Hiking New Sites

Last weekend, we specifically checked out a few sites for their hiking potential when mom & dad come to visit next week. They specifically have said they want to relax and most of our hikes and adventures have been... well not a casual undertaking. In fact, before DeAnna woke up, I went to my favorite local hike on the Ka'iwa Ridge. I've been trying Trail Running which is scrambling up the ridge and scrambling back down. The hike is about 1 mile long, but ascends 550 feet so it really causes your muscles to burn and your lungs to ache when you do it fast.

So after I got back to the house, we looked up a few short hikes to some well-regarded places and set out to see what they were like. Our goal was three places topped off with a trip to the Ala Moana mall.

The first place we checked out was the Pali ridge hike. This is actually the old roadbed that hugged the mountainside. It is a beautiful hike and isn't too aggressive. The roadbed continues on for several miles as a trail, but as you can see, it offers some great high-altitude views of Windward Oahu and Kailua.

The next place we visited was Kapena Falls. These falls are located along the Pali Highway on the other side of the mountains. Although they are fairly easy to access, they aren't exactly a "destination". You have to walk along the side of the highway and then climb along a short trail to the falls. You end up about 30 feet above the falls, but the view is marred by graffitti. The water seemed a little stagnant when we arrived, but it was a nice hike.

Lastly, we drove to Manoa Falls, the second most popular hiking destination on the island (after Diamond Head). The tour books say this is hike through the tropical rainforest is rated "easy", but we found it to be somewhat challenging. Maybe it was the muddy 1 1/2 mile long trail... maybe it was the slippery stream crossing... maybe it was the rocks or the roots or even the many other tourists, but the trail was not easy enough to be called "relaxing", so it's off our list of places to go with my parents.



Still, there were several nifty photo opportunities like this giant elephant-ear plant or winding through Banyon trees.




Afterwards we were tired and hungry, so we took our muddy feet to the high-class mall and got a late lunch before doing a little shopping and returning home for a relaxing evening watching a couple of movies.

We're still studying potential locations for my parents, but the day's adventures yielded only one suitable destination - the Pali Overlook Hike. The search continues...