|
Saturday,
07.06.2002 (Part I)
Hiking in Kahana
Valley, Nakoa Trail.
Mahealani
and Fernando hike every Saturday morning without
fail. Being that we were all staying at the Beach House, I
had the pleasure of joining them for today's hike. Since we were
in Punalu`u, the closest site was Kahana
Valley.
Mahealani
had done this hike in the past with the Sierra Club and recalled a
waterfall under a large tree where they stopped to have lunch and
swim. With this goal in mind, we embarked on our great adventure.
At
the trailhead, there was a mailbox that held a sign-in station. We
were pleased to see that we were the first hikers for the day.
Leaning against the warning signs at the trailhead was a 5' tall
branch that was fairly straight -- the perfect walking stick. How
lucky, I thought, the stick was left there just for me. I picked
it up and took it along for the hike.
Somewhere
along the way, the inanimate object picked up a name and an
identity. His name became Joe. (A "Jo" is a
wooden staff used in Aikido which is about the same length as the
walking stick I was using, which is how he got his name.) I have
to say that Joe helped me out a great deal during the hike. I
might not have been able to make it without him. Because of my
walking stick, my codename became "Yoda."
Mahealani said, "just don't expect to jump on my back."
(Mahea's Jedi training is already complete, so I didn't have to
hitch a ride on her back this time.)
Being
a valley hike, we were offered shade about 95% of the time.
However, it was quite moist and we also had to cross some shallow
streams along the way. The signage left much to be desired. We
often came to forks in the path that left us guessing which way to
go. After all, we were in search of that waterfall and swimming
hole for a refreshing afternoon dip.
Second
guessing and back tracking put us behind schedule, but as we kept
saying, "as long as we're having fun, it's cool."
Fernando and Mahealani, being the more experienced and adventurous
folk that they are, led us off the beaten path a couple of times
to see if we could make our own little shortcut to get to the
elusive waterfall.
The
first time we got off the path, we found our way through to the
other side of the trail. We ended up back at the Lauhala Forest.
We decided to have our lunch there, figuring that we could then
walk off our lunch and not have to worry about waiting a half hour
before swimming to avoid cramping in the water.
The
second time we strayed from the designated trail, we found
ourselves deep in the forest with fallen trees, branches, and
brush blocking our path. I turned around to look back to see where
we had come from and couldn't see a defined path. It all looked
the same to me. It made me wish I had dropped pieces of my lunch
croissant along the trail to help us find our way back.
The
sun moved behind the clouds and the sunlight had a hard time
piercing through the thick tree canopy overhead. It was only about
2:30, but yet it looked as though it was getting dark. If Fernando
didn't have a watch, I would've sworn that it was nearly 5:00 pm.
Being
the nervous hiking novice that I am, I suggested in a meek voice,
"uh, maybe we should turn around and get back on the
trail?" Luckily, they agreed and we headed back. And even
more luckily, we found our way back to the trail without getting
lost in the forest.
We
saw some pretty interesting flora along the way; as I was hoping
that we wouldn't run into any dangerous fauna. As Fernando
quipped, "it's not funna running into fauna." The valley
is also a public hunting area, which means wild pigs are
present -- as well as men with firearms.
Although
we didn't run into any wildlife or guys with guns, we did run into
some litter along the path, which always disappoints me. However,
Fernando the good Samaritan, brought along a trash bag and
collected it as we walked. Mahealani and Fernando make it a
regular practice to pick up litter as they hike. It's such a shame
that people don't respect nature like they should, but good people
like Mahea and Fernando restore my faith in mankind. As a result
of Fernando's rubbish picking, his codename became "Opala"
(which means "trash" in Hawaiian). Of course, we meant
that in the best way possible. :-)
If
the possibility of running into wild pigs wasn't treacherous
enough, the trail itself posed some challenges for us. We helped
each other over the rough spots, but sometimes, falling is
unavoidable. Mahealani has the advantage of having long, strong
legs and she hurdles obstacles in the path quite gracefully.
Unfortunately though, she says that it's a tradition for her to
fall at least twice on every hike. This hike was no exception.
Luckily, she didn't get hurt. As a result of her ability to take a
couple of falls on every hike, her codename became "Grace".
We
learned some important lessons in the duration of this 5 hour 39
minute hike:
1)
Stay on the path.
2) Never turn around if you have not completed a trail.
3) Peeing in a stream of running water isn't so bad.
By
the way, we never did find that waterfall. But what we did find
was a great adventure, beautiful scenery, and awesome memories.
|
