Members the DW Posted October 4, 2009 Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 Thought you folks might find this interesting. The gf, her friend and I went on a hike yesterday. Here are some pics of a part of Hawaii that most folks don't get to see. Our destination was the summit of the Koolau mountain range, which separates the windward side of Oahu from the leeward side. The summit was shrouded in clouds, as you can see... The trail was kind of like this half the time. Lots of climbing involved. for reference, this is a shot of Waikiki. This was about 20 minutes in. At a rest stop, we took a self-portrait. My gf on the left, me, then her friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the DW Posted October 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 Here's a shot of Diamond Head. This was about an hour into the hike. We're getting closer to our objective, but it is still a couple of hours away. Once past the halfway point, the trail becomes narrow, lined with these stiff Ferns with thorns. Lucky for me, I was wearing jeans. The women weren't so lucky, as their pants did not go all the way to their ankles. Their legs got pretty scratched up. At times, the Ferns got up to neck level! However, there were lots of intersting plants to look at along the way, like this strange one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the DW Posted October 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 Here's another shot of Waikiki, when we were about 3 hours in. You can barely make it out in the upper left side of the pic. Finally, we had to turn back after 4 hours because we needed to be able to get out before dark. This is how close we got to our objective before having to turn back. The journey out took an hour and a half longer than the journey in. By the time we were halfway back, our knees were toast. It was so bad for me that I had to take the downhill stuff going backwards. I thought we'd have to call in the Fire Dept. rescue, but we managed to tough it out and make it back just before the sun went down! What an experience. I think I need to stick to easier hikes for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WhiplashBand Posted October 4, 2009 Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 Here's a shot of Diamond Head. So is this... Gorgeous pix DW, truly a beautiful place to live. I'd show pix of my area, but I don't wanna depress myself further about living here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cdawg Posted October 4, 2009 Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 wow, d. that's amazing!! i miss doin' stuff like that. i used to hike a bunch when i lived in wyoming. did some in arizona, too. man, you're making me miss the west somethin' awful!! but, i've never seen anything like that before! maybe i need to save my beans and take a trip ta visit ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members k7mto Posted October 4, 2009 Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 Great pics, DW. We honeymooned over there many years ago and did some island hopping. On Kauai, we rented a Jeep and drove up to the park at the top of Waimea Canyon, then into the forest as far as we could, then hiked deeper still, but we never reached the top of the island. Beautiful forests up there, but the locals said they are full of wild boar and not a good idea to hike unarmed. Maybe they were just messin' with the tourists Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the DW Posted October 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 ...Beautiful forests up there, but the locals said they are full of wild boar and not a good idea to hike unarmed. Maybe they were just messin' with the tourists No, they were serious. Even on our hike, we saw hunters with their dogs down in the valley. But if you keep your eyes open, and make some noise while you're hiking, the boar will generally avoid you...unless you stumble upon their young! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikestix78 Posted October 4, 2009 Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 The aiea loop trail is a good one. Its not too bad and you can see the H-3 at one point in the trail. There's also supposed to be an old crashed ww2 plane, but I think all of the shrubs have grown over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the DW Posted October 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 The aiea loop trail is a good one. Its not too bad and you can see the H-3 at one point in the trail. There's also supposed to be an old crashed ww2 plane, but I think all of the shrubs have grown over it. Did that one in June. That's more my speed, I think. No climbing involved! I did see part of the fuselage of the plane, but it looks like someone brought it up from deeper in the valley and planted it there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RumStik Posted October 4, 2009 Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 Spectacular stuff, DW. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members marko46 Posted October 4, 2009 Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 Man DW, those are some incredible shots man. That has to be one of the most amazing places to live. I'd be in awe to have landscapes such as those in my back yard. Thanlks for lettin' us into your world a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the DW Posted October 4, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 Just a little side note: We got rained on at least 5 times during the hike! Made for slippery going at some points. That's probably why our knees blew out. But yeah, some amazing sights to be seen just minutes from home. Next time I go, I'll make sure to take more pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members k7mto Posted October 4, 2009 Members Share Posted October 4, 2009 Agreed! Before we went, we only knew about the beaches. Who knew Hawaii had it's own Grand Canyon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BeakerArk Posted October 5, 2009 Members Share Posted October 5, 2009 Very groovy pics, DW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 2xBass Posted October 5, 2009 Members Share Posted October 5, 2009 Why do I live in the Midwest again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the DW Posted October 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 5, 2009 Why do I live in the Midwest again? You live there because the cost of living there is one-quarter of what it is here in "paradise"! Which is to say that you guys have a LOT more disposable income than we do here....generally speaking, that is. Our consolation is the stuff I posted at the beginning of the thread. Doesn't cost anything to go hiking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members boxofrocks Posted October 5, 2009 Members Share Posted October 5, 2009 I've never been, but damn I wanna go now.. Beautiful place. I'm sure it's different when you live there and see it everyday, but still beautiful place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted October 5, 2009 Members Share Posted October 5, 2009 al... ways.... br... i ng... s...pare.... scribble scribble..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the DW Posted October 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 5, 2009 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1001gear Posted October 5, 2009 Members Share Posted October 5, 2009 Taking notes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members k7mto Posted October 5, 2009 Members Share Posted October 5, 2009 You hiked with your girlfriend...and a spare Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the DW Posted October 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 5, 2009 You hiked with your girlfriend...and a spare ahhhh....ok, now I get it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the DW Posted October 7, 2009 Author Members Share Posted October 7, 2009 OK, it's 3 days later, and my thighs and calves are still stiff and sore. So...to give you an idea of the terrain we had to follow, take a look: We came down that ridge on the left side (not diagonally - straight down) of the picture to start. The folks you see were following us in. They've been on the trail for about 15 minutes. The entire hike was a series of ups and downs like this. At one point, there was a seven foot high vertical that had a rope which we had to use to climb up. I'm gonna have to get in much better shape to tackle this one again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cdawg Posted October 7, 2009 Members Share Posted October 7, 2009 wow, bro. i haven't tackled anything like that since my twenties. i think i'd take the elevator... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SkiAz4Free Posted October 7, 2009 Members Share Posted October 7, 2009 You live there because the cost of living there is one-quarter of what it is here in "paradise"! Which is to say that you guys have a LOT more disposable income than we do here....generally speaking, that is. Our consolation is the stuff I posted at the beginning of the thread. Doesn't cost anything to go hiking. Love the pics! And I hear ya about the "living in paradise" thing... prices here in Aspen are insane! You deffiny learn to live like a local... knowing where and when all the 2-for-1's are at, etc. Do you guys have an acutall "Off-season"? I hiked Diamondhead the last time I was there, and slept in a hammock out on the beach at Bellow's Air Base. Had the WHOLE beach to myself for 2 days, never saw another person. It was AWESOME and FREE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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