Maunawili Falls Hike

Maunawili Falls Hike - its about a 3 mile hike round trip located in Kailua, Hawaii.  This hike full filled my dream of going on a hike and swimming in a waterfall at the end.  Now that is said, swimming in fresh water streams in Hawaii may not be the best idea.  They have a bacteria in the water called leptospirosis which can cause infections -really bad ones.  Anyhow, didn't stop me from going into the water but if you have unhealed cuts, sores or lesions - stay out.  Here is a link with more information : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leptospirosis

So back to the hike, so when you arrive there is a small parking area up the road from the trail head.  The locals are nice enough to post warnings and safety precautions on a chalk board by where you park.  So you walk down the road a bit, go over bridge and then you finally make it to the trail head.  This hike is fun but wear proper footwear!  I have never seem soo many people slipping and sliding as I did on this hike.  Flip Flops are a NO NO!  It was extremely muddy and it will probably be muddy when you go too.  Its on the rainy side of the island.  

The hike, because of the mud, can be a little treacherous, be careful - find a walking stick if that helps.  But after an hour or so of watching your step, you will be rewarded by arriving at Maunawili Falls.  This is a very popular hike and there will be people coming and going by.  Not a good loose dog hike for sure.  It was a little cooler out the day that I went. So there wasn't really anyone but me in the water which was fine by me.  

 There is a rope and ledges to dive off of.  I am not advocating that all.  I guess the week before someone was jumping off one of the ledges and landed wrong and broke her back.  She was helicoptered out.  Be careful people.  But I guess a lot of people do jump off the sides of the waterfall.

The water as you can see is very murky and I have no idea where its deep or not, but I loved exploring anyhow.  I will definitely do this hike again for sure, if not just to go swimming again

Diamond Head Hike

Diamond Head Hike - located at Diamond Head State Park near Honolulu.  Big tourist attraction, loads of people.  They bring them in by tourist bus. There will be lot of other people on this trail.  Diamond Head is an ancient dormant volcano crater and has part section off as a military installation.

We walked from our house and added an extra mile and half to the hike.  The hike itself is pretty easy until you get to the stairs.  Ahh the stairs... nearly fainted when I saw the second set because I blazed up the first set.  Paused at the bottom of the second set before trudging on, but luckily you are near the top when done.  

I have seen other people's hiking blogs and they have wonderful pics of the views and none of themselves.  Well this is my blog and I have picts taken of me while hiking and they are usually the pics I like best... So enjoy.

 This is at the bottom of the trail where if you walk in into the park, you pay a dollar each.  Most of the trail is paved and only a slight incline.

 Views from the trail.  In the background there you see parts of Honolulu.

 A view from the very top.  Diamond head in the past was a military base, with parts of it still sectioned off from the public.

A view of Waikiki and Kapiolani Park.  It's crowded at the top, not for the claustrophobic at all.  A good beginner's hike for sure.

Makiki Loop Trail

Makiki Loop Trail - The trail head located at the Hawaii Nature Center.  You drive up and they have an area that you can park your vehicle.  As with all hikes in Hawaii - don't leave valuables in your vehicle.  There are break-ins sometimes.  I stuff my valuables in my glove compartment and go.  The path for this hike is well maintained and marked.  If you like reading about native plants and the history of this area, there are little information markers at the beginning.  Before it became a reserve, it was a coffee plantation and you can still see some coffee plants along the trail.  They have tried to weed out non-native and evasive species in this area.

As you hike along the trail, you will be able to see the downtown Honolulu skyline in the distance but for the most part will feel like you are in Nature.  This is a pretty popular workout trail and will see alot of other hikers and runners.  The first time I did this hike it was pretty dry, but the second time it was pretty muddy.

There was a flowering tree dropping pretty pink petels carpeting the forest floor.

 Not sure if the pic above is man made or a natural phenomenon.  But since it was the only tree I saw with this kind of cluster around the tree trunk, pretty sure it was man made.

 There are multiple side trails you can go, I went with a friend a second time and we added another loop to the hike, for a longer workout.

 View of Honolulu/Waikiki from the hike.

Since its a loop, at the beginning of the hike, you have a choice to go left or right.  I suggest the left first, it has all the information signs at the beginning.  If you go to the right, you will be going up a steep trail which is fun but when you loop back around, you probably won't want to read the signs.  The left trail is a more gradual incline but both ways are fun

Ka'ena Point Hike

Ka'ena Point Hike - a hike to the western tip of the island of Oahu.  You can approach the tip from the south or the west. We approach from the south side which made the trek about 4.8 miles round trip or 2.4 miles one way.  The trail was flat, dry and hot.  Bring water for this trip, should bring water on any hike, but this one had me gulping water down. 

There wasn't any hikers when we went, but a couple of bike enthusiasts  seemed to have biked all the way around the tip and where heading back to town.  The trail was eroded badly on one part, we had to climb uphill to get around.  I have no idea how they got their bikes back on the trail.

 There are a couple of blowholes along the way.  Below is one spouting. 

 At the very tip of the reserve they have an area for nesting shore birds and we were lucky enough to see some endangered beached Monk Seals.  My first thought, as an Inuipat Eskimo, was that man those seals are easy pickings and probably tasty.  But we did leave the seals along of course.

Below is a pic of the most western mountain edge on Oahu.  They have trails for people to walk in to protect the nesting birds.  We didn't get to see the birds cause it was off season.



Dorothy Creek Falls Hike - An Alaska Hike

My sister and I decided to hike to Dorothy Falls with all four family dogs.  Dorothy Creek Falls is located approximately 24 miles outside of Nome, Alaska on the Kougarok road.  You drive across the creek and find a small open area to park.  We hiked up along the ridgeline to Dorothy Falls.  But you start out following an old mining road and then start walking up the hill along the Valley to your right.

There is a nice elevation change as you are going up the hill.  There is no path laid and you walk freely across the tundra. Walking along the ridge means you aren't dealing with the small shrubs and brush that lines the sides of the creek.

 Dorothy Creek Falls is about a 1 1/2 miles from the road.  So its about a 3 mile hike round trip.  Its a fairly easy hike, not too long and a slight elevation change.

 After we left the falls, we just walked back down the creek.  We didn't care if our feet got wet.  It made the return trip alot faster then hiking back up to the ridgeline.

We were parked almost over by that old abandoned miner house.  Along the hike, you will see old mining tailings and pipes used for gold mining. 

 

Puutuu and Aggie Creek Dredge Hikes - Alaska Hikes

Puutuu or Hole in the Rock Hike - located on Fish/Niukluk River by White Mountain, Alaska.  Its is reachable by river boat, maybe ATV's.  I do not know exactly where it is on the river and so to be able to do this hike, need to find someone who does.  Its an intense hike.  You go up the side of the Mountain at a steep incline and there isn't a path.  You will be thick in dense brush and grass.  The mosquitos are voracious, bug dope is a must. I don't have any pictures going up or down the hill because I am sure I was gasping for air for most of the hike.  We didn't go up the hill slowly.

 Above is a picture of fireweed on the gravel bar before the hike began.  A pic of me below.  I was dressed too warm for this hike and sweated my buns off going up...

 Here we are at Puutuu or "Hole in the rock."  Its a natural formation, kind of like a mini arches.  I wish I could say more about the history and cultural significance of Puutuu other then it is bad luck to go through the hole.  But as you can see, our dogs are lounging in the shade of the hole. 

 A view down the hill from Puutuu.  You can see either the Fish or the Niukluk River below.  My father left his binoculars up at Puutuu and had to rush back up the mountian once we got back to the boat

 Aggie Creek Dredge Hike - great family hike: no incline, a good worn path, beautiful scenery. I walked mostly the creek bed looking for gold because Aggie Creek Dredge - is a dredge that tilled for gold at the beginning of the 1920's.  I am not sure when it shut down but it provided jobs for some of my great uncles and other family members in the past. 

 As you can see in the pic below, the path is pretty easy to follow and its flat.

 Aggie Creek Dredge, who knows how much longer it will be standing?  Its on Alaska Native Corporation lands and gold mining is now prohibited... but its still fun to see a bit of Alaska History.  I guess its famous for finding a meteorite in the 1940's.  Here is a link for that: http://www2.gi.alaska.edu/ScienceForum/ASF2/200.html

If you look at the bottom of the pic, you can see the foundation of an old log cabin, probably used during the mining days.  It was on the left of the trail when walking towards the dredge. Need a boat to get to both hikes, and maybe a guide for the Puutuu hike.