Maunawili Falls

Starting a new tradition...

Vance thought it would be a cool to do a hike on New Year’s Eve so we opted for Maunawili Falls because it is short and sweet. (Sweet since it only takes about 20 minutes to get to because we know a shortcut.)

I hadn’t been to the falls in years so I was excited to play in some mountain water. We leisurely walked and exited the shortcut path turning right onto the main trail. Immediately we passed a group of hikers leaving, and as we strolled further in passed more. I was shocked to see so many people as I recall being the only group of “swimmers” at the falls in the past. We finally reached the falls after some mud and back tracking (we turned right on a side trail when we should have hiked straight up the river bed). Filled to its capacity, were some 20 or so people standing, sitting, jumping and swimming. Super bummed about the newfound (or maybe just news to me) popularity of the hike, I sat and waited while Vance took a dip and jumped off the side. We didn’t stay long and headed back.

Although "crowds" are the complete opposite of my definition of hiking (which is why I took no pictures), it was definitely a nice way to enjoy the last day of 2009 and is the start to a new tradition...

September 1998

The good 'ol days.

Koko Head Tracks

Furlough Friday and no one can hike. Wanting to get a good workout I opted for Koko Head Tracks. In my opinion Koko Head isn’t really a hike, but it is popular and frequently used by locals so I knew it would be safe to do alone. I parked near the baseball fields at Koko Head Regional Park and got to the tracks by walking along the cement path pass the dugouts. 

From the base, I couldn't help but take a deep breath as I looked up at the old railroad. I knew it was going to be a killer quad workout. After some intense 20 minutes, and a lot of huffing and puffing I reached the top. As I took a quick break I scoped out the descent. I’ve heard about people running down the tracks but I wasn’t taking any chances. With my record of grace, I knew one trip or slip meant tumbling down hundreds of steps. Surprisingly I made it down in one piece in a little over 10 minutes. 

A pretty good workout indeed, but I still won’t consider Koko Head a hike.

Hopefully next furlough someone will be off so I can go on a real hike...