Koloa Gulch, Hauula

The last time we were here, we only got to see the left stream fork of Koloa Gulch, which lead Kalo Falls… Therefore, it was only fitting that we (Josh, Katie and I) further explore the gulch and see the waterfall at the end of the right fork (not sure of actual name). Since there was a flash-flood alert later in the evening, we quickly made it in and out of the gulch in 6.5 hours.

It had been awhile since I had been here, but it looked like other hikers had recently put up new flagging ribbons at the entry / exit points for the dozens of stream crossings.

Since they appeared to be placed appropriately, they saved us a lot of time by minimizing the amount of walking we had to do in the stream.

However, the majority of the hike still required us to “rock-hop,”

…and scramble amongst small waterfalls,

… and huge boulders.

We later came to the stream fork that separates the two waterfalls I mentioned earlier.

Taking the right fork, we continued upstream,

…to large pool fed by a small waterfall.

To avoid wading through the pool and getting wet, we traversed the slick rock on the left. We were comfortable doing so, otherwise we would have waded through the pool and climbed up directly under the rope’s anchor.

After climbing up, we were immediately treated to a gorgeous waterfall… probably about 60+ feet high.

The bottom half of the falls fans out over the rocks, and made for excellent “slow-shutter” shots to highlight the ribboning of the water.

Though we would have loved to lounge at the falls for longer, we wanted to make sure we weren’t around in case the forecasted storm arrived early. Katie felt like having some Mamaki (Pipturus albidus) Tea, so we picked a few “red-veined” leaves on the way out… but not before asking first, Mahalo nui loa Koloa…

NOTE: Though not a the most dangerous trail on a typical day, hiking here during heavy rains may create the threat of flash-flooding. Being a narrow gulch, there is no safe way out when the water levels are high. Make sure to check the weather forecast, perform proper research / mapping, as well as have the proper gear (especially footwear) if attempting. Please make the safe decision and be prepared to turn back in the case of uncooperative weather or if any of the obstacles are out of your physical abilities. More questions? Just ask!!!

Aloha and mahalo nui for visiting… Come back again soon!