Tag / native

Probably not the best day for a ridge hike or summiting the Koolaus, we (Baron Yamamoto, Joshua Serrano [808 Goonies], Jenelyn Castillo, Katie Ersbak and I) disregarded the high-wind advisory by weather forecasters and ascended Piliwale Ridge to reach Konahuanui (K1). We successfully descended via Lulumahu ridge, where we had staged a vehicle earlier in […]

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] On the second day of our (Baron, Katie, Jenny, Jenelyn, Jennifer, Josh [808 Goonies], Seth and I) Molokai Trip, we made another long off-road drive to Kamakou Preserve in mountains of East Molokai to see the Pepeopae boardwalk trail and Pelekunu overlook. To access the preserve, we […]

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3]

After a quick hike at and dip at the Sugi Grove, we set out on the nearby Pihea Trail as a means to intersect the Alakai Swamp Trail. Walking on the boardwalk through the fog/mist was a surreal experience, especially through such dense native forest. We continued on the boardwalk until we reached the Kilohana […]

One of the more scenic spots in Hanalei Bay, the Hanalei Pier is a popular place for both tourists and locals to watch the sunset, fish, paddleboard, kayak, swim and/or picnic on the beach, etc. After working all day on the north shore, I detoured off Kuhio highway to Weke Rd, which intersects the recreational […]

One of the most beautiful places I visit for work is Limahuli Valley, located in Haena, North Kauai. As a National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG), the land above Kuhio Highway is managed for its native species and habitat… …with the exception of the well known “cold pond” roadside. hehe. 🙂 The lowest part of the […]

Due to the unfortuitous dry weather this weekend, our tubing adventure in Wahiawa got cancelled this past weekend… and thus, we opted to join up with some other hikers in Waianae Valley to do the Waianae Waterworks Trail. The trail was pioneered and is maintained by some residents in Waianae and Makaha Valleys, as well […]

[Part 1 – Reconnaissance] [Part 2 – Summiting and Descent] The following documentation describes an unsafe activity and extremely dangerous, NO ONE should attempt to repeat this unless willing to accept consequences such as serious injury and/or death, etc. As I mentioned from the first post about the Kalahaku Teeth, it is the most dangerous […]

One local community on the North shore of Kauai, the Waipa Foundation (website above), focuses their efforts on restoration and sustainability in their watershed. They are using the monitoring stations and network to help them understand more about water resources and management. For example, they want to monitor the results of large scale wetland restoration […]

In addition to being a Natural Area Reserve (NAR) for native species, Ka’ena point is also a spiritually important area to Native Hawaiians. A large coral stone at the point is thought to be where deceased souls depart into the spiritual world or “spirit leap,” as it is the westernmost part of the island to […]