My HI Life: hike honolulu

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:

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!

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!

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

January 17, 2018 No comments

Hey guys,

I don't know how to start this post, and I'm not sure how many times I'll have to re-write it before I'm settling on which draft I prefer.

In short, things have been weird.

Things started to get weird with the girls two weeks ago. Once I told them that I was dating Daniel, they began to act really weird around me. First it was saying things like, "hows that kid doing" (this one confuses me the most because he is older than them), then progressed into not including me in as many things, then turned into just being mute around me.

I understand that when I'm gone that the other two are going to spend more time with one another, but yet I didn't expect to go from being close to them to feeling like I'm being excluded in my own home. So of course, when I'm feeling this way, why would I spend more time at home? That's just it; I wouldn't.

So I spent more time out of the house. I got out as much as I could and came back as late as I could. While this certainly doesn't help anything, it does make me realize how busy I've been. I've been going out nearly every night, and while I feel exhausted at the end of the day, I realize that this is only temporary. I can always sleep in on the weekends, and usually thats what I end up doing. I just wish I had a better idea of why things got so awkward and how things became so awkward.

With my birthday coming up, I can only hope that things get better. It's annoying constantly feeling like an outside in your own home.

-

On another note, Daniel and I spent this weekend with each other. Similarly to last, we began by waking up very early, getting breakfast at a nice restaurant, and heading out for North Shore. However, unlike last week, the two of us began our trip at the Koulua Ranch, where we made a quick stop for breakfast. The Ranch is about halfway between Kaneohe and Haleiwa, and is a nice stop to take if you have the chance. Once having filled up on eggs and english muffins, we were back in the car, not even 30 minutes later, and driving only a few short miles to the Crouching Lion hike.

This hike, which I have been wanting to do for months is one that is a little difficult to find, but can be found on the side of the highway. Again, it's not easy to find, in fact we didn't find it, and you have to be sure to hike with another person. Trust me when I say attempting this hike alone is dangerous. Daniel and I made the mistake of making a wrong turn, and soon it led us up the Pu’u Manama hike. Little did we know, this hike claims title as one of the "most dangerous hikes on Oahu, one which takes many lives every year". Naturally, you can assume that coming down was the scariest part, and under no circumstances will I hike there again unless it's with someone who has already tried hiking that ridge before.

The view behind Daniel

The view behind me

The view of Crouching Lion from where we were

The Bay

Blue as far as you can see

After taking twice as long to get down as we did to get up, the two of us took a break in the car and then were off to our next destination: Giovanni's.

It's hard to picture it, but 30 miles fly by when on the scenic highway. I will never get tired of looking outside and seeing the ocean just feet away from me, no other islands as far as you can see. I have come to appreciate, even more, that I should not expect more time than I am given. What do I mean by this? When Daniel and I go places, even if it's to the library, time flies. And so, when I say that it's a 30 mile drive to the food trucks, you better believe it when I say that it feels like no time has passed, when in reality you've lost an hour driving (however, with the views the Kamehameha Highway provides, did you really lose time?).

Giovanni's was amazing. It was a nice break from the adrenaline that the hike provided us, and what made it even sweeter was enjoying it with a coconut smoothie and a black coffee.

After devouring the lemon butter shrimp, Daniel and I took a quick break and drove back to Haleiwa Bowls. Once again, we went with the hapa bowl, and this time we got extra blueberries on top. Delicious!

One of our last stops was Turtle Bay Resort, where we spent a couple hours swimming and laying out before packing our bags and getting ready for the main event: Our luau.

With two hours left before our dinner, Daniel and I agreed to get ready at the resort before heading off.

Now comes the exciting part of this post!

The Polynesian Cultural Center is huge! The cultures, people, and places represented are done so in such a way that it is guaranteed to leave you speechless. I've included a picture of the map below, but just keep in mind that, in addition to this, there is so much more to see!

Also worth pointing out is that, in each location, the people here were speaking that language! That means when you are walking around Hawaii you're going to hear Hawaiian, and when you're walking throughout Samoa you're going to hear Samoan! This was an immediate discovery for me and I can only applaud the Polynesian Cultural Center on how they are doing such a good job of making this as "immersive" as possible. Before getting dinner Daniel and I made it a point to get our picture taken next to the river.

From here on out I'm unfortunately not able to include pictures. The dinner was good, an overall well-rounded dinner consisting of: prime rib, fried chicken, spaghetti and meatballs, fruits, deserts, salads, etc.
Once done with dinner, we enjoyed some more of the things to be seen around the center, such as Tahiti, and made our way back to the platform to take our seats.
The show itself was about an hour and a half. I shouldn't even refer to it as a "show", but more like a "production". Every culture had representation, from their traditional clothing to speaking in their respective languages. It was funny, entertaining, awe-inspiring, and more. I wish I had a picture, as I'm sure the luau you're picturing is nothing close to the show we got to witness.

Honestly, if you're considering going to this luau, or are hesitant because of the price, just go. Seriously, this is the best luau I have been to and is definitely one that you get the most out of for your money. Daniel and I both agreed this was one we would revisit, if given the chance.
And that was my week! It's hard to put into words how much I've been up to, but I can only hope that these posts give you a sort of glimpse into my busy busy life. I often catch myself wishing I had more time, or just begging for a night without homework, but I have to remind myself that this is all temporary. And that's what is scary! None of this will last, and if I'm busy because I'm taking advantage of Oahu, than why am I complaining? As it is, I'm close to being halfway done with college. Isn't that crazy? But yet, here I am wishing for time off?! I am trying to be better about not taking things for granted, or not asking for more time, as this is all temporary and I need to enjoy these busy days.

I hope you are all having a great day. Study hard, everyone.

Until next time,

Aislinn

October 03, 2017 No comments

Hey guys!

Wow, am I really double posting here? I think this is the first time I've ever done this, so I hope you guys enjoy it. This post is going to be another one of my "tourist" posts, but this time about a hike.

Known for its "steep 1048 steps", Koko Head is what many locals have told me is an "extremely difficult" trail. In fact, I've even heard that this trail, at least compared to Diamond Head, is something you need to train for. Here's a picture of what the trail looks like from the bottom.

(Not my picture)

Now I can see why one would think that you would need to train for something like this, but in reality this track is something you can do without training. Climbing all the way to the top, the average time it takes to hike this is anywhere from 15-45 minutes, and it's all subjective to your own level of fitness.

Here's where I wanted to share something personal with you all. Friday night, hours after the Sunset on the Beach, I told my friends that I would be hiking Koko Head the following morning to see the sunrise. While they were all surprised, their reaction is what shocked me. I won't say who, but in the chorus of "Aislinn you can't hike that!" and "Aislinn don't go!" I proceeded to ask them, "Why? Why can't I? I've wanted to do this hike for weeks and it seems that every weekend there's a new excuse." Now I distinctly remember one of them looking at the ground and responding with, "You're just not fit enough."

So let me put this into perspective, without any stats or numbers involved. I have wanted to do this hike since finding out about it. I've even told people I can do it in 30 minutes or less. Here I am on the bus, with the friends I've had since welcome week, being told by them that I can't do something (or shouldn't, as I'm sure they'll argue)

Now obviously this pissed me off. Hiking is one of my favorite things to do, so when I was told I shouldn't because I'm not fit enough, this really hit a nerve. I'm not upset at all, but this made me want to hike even more. So I, after telling them that my fitness has nothing to do with my ability to successfully reach the top, became even more determined to climb these steps.

Skipping the activities prior to leaving, I met up with a friend at 4:00 and we were off. As unbelievable as it sounds, my friends still didn't think I was going to hike! Needless to say I was a little disappointed in their lack of faith in me.

My friend and I arrived at the base of Koko Head around 6:15. Knowing that my friends would question my time, and also because I had a bet with one of my other friends, I knew that I had to record my starting time.

Minutes following the picture I began my climb. The hike starts out pretty simple, none of the steps are far apart and it feels like you're still on level ground. Turn around, however, and you'll soon realize how high up you are! At 15 minutes I was halfway done- pretty good time considering how many people thought I couldn't do this. A little bit past the halfway point my friend and I decided to take a break. There's nowhere to really rest when you first start, but coincidentally there are plenty of places to pull over when you get higher up.

After our brief rest we started walking once again. I'm not sure if it's because I'm from Colorado, and have the lungs for it, but this is not a hike that will make it harder to breathe. This kind of hike will challenge you, but only in the sense that it will get harder to walk the higher you go. It's the same as any other hike! At no point did I catch myself wheezing or even struggling to breathe. The only "issue" was that I found it harder to walk up the steps towards the top. This is not because I'm "not fit enough" to hike, but because the steps at one point literally go straight up and require you to lift your leg a little higher than you've been doing.

My friend and I made it to the top in an impressive 35 minutes. I can't complain, the hike was 100% worth it and I'm so glad I was able to finally do it. My only suggestion is that if you're planning to hike this please try for a morning hike. The evening is good, too, but plans of seeing the sunset fell through when the sun dipped and we were only halfway up. On the plus side of hiking in the morning you're walking down with the sun still out, whereas at night you're in the dark.

Here's a picture of the hike from a little under halfway. I won't include the one of my friend and I out of respect to her and her privacy.

September 26, 2016 No comments

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