Lost in Paradise: Climbing Crystal Canyon

When Mike and I first moved to Oahu, we learned there was one climbing crag by the sea at the Northwest tip of the island with pretty good climbing. So, of course, we went to scope it out. It had poured endlessly the day before and we were pretty sure the rock would be too slimy to do any real climbing. Mountain Project gave us directions to the trailhead "located .3 miles East of YMCA between two signs." The trail was .5 miles long. Cool, found it, doesn't look like much though... Hmmm...

The trail entered through a bunch of trash and into an area that looked more like a high school kid pot hangout than a trail to a well used crag. We hiked along what was maybe an animal trail for a ways and finally arrived at a real trail. It forked shortly after. We walked one side of the trail, which clearly went out to the road. So we tried the other side. It went up the canyon. Thinking that looked pretty promising we followed the trail in until we hit a 15' wall of vines/roots with a rope hanging down. Obviously, we had to go up to continue. Challenge accepted!

From there, we ascended canyons walls using wet, muddy ropes, navigated around a big pool using chains bolted to the wall, up what obviously was a waterfall when it rains and finally up the side of the canyon to what could be a climbing wall. It was not the right climbing wall, more a project long abandoned. A few bolts, an old bucket, and some tools stashed under an overhang, were abandoned. The views of the North Shore and Mokuleia Beach were spectacular! Every time we were about to give up and backtracked, we found another rope or chain leading up.

Finally we ran out of up minus one very unstable looking cable. Command decision was to head back down. We back tracked down along the muddy ropes and vertical root wall back to our original point of indecision. We picked the other trail thinking it would be something real and ended up walking through the trees on unbalance lava rocks until we came to a really nicely maintained trail with a big sign that read "H4 Tsunami Escape Route". We used that to walk out through the YMCA and back to the car. Three hours after we started, we were mud splattered, scraped, and grinning ear to ear. It was a great little adventure!

Consequently, we drove .3 miles WEST of the YMCA, and there was a very nice, well-used trail complete with a note about stolen climbing shoes. Plenty of adventure for later. A Google search tells me the canyon is called Crystal Canyon. There isn't much on it, a local treasure not many have frequented. I loved it!

Dirtbagging the Perfect Getaway in Kauai

When I was in Japan, I watched The Perfect Getaway with a group of friends. The movie was entertaining and the company was good, but the scenery was unbelievable! I decided I had to go! That was 2010. Since I have a bucket list that is five pages long... not kidding... I finally made it happen this year. Mike and I chose to keep the trip as simple as possible. Fly in, hike, camp two nights, hike, fly out. It ended up being a little more dirtbag than usual, but was all the more fun for that reason.

Mike and I took a 6 am island hopper flight to Kauai. We boarded a bus to Hanalei where we rented a camp stove since you can't take one on flights. Seriously, TSA, I can have a lighter, but not a camp stove without fuel? Logic people, logic! Anyway, the bus stops in Hanalei which is the cutest little North Shore Hawaii town. I like it better than Haleiwa. From there, we hitchhiked to the trailhead. Neither of us had ever thumbed a ride before and it took a solid 10 minutes, but eventually a beat up Tacoma pulled over. We threw our packs in the back and had a fantastic ride with Rashal, an Indian international student out adventuring while waiting for his work visa to show up. He took us all the way in.

At 10:00 we started our hike. The hike is 11 miles up and over ridges, around cliffs and through valleys to a gorgeous beach. The weather was partly cloudy with a light sprinkle of rain, which completely saved the day and kept the temperature down. The first two miles of the trail are steep, up and over a ridge from one beach to another. They're also packed with tourists with very little regard for trail etiquette. After that, we met very few people, a few day hikers here and there and a few backpackers coming or going, all friendly, some barefoot.

The trail winds through a tropical jungle full of birds, palms and lizards curving suddenly into open mountain vistas with turquoise water far below. Along the way we found ripe mountain apples to munch on. There are also mango trees everywhere, but they weren't in season. We took a brief stop for lunch (Mike informs me that snacks do not count as lunch) at a picnic area near mile 6. Eventually the trail rounded a bend with a sign that read Dangerous Cliffs ahead. Cool! Our type of hike! One side is very sandy and I was glad we had left the rain behind. The other side was a narrow trail cut into the rocky cliff. Neither area was as scary as people made it out to be. However, the sand was a deep reddish brown with yucca plants growing there and there, the cliffs were black, and the turquoise waves crashed on the rocks below. It was very beautiful and I could see how people might get distracted.

Finally we rounded the corner and descended into Kalalau Valley. We followed a red dirt trail to a lovely stream with little waterfalls and pools, then up into the campground which is really just a bunch of trees that people hook hammocks up to. We did not have a hammock and I'm utterly disappointed about that detail. If you go, take one!! After some (too much) research, we left our tent behind and brought just the rainfly, our sleeping mats, inflatable pillows and a blanket. We left all these at a campsite in the middle and went straight to the waterfall at the far end of the beach for a shower. After 6 hours of walking in the dirt, it was amazing!

I rehydrated some turkey chili for dinner and we ate on the ground, hobo style, passing the cook pot back and forth. It was perfect! Afterward, we heated some water for tea on the beach while the sun set. We dragged our mats, pillows and blanket out to the sand and slept under the stars. I hadn't thought about the moon being full. It was brilliant and super duper bright. Not great for sleeping or star gazing. haha!

I woke at dawn to pink tinged skies over the ocean and dramatic green cliffs surrounding the valley. Perfect. We put our stuff back at camp and went to explore the sea caves before breakfast. There are a series of tide created caves all along the beach. Some are small indents, others are huge caverns. We walked into the pure blackness of one that ended in a pool. Mike swam in to see if it went anywhere, fortunately, it did not. I'm adventurous, but have my limits.

After breakfast, we walked back to the river to fill waters. Mike lost a sandal in the water and we jumped from rock to rock all the way out to the ocean to find it. No luck, but it was fun! We found some abandoned Keens that fit him and headed up the Kalalau Valley trail. It vaguely follows a stream up to a small waterfall with a swimming hole and rope swing. It may go further, but I was pretty happy with that spot and my legs weren't feeling like I needed another 11 mile day. 10 was enough. :) The stream was brisk and refreshing and deep enough that I didn't bottom out with the rope swing. On the way back down the trail, we ran into a huge group of people heading up to the falls. Timing win!

The rest of the day was quiet, lunch, a nap, some card games, and watching an incredible sunset on the beach. Mike moved us to a beachfront campsite that opened up that morning. It was perfect! We had our own little path to the super soft sand. All of the campers come out to the beach for sunset. I counted just over 40 people including myself. There may have been a few more in the tree line though. It's a big area and we didn't spend much time with others, though I assume you can be as social as you want to be. We slept in our campsite which offered a bit more protection from the wind and midnight sun. One of the feral kitties that roams the campground decided to walk across my feet during the night. I have no idea where the cats came from. There aren't any along the trail and it's a solid 11 miles to civilization. Strange!

We woke at dawn to a beautiful moonset over the ridge while the sun turned the sky pink and blue. We had breakfast, packed up quickly, and were on the trail by 630. It was really hot the day before and we were hoping to avoid too much sun on the exposed parts of the trail. It worked. We were in the shade or under the canopy for most of the day. We took a detour by the middle campground to go check out a super tall waterfall.

The last two miles of trail were so much harder than the previous 10 (including the waterfall side trip). The people watching was interesting, but it's hard walking up a seemingly endless incline with a pack while you're getting shoved by teenage boys who are all about getting to the bottom faster than their brothers. Yeesh! There were still some friendly people though. The trip back took 6.5 hours with the side trip and a few nutrition breaks. We showered at the beach so we'd be less offensive. Mike ran right into Rashal as we were heading in to change into real clothes. He gave us a ride into town, again! Seriously, nicest guy there ever was!

We spent a few hours in Hanalei finding lunch and exploring the shops. The bus ride back was an adventure, full of homeless people, drunks, interesting people, and teenagers. We got to the airport shuttle stop in Lihue to find out that it stopped running early on weekends. So, we walked the last few miles to the airport and caught our 730 pm flight out. Whirlwind trip, but I wouldn't change a thing. Every moment was just as interesting and lively as the last. Someday we will kayak in and spend a few more nights.

One thing worth mentioning, we thought we were going somewhere remote and secluded. We were wrong. The beach and campground never seemed crowded. However, there were helicopters flying overhead from 800 am to about 530 pm every day. Zodiacs and sailing tours sped along the coastline until sunset. Nights were peaceful and quiet.

Mike and I rewatched The Perfect Getaway when we returned and realized just how little of it was actually filmed on the trail. Really I just love Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant and Chris Hemsworth. So rewatching a pretty movie with pretty people, kind of great!

Baby Albatross at Ka'ena Point

When Lisa and Jeff were out to visit last month, we walked to Ka'ena Point from the North Shore. It's listed as a hike, but I don't believe that long flat walks constitute hiking. Anyway, you basically walk 3 miles along the beautiful shoreline to a protected bird preserve on the westernmost tip of O'ahu.

Along the way we saw some tidepools, lots of locals camping, and huge yucca plants, which I think are really cool. I just like succulents, ok? Yeesh! When we started the walk (see, walk, not hike), a park ranger told us that it was albatross weaning season. So the baby birds were just spreading their wings and leaving the nest. We saw a bunch of them! Each was the size of a fully grown turkey with a huge wingspan. They're still downy with dark feathers that are beginning to transition into the smooth white feathers that adorn the adults. The adult birds have a wingspan of up to 11 feet!

At the very tip of the island is a rocky point created from lava flow (have I mentioned how cool it is to live here? LAVA!!!!) Anyway, Mike and I walked out there to take in a view of the west and north sides of the island and we saw two monk seals lounging in the surf!

The walk back was long and uneventful, but we stopped at the Dole Plantation for Dole Whip and everyone was a happy camper. Mmmmmm! Pineapple!

Mount Olomana: Three Peaks of Fun!!

Right in our back yard is the most striking mountain jutting out of the valley. Her name is Olomana meaning Three Peaks. Apparently its the remnant of the ancient Ko'olau Volcano and is not for the acrophobic. It's a 5ish mile round trip with about 2200 feet of elevation gain.

Walking to the trailhead is a dream in itself. The trailhead is inside the Olomana Golf Course which has no parking for hikers. We parked in the neighborhood and walked in admiring lush, sweeping views of the Ko'olau mountains and valley.

The first peak is a good, hard push up the side with fantastic little puka views of Kailua and Kaneohe on the way. It's not easy. It is steep, there are sketchy at best ropes along the way to assist the climb, you will scramble up and over rocks, but it's not too bad on a dry day. I have not hiked this on a wet day and do not think it would be very safe.

360 degree views of the mountains, ocean, Kailua and Kaneohe from the first peak are awe inspiring. The second peak promised to increase that and did not fail! The final peak arcs dramatically against the already intriguing Ko'olaus with the insanely turquoise water of Kailua Bay providing contrast. The world seems supersaturated like all the HDR photos that I drool over on Instagram, but this is real life! Mind blown.

From the second peak things are a lot more interesting and maybe a little frightening. We started down a cliff side with very little protection in case of a fall. Old ropes tied to a tree root at the top were necessary to go down the slippery face to the saddle between the rocks. The trail follows a knife edge with extreme drops on either side. It was all I could do to remember to pay attention to the trail and stop when I couldn't ignore the incredible vista I was standing in. It's a narrow little climb to the top of the third peak which was fun and cool. I expected fabulous views from there, but a patch of scraggly trees blocked anything to see at the end of the trail. We backtracked to somewhere with a view and had a little snack before heading back.

Climbing down from Peak 3 and up Peak 2 meant there was plenty adventure left to be had. We checked all ropes prior to trusting them at all and even then only gave them some of our weight. We relied mainly on good hand and foot placement. Climbing back up the sheer face to Peak 2 would have been a tough scramble without the ropes along with some dire consequences if you slipped.

The rest of the trail down went quickly and we were back to the humbling views of the towering cliffs before we knew it. A trip to my favorite tea shop, Anuenue Exquisite Tea in Kailua, for tea and the best paninis ever and the day was complete.

 

Diving the Corsair Wreck

For the third time, I spent my birthday in Hawaii. I take my birthday off every year. I like to use it as an excuse to go exploring somewhere or to do something fun. Last year we visited Costa Rica. The year before was the Big Island of Hawaii. The last thing I want to do is to be at work wishing I was elsewhere. Some people don't care about birthdays. It's just another day. I don't care about presents, but I love having a day where I can do what I want to do while having a minute or two to reconnect with the people who mean the most to me.

This year, two of my favorites came to visit us in Hawaii. Mike's brother Jeff and Jeff's wife Lisa are two of the greatest people I know. They're smart, like crazy smart, good with money, interesting, fun, and thoughtful. On top of all that, they're avid divers. That means the only logical choice was to go diving. The dive shop sent us out to the LCU wreck since I hadn't been yet. The tradewinds were causing some nasty currents though and we ended up diving the Corsair Wreck. I'd already done it so it was a little disappointing until I got in the water and realized that it was just as cool the second time.

The wreck is a WW2 plane that ran out of fuel in 1946. The pilot bailed and the plane eventually hit the ocean floor. Don't fret, the pilot survived. Anyway, the propeller is bent from the impact and the wings are broken off. One of the wings is long buried in the sand. The plane is in pretty great shape considering it's been soaking in a salt bath for 70 years. It sits at 110ish feet in the sand surrounded by thousands of garden eels that look like bendy straws sticking straight out of the sand.

The body of the plane has disintegrated in areas allowing bright tropical fish to swim in and hang out. There were lots of little banner fish, yellow butterflyfish, and even a little spotted boxfish. Lisa spotted a leafy scorpion fish on the tail, too! The engine is growing some coral which makes the whole aquarium look even cooler.

Because of the depth, the dive is short. only 15-20 minutes until you hit the no decompression limit. As a second dive, we visited a turtle cleaning station. I've never seen such massive turtles, and they were EVERYWHERE! They're all just laying around like lazy dogs letting the fish nibble algae off their shells. There were Buddha statues placed randomly that added some fun to the otherwise beat up reef. Hawaiian coral is pretty hammered. All in all, I'm glad I did this dive again. It was fun to share it with people I love.