. It was a miracle that we got my husband to agree to hike with us! But daddy caves when the kids ask him to do something. We began at the Pali Lookout again and this time had a better idea where we were headed. Once we made it out to the old Pali Hwy again we headed in the direction of the waterfall. We had a good idea where we were going but still played a little bit of a guessing game. We finally got to Likeke Falls and it was a nice family friendly hike. It is popular, though, so if you like quiet and solitude this probably is not the hike for you. I tend to like the off the beaten path hikes myself but I enjoyed our little adventure.

The Crew