Hiking on the Edge
Hi guys,
This past Monday I had the opportunity to complete the most intense hike I have ever done: Pali Puka.
Before I get too deep into this post, let me cover a little bit of backstory for you all.
First, this hike is found just off of the Pali Lookout. Sound familiar? It's where Daniel and I went on one of our first dates and where we took this cute picture:
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| You can read more about our trip to the lookout in this post. |
But this post isn't about "cute" and it doesn't include Daniel; if you were hoping for that you'll have to wait a few more weeks.
However, what this post will cover is the Pali Puka hike. This hike is also the site of a famous Hawaiian battle. The battle is known as the "Battle of Nu'uanu" and took place when King Kamehameha fought to gain control of the island of Oahu. As history goes, he won and successfully unified the Hawaiian Islands. According to records, King Kamehameha actually fought on the ridge itself, and remnants of 800 skulls were later found, telling us that he either pushed them off or the soldiers jumped to their death. For reference, the drop along the ridge is 1000 feet.
With that being said, naturally that was the kind of hike I was up against. A ridgeline hike is everything I could have wanted, as anyone who knows me knows how infatuated I am with Oahu's ridges. Unless you've seen them in person, you by no means can even begin to understand how beautiful they are. All naturally made, it's a part of Hawaii never touched by people and undoubtedly one of the only parts of the island that has remained the same throughout all of the island's history. For that, I think it's amazing.
What I wasn't told, however, is that this hike had the thinnest trail I've ever hiked. Typically, when I hike, the trail is usually wide enough for myself and one other to comfortably walk alongside each other. However, this hike was not the case-- not by a long shot.
Remember my post last semester where I wrote about my hike along my first ridge hike when Daniel and I attempted Crouching Lion? And how, apparently, that is one of the most dangerous hikes on the island? I'm not exaggerating, this hike I completed on Monday was much worse than that one. For parts of it you could not walk with your feet even so much as next to each other. You had to grip onto branches, scramble over loose gravel and grab tree roots, crawl on your hands and knees, and even fight the wind to just stay on the trail. When I say this hike was scary, I mean it!
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| One of the few times I could stand with my feet side-by-side. |
Never on a hike have I really wondered if I'm going to die. This hike changed that. There were many times I would look to my right and see that less than half a foot from me was the same place King Kamehameha pushed the Oahu army off to their death, or the left (which was shrouded in plants) and thought "Well at least I can't see how far of a drop that is. There would be more things to stop me." All it took was one branch too long to grip onto my shoelace and I would be done for. Funny enough, one of my thoughts was "Are you kidding me, this is finally my semester without Chinese, my relaxing semester and I can die?" And then, just when you think you're at the end, and you're turning to the person next to you and saying, "We did it!" You'll hear the people next to you laughing because "No, you're not even halfway there. See that ridge? You have to climb it. The other side is the end."
Rest assured, there is rope to hold onto, but you have to be quick on your feet; just because the rope is secure does not mean the sand under you is. I was lucky to have not slipped, but that's not to say the people behind me were so lucky..
After you climb that hill you'll find yourself face with a very narrow pathway, and it's just under that where you'll find what you've been searching for: the Puka.
Scrambling down was also rather scary. However, once you're down and looking out of the hole you'll forget all about the drop just a feet away from you.
After a couple pictures, I was quick to climb my way back up and get to steady ground. The very last thing I wanted, as weird as it sounds, was to stay still. Throughout this entire hike I felt like I needed to keep moving. The stiller you are the more you'll think about the drop, and all I wanted was to finish this hike and be on ground!
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| Myself and Shannon, who went on the hike with me |
After sliding my entire way back, I was relieved to be stumbling out of the woods and jumping down onto ground. It's funny, the path is rather hidden, so most of the tourists at this lookout don't see you coming out. I guess it's for the best, as I was covered in a thin sheet of dust and my knees were shaking.
As a reward, my friend and I celebrated by enjoying the view (from a reasonable height!) of the Windward side and took one last look at the hike before heading out. Needless to say, the hike is all but nonexistent from the lookout, so it's no wonder people weren't staring at us as we walked up there.
Overall, this hike is not for:
1. the faint of heart
2. those afraid of heights
3. children / animals (I saw both a baby and a dog on this hike. I don't care how experienced you are, this is not the hike to be distracted on. Also, why would you risk the lives of a person or animal because you couldn't do this hike without them?)
Would I do this hike again? Absolutely not. I would do Koko Head 5 times over before even attempting this one again. I would do Diamond Head 10 times over before this hike. This is, quite possibly, the only hike on Oahu I would not do again.
Am I glad I did it? Sure, but only because I got to see Oahu from a vantage point so few can get to. Not because I enjoy risking my life or because of the adrenaline rush. I'm glad I got the pictures. That's it.
Until next time,
Aislinn
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