July 2011

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [View All Photos] The day after we arrived, we thought we'd head into valley to explore Kalalau Stream. The main valley trail is listed as being 2 miles on the sign, but the trail to Kalalau Falls was not listed or distinctly marked... there were actually several indistinct lines that lead back into the valley. We asked several inhabitants of the valley if they could direct us to the falls, but they basically told us, "Listen to the aina, it will always tell you the way..." or appeared to have a plethora of obscure landmarks and flakey directions...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [View All Photos] Another adventure I had my eyes on for sometime now was to swim to the next beach west of Kalalau. On a map, the swim to Honopu Beach is not far at all, maybe a quarter-mile from shoreline to shoreline... However, the summer westward current is often strong, and the trip swim back can be difficult even for stronger swimmers. Boats and Kayaks are not allowed to land here, nor is camping permitted. If you do decide to make the journey, you should definitely bring and use fins and definitely be comfortable swimming against a strong...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [View All Photos] In addition to the many activities to experience while camping at Kalalau, this trip was specifically planned around watching the full moonrise from Kalalau Beach in July. As the beach gets moonlit to near daylight, a different perspective of landscape illuminates. This may be contradictory to what other people may anticipate, as the intensity of the moon does drown most of the star light and creates less distinct constellations. The last time I was here was during a near new moon, so everything was looked like this picture...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [View All Photos] Arriving in Lihue around 6am, the Lost Trailblazers (Jenelyn Castillo, Jennifer Liu, Reanne Solomon, David Chatsuthiphan, Troy Takara and myself) made sure to eat a caloric McDonalds breakfast and purchase the rest of our camp checklists at Walmart, i.e. alcohol and bottle water, since most stores are not open around that time... NOTE: Walmart does not sell Bacardi 151 (Fail for the Jens and Reanne, lol). We set off for Haena around 715am, and reached the Kalalau trailhead by 9am. Needing to repack to accommodate water and other...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] [View All Photos] In addition to 6-weeks of rigorous physical training / conditioning for the Kalalau Trail (slow twitch muscle/ endurance exercises, strength training, joint conditioning, pack weight balancing etc.), there are several items you will need to acquire and be familiar with before your trip. Below is a basic guide for use as starting point for your research, but use the advice at your own risk. You should get many different opinions about backpacking, camping and safety/logistics of the Na Pali Coast before committing to your trip. You do not have...

Pupukea and Sharks Cove is a great place for people to scuba, snorkel, swim, or even just tan on the beach. The area is a marine life conservation destrict (MLCD), where removal or harm of it's inhabitants are regulated or restricted... and therefore is a great place to view a "more natural" abundances of coastal resources. The MLCD is located from the Wananapaoa Islets (West of Waimea) to Kulalua Point (East of Shark Cove). In addition to the activities mentioned above, there is one less publicized, one many locals don't even know about. The shoreline reef area contain several underwater...

Hall of fame hike? That's what it felt like with the presence of so many hiker "greats" on the same trail. Nate Yuen, Steve Rohrmayr (Waianae Steve), Marcus Griego, Baron Yamamoto, Jeremy Kreis.... just to name a few (Just missing David Concepcion and Laredo Muredo for a full house!). Despite my feelings that I've over-explored Manoa Valley, I was somewhat entralled by a new hike (to me), "Mount Olympus to Manoa Middle loop trail..." Organized by the Hawaii Trail and Mountain Club (HTMC), several of it's members and a large turnout of new faces convened at the Puu Pia / Kolowalu trail head...

After a long day of rock climbing at the Makapuu Crag, a few of us decided to watch the Maunalua Bay fireworks show from Koko Crater. Joined by climbers Jennifer Liu and Lance Fujioka, we set out to tackle the 1024 steps to the summit around 6pm. I noticed that a few others in the parking lot had the same idea, as they carried Manfrotto tripods and supported team Canon... It was a race for the top. I really shouldn't have had a couple beers before going up, but I think I still made a decent time of 21 minutes with full camera gear and bunch more boddingtons in pack, lol. Especially since my legs...

After doing two long hikes in a row (Kamiloiki Ridge to Makapuu Tomtom and Moanalua Saddle to Haiku Stairs), I was in no mood for any long hikes on the 4th of July... Luckily, I was invited to go rock climbing at the Makapuu Crag by fellow Lost Trailblazer Jennifer Liu. Hosted by Angie and Lance, and their friend Craig, we met up at 715am at the upper parking lot of Makapuu Lookout. The crag is only 10-15 minutes away from the parking lot and consists of several problems, ranging in skill level/difficulty. Since Angie and Lance were familiar with Top-Roping (as opposed to lead climbing...

Moanalua Saddle (below left) to Haiku Stairs (below center) has been a hike that's been on my radar for sometime now. However, inclement weather conditions had yielded my attempts to do the trail in the past. In addition, excellent cardio-conditioning, climbing skills and calm nerves are required for a hiker to do this trail. Honored to receive a group invite from advanced hiker, Marcus Griego, the Lost Trailblazers (Troy Takara, David Chatsuthiphan, Seth Eason, Reanne Solomon, Jennifer Liu, Jenelyn Castillio and myself) were anxious to test their nerves and hiking credentials. In addition to the LT crew,...