Totally thought I posted this on Easter when I took it… I must be getting old if I can’t remember the little things! Hope everyone’s weekend is going well!
Tag Archives: Oahu
Sunset through the trees
Hawaii usually gives us some pretty stunning sunsets, and yesterday was no exception.
Kuli’ou’ou Ridge Hike
So yesterday, my bff and I went on a rather daunting hike, Kuli’ou’ou Ridge. It starts off easily enough, set under the shade of the multiple trees, it’s nice being out of the sun… multiple switchbacks which makes for a slow incline to start, but once you reach the picnic tables (yes there’s a roofed picnic area) the hike goes from fancy free to the seventh level of hell.
The remainder of the hike is a massive incline up the mountain side, mostly stairs. You’re above the level of the trees, at this point most of the greenery is shrubs offering no respite from the blazing sun. At this point you’re high enough to walk through and sometimes above a few clouds.
But, if you can tough it out (it’s about 2.25 miles to the top) the view is spectacular and absolutely worth the hike.
The view from the top. Waimanalo side.
The Hawaii Kai side.
Absolutely stunning, and absolutely worth it. Just a few words of advice though, if you decide to do this hike, I suggest starting relatively early, that way when you’ve reached the second half (aka the seventh level of hell) it won’t be too hot under the blazing Hawaiian sun. Also, I recommend bringing water, and lots of it. While you’re doing the first half, although you’ll be protected front he sun under the shade of the lovely trees, it does get quite muggy, and humid, which leads to muddy bits and mosquitos. I recommend good shoes and mosquito repellent. Also, sunscreen.
It should also be mentioned that it is a hunting area. You should check the mailbox at the start of the trail to see if there are any hunters in the area as a precaution. I usually tend to hike during the week, so I haven’t had to share the trail with any of them, however there were a handful of hunters that checked in over the weekend. There are two trails, a valley and a ridge trail, and I think that most of the hunters stick to the valley trail as I’ve never seen any wildlife or game of any kind on the ridge hike.
Until next time my lovelies! Stay classy!
Aiea Loop (Poop) Trail
So last week Kristin and I decided to go hike the Aiea Loop Trail/Keaiwa Heiau Loop Trail. I hadn't done the trail since I was in elementary school and I severely underestimated the intensity of the hike. I'm not a super in shape person, and thus I suffered for my misjudgment. Although to be fair to the trail, I would've had a much easier time doing it had I not needed to use the bathroom a third of the way in… -_-
In my mind the trail was only a couple of miles long, so I made the foolish mistake of not using the restroom before starting even though I had a venti sized sugary Starbucks concoction en route to the hike. There are two entrances to the hike (both have small parking lots), one at the bottom near the campsite and picnic tables, and one at the top, (both of which have very clean bathroom facilities) we decided to start at the bottom and go up and around… BIG MISTAKE!
It was uphill the entire way. Would've been much more leisurely to have started from the top and gone down… Like EVERYONE else we saw on the hike was doing… We were the only lolos (dummies) going up… Even the super in shape, jogging to trail for exercise folks were going down! Once I'm a bit more in shape and reacclimatized to the humidity here, I wouldn't mind doing the trail again, going up… But for now I think I'll stick to starting at the top and working my way down.
DinoMickey had a blast, but then why wouldn't he? He was carried around in my backpack the entire time!
There are some really pretty views from the trail, which made the trek worth it, even though it was super cloudy and I didn't take any of the harbor views, the valley in which H3 runs through is beautiful. To view the H3 and Pearl Harbor you need to deviate off the main trail, however the paths to good photo opportunities are well used and easy to spot, so no worries of getting lost if you deviate off the main path. 🙂
The whole of the trail is in the middle of lush vegetation, with large shading trees keeping you protected from the sun, and in our case rain. I would however recommend mosquito repellant, because its jungle-esque and wet, there were a lot of mosquitos around, and they love to bite me… It's a miracle I made it out with minimal blood loss!
Enjoy some of the photos from the adventure!
If you find this at the start of your hike, you're at the bottom and will be going up majority of the trail…
The beginning
Don't forget to duck!
A view of the H3 from the trail
The start of the trail from the top… The way I'd recommend going!
All in all the trail was fun, just make sure you're prepared for a 4.5 – 5 mile trek that can be muddy even on relatively dry days, with twists, turns, ups, downs, and areas that require climbing up and over or down and under fallen trees. 🙂
Until the next adventure, stay happy and healthy!
–Getting2KnowL
Posted with BlogsyDinoMickey at Makapu’u & Kona Brew!
Today my best friend Kristin and I took DinoMickey to the Makapu’u Lighthouse trail, it’s a relatively easy hike seeing as it’s entirely paved… However it is uphill pretty much the entire way. The trail round trip is about 3 miles and took us just over an hour to complete. The weather was overcast and a little gloomy, but luckily it didn’t rain.
Since the weather was still holding up we decided to stop at some of the scenic view points along the way before finding something to eat for lunch. We ended up along the jagged coast, watching the waves crash against the rocks from beyond the marked safety viewing area, something we only attempted because the tide was low.
DinoMickey with Koko Head in the background!
DinoMickey at the Makapu’u Lighthouse!
Learning about whales!
Rabbit Island in the background!
Posing on the edge!
From the Koko Head Scenic Point
Well deserved post hike/adventure refreshments at Kona Brewing Company, Hawai’i Kai
Super thanks to Kristin for treating DinoMickey and I to lunch! The Kona Brewing Company had some delicious pupus and some pretty tasty brews, I’ll definitely be making a return trip!
Until the next adventure! Stay happy, healthy and full!
–Getting2KnowL
Adventures of DinoMickey!
Since moving home I’ve been obsessed with hiking… And what better way to make use of my vast Vinylmation collection than by taking my favorite one on my hiking adventures?!
This is the first of what I hope will be many! DinoMickey adventrues, this one coming to you from the Pillboxes hike in Lani Kai/Kailua, Oahu.
Until the next adventure! Stay healthy and happy!
–Getting2KnowL
getting2knowl 