Camping

[Part 1] [Part2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] Less than a week prior, I received a late night text message from fellow Lost Trailblazer, Jenelyn Castillo, "Maui for Martin Luther King weekend (14-16)? Haleakala perhaps???" Though I LOVE camping at Haleakala, I basically responded that it could drop to near freezing temperatures... as the last time I camped in the crater "during the summer," it was ~ 38 degrees at night. Consequently... East Maui Waterfall Marathon / Camping trip FOR THE WIN!!! After some accommodation coordination by Jenelyn and her Maui resident friend Miro, we were set to camp...

[Part 1] [Part2] [Part 3] [View Gallery] Joshua Tree National Park is located 140 miles east of Los Angeles, and borders Nevada, Arizona and Mexico... The National Park Service (NPS) is responsible for regulating visitor park resources, including centers, permitting, facilities, activities and campgrounds (Modified Map from NPS above). The park is well known for it's large rock features and recreational climbing, mountain biking trails, campgrounds, unique desert ecology, and rich history / culture. Joshua Tree is named so because of all the Yucca brevifolia (Joshua Tree) which...

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5] Yosemite National Park is one of the greatest spots in the Western US for hiking, climbing, backpacking / camping, or even just site-seeing. Barely remembering Yosemite as a kid, it was imperative that I returned to the national park to redeem my lack of memories there during my Fall 2011 stay in California. Though many of the trees are evergreen, Yosemite in the fall still has quite a few perennial trees... Reds, oranges and yellows, from the ground to the sky give you a sense of aesthetic warmness... which is exactly the opposite of the air temperature,...

Lowe Trail and Echo Mountain are well known mountain trails in Altadena, CA. For those of you who are not familiar with this city, it is just outside of Los Angeles, north of Pasadena. The first of my California adventures this year; friends Luke and Merilee (new LA residents) and I packed for a short over-nighter on Lowe Mountain. The trailhead starts at the top of Lake Avenue, in the mountains above north Altadena. You can either take the main trail up to Echo Mountain (east "switchbacks" route), or do the more direct, steep route (west route) at the bottom of the photo. Most of steep,...

Growing up in Hawaii, one of my favorite activities has been shore fishing... and if I wasn't on the coastline on a Sunday afternoon, I was surely learning tips for hot fishing spots/techiniques by watching episodes of "Fishing Tales with Mike Sakamoto" and "Let's Go Fishing with Harry Kojima." Whether it be whipping, dunking, floater or simple bamboo pole fishing, I love it all. This past weekend, I was invited by fellow avid fisherman, Ricky Yagi to fish overnight at a remote West Oahu fishing spot called "Moi Hole." The name, Moi hole, originates from an inshore area that Moi or Pacific...

[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...

[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 trailhead around 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...