August 2011

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Photo Gallery] [Mapped Photos] After a short and sweet victory dance, it was time to get settled in at Campground #2. Taking off our wet shoes and socks, and putting on slippers was of the highest priority (left). Changing out of our sweaty clothes was almost as critical (right). Setting up our hammocks, tents and organizing camp was next. When we backpack and camp in a large group, we usually share tents to cut down on the pack weight.... I was surprised to find that Kaleo, Ryan, Lei and Brian all had single-person tents. I guess when you run the risk of bunking...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Photo Gallery] [Mapped Photos] Waimanu Valley is located in the Kohala Forest Reserve on the northern coast of Hawaii Island. To access the valley, you either have to helicopter, kayak or hike it in. On foot, it's approximately 9 miles from Waipio Valley to Waimanu via the Muliwai Trail. A permit is required to camp here, which often needs to be reserved months in advance, especially if optimal campsites are desired. Honored to receive an invitation from Kaleo Lancaster (Island Trails) and crew (Brian Bautista, Ryan Chang, Lei Yamasaki); Lost Trailblazers David Chatsuthiphan...

A popular fishing spot on the island of Kauai, Ahukini Pier, is also a gorgeous place to take moonrise photos. The moon rises at the makai (ocean) side of the harbor and pier. The coast is covered in large basalt boulders, tide pools and driftwood. Opposite of the ocean, you will notice that there also is a wide pier/walkway which had been modified to benefit fishermen. Several PVC pipes are bolted to the railings at various angles to serve as rod holders, depending on whether the person will cast their line out or drop it below the pier. Wind shelters, benches, and nails...

In the summer months, you may encounter crowds of people lining up shoulder to shoulder on shorelines of embayments, harbors and basins... all over the island, morning til evening. What are these people doing?? Well, it's likely they're fishing for the summer Halalu run. WAIT, THE WHAT?? Halalu are juvenile Akule, or Big Eye Scad. Related fish that you may more commonly recognize would be mackerel or saba, and are in the jack family Carangidae. Adults are usually feed further offshore and in deep water, though the young come inshore to feed by the 100,000s(+) after a long larval stage at sea....

Unlike some of my peers who had experience shooting guns while growing up, I was not so fortunate. However, I did spend many summer days sniping invasive birds with high-powered pellet guns off power-lines in my neighborhood.... Needless to say, the experience I'm about to describe was not nearly the same. The Koko Head Shooting Complex (KHSC) is located just off of Kalanianaole Highway, just past Hanauma Bay and the before the Submarine Point scenic spot. It is the only public shooting range on Oahu and is not difficult to locate because of all the guns firing, especially to those who have...

Always attentive to potential nocturnal outdoor activities around the time of the full moon, this month the Lost Trailblazers chose to hit up Makapuu Crag to climb in the moonlight. Unlike the Mokuleia Crag, Makapuu is much shorter in height and is in a more convenient location (unless living on the north shore). However, there are far fewer routes here, most of which are less difficult than the 26 or so routes found at Mokuleia. Seven of us;

Instead of doing a normal hiking adventure on Sunday, the Lost Trailblazers (Troy Takara, Dale Acoba, David Chatsuthiphan, Reanne Solomon, Jenelyn Castillo and myself, as well as guests Baron Yamamoto and Rosanna Ho) decided to revisit Mokuleia Crag, as it had been almost six months since all of us had climbed here together. That was also the day we were introduced to rock climbing using top-rope (as opposed to bouldering or lead climbing), a safer style of climbing which uses a rope looped through an anchor at the top of a rock face and connected to both the climber and belayer. Many of us wanted...

Though feeling as if I had just came back from Kalalau, another camping / backpacking trip was in the works... and only 2 weeks away. A handful of the Lost Trailblazers were fortunate enough to get invited by the infamous "Kaleo Landcaster" to Waimanu Valley on the North Kohala Coast (Hawaii Island). I have wanted to do this trail for some time, and heard it's a 9-mile grinder, with more challenging switchbacks than Kalalau. Therefore, training on Koko Crater Stair Master 1100 was a must. Rather than go up the stairs 2x like my hiking colleagues, David Chat and Reanne Solomon, I opted...

So like, I can't always give away the pseudo-secret spots on the island... but this one is right in your backyard. I can point you in the right direction, but you folks should learn to do a little research and you can probably figure out where this one is in Manoa (as we had to). The one pictured above, and the series of falls above it, is one of my favorites. Pre-developed Manoa Valley and Kalo Loi fields in the 1890s. Photo Courtesy of Bishop Museum. A little bit of geology for you form Stearns (1985): Manoa Valley displays the classic “amphitheatre-headed” valley structure ( that...

A long one, but bear with me on this... I'm trying detail some bad and unsafe hiking habits so that others can learn from our mistakes this day... On a typical day, Puu Hapapa Ridge Trail is a pretty awesome trail (Photo: 04/2011). On Scholfield Barracks in Wahiawa, you drive up to the apex of the Kolekole pass and begin your "short and sweet" journey up to Waianae Summit... calling it the Waianae Summit Trail (WST) from here on out (see map at bottom of page). The trail is a short and sweet scramble up and down several notches along the ridgeline... (Photo: 04/2011) Breathtaking,...