Endangered

Visiting Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge in Kauai, I spotted three species Ive always wanted to see. My first sighting of a Laysan Albatross, Hawaii’s State bird (Nene) and a humpback whale!

 However, even after spending the night camping in Waimea Canyon State Park, wettest spot on earth at 3,250 feet in elevation I have yet to see an endemic Hawaiian Honeycreeper.

Our quest to be inspired and in awe of nature is ongoing so we shall trek on.

Happy travels!

Turtles

Snorkeling in Hawaii is one of our favorite past times. Many nearby beaches on the North shore offer wonderful sightings of Honu. The majestic creature with eyes of an old soul is really a spectacular spectacle. I could hover over a turtle in the water for hours enjoying the symbiotic relationship between the Honu and reef fish!

Parasaling in Oahu

Parasailing over Maunalua Bay on the South East shores. A thrilling experience that turned out to be exciting, pleasantly peaceful and stunningly beautiful. From high above the boat we were able to see Koko crater and the Ko’olau Mountain Range. This was truly something I would recommend anyone to try; it’s not as terrifying as it looks! Just be prepared for when they bring you down and dunk you in the ocean!!

Ziplining in Maui (Haleakala)

With Skyline Eco-adventures we decided to soar over gulches, hike over swinging bridges and enjoy 5 zip lines. Included was one of the fastest zips in the U.S. where you can get speeds up to 50 MPH, this one definitely made my hands sweat! We enjoyed nice views of seasonal pools below and the wonderful scent of towering eucalyptus trees. A nice way to end the day is to stop at the Kula lodge for some delicious salad and brick oven pizza. Enjoy the gorgeous sunset view from upcountry Maui!

Makapuu Lighthouse Trail and Tide Pools

We took a 45-minute hike to the top of a ridge and according to some of my co-workers there is an off trail down the side of a cliff that leads to beautiful tide pools. Andrew and I decided to be adventurous and follow a group of other people headed down the rock wall like mountain goats. To my surprise this was one of the scariest hikes I have ever done prior to Stairway to Heaven, due to the magnitude of the sheer cliff side and steep embankment with loose pebbles. Andrew really had to coach me down and keep me calm, but in the end when we reached the bottom and bathed in the azure pacific it was magnificent. The climb back up wasn’t nearly as treacherous. Overall it was a great place to cool off after the hike and I enjoyed spying underwater on all the zebra blennies.

At the top of the trail, getting ready to head down to the tide pools.

View from of the tide pools.

Stairway To Heaven

 This may be the only bad review ever written about the stairway to heaven on the island of Oahu. I consider myself a very active and adventurous person but I will be completely honest in saying that I never plan on revisiting this hike again. Everyone raves about this particular hike, but since doing it I have been scared to do anything like it again. It could have been that in order to attempt this hike we started at 12:00AM and pulled an all nighter, something I haven’t done since college. The fascinating thing that enticed me was the mysterious views promised by other survivors.  The stairs were originally installed in 1942 by the military to provide communication from one peak to another and have since been remodeled and closed to the public due to land owner disputes.  The night we went there was over one hundred people at the top; which shows many people are still checking the hike off their bucket list. It was a chilly cloudy night with promised rain showers, but we trekked on to climb 3,922 stairs to the top. It was a very steep crawl in what I considered a vertical ladder. In many cases if I lost my footing or the wet railing that was provided could not hold me I could have fallen to my death or been seriously injured. In the pitch black my fears were shaded by the unknown and I had no idea what lurked ahead. At the last platform I didn’t know if I had it in me to continue on and if it wasn’t for Andrew I wouldn’t have made it to the top. After making it to the top, sideways rain and 40 MPH gusts of wind blew us in every direction, where we begged the sun to rise so we could make our descent down in the light. It was 2 hours later we began down, soaking wet and freezing cold. I may have been the only person who cried and considered being rescued by helicopter from this hillside but with confidence I can say I made it down 7 hours later! I would recommend this hike to people in extremely good physical condition and to those who are not scared of heights. The experience will stretch your limits and push you farther than you ever thought possible.

My Birthday Weekend (Oahu)

(It was so windy, we were almost blown away)

Sunday was a beautiful day for a drive to the windward side of the island. We heard of this lookout point from some family members who had already gone and we wanted to check it out. We stopped at the Nuuanu Pali lookout which is also a historical landmark. Throughout the islands a king named Kamehameha 1 is well known to have taken over all of the Hawaiian Islands. At this particular lookout a battle is said to have taken place in 1795 and many soldiers were pushed off the sheer cliffs to their deaths below. When they remodeled this old scenic highway 800 skulls were found 1,000 feet below.  This significant place is also known for its incredibly strong winds that rip through the valley walls howling past you. Andrew and I decided to do some off trail hiking to see the sheer cliff and with one wrong step you could see why soldiers died here, but the view was well worth the hike. A motto I like to live by is “do something every day that scares you” this did just that.

(If you look closely at the rock to the left in the picture you can see what we climbed up. There is a tiny trail head to the top of this peak)

(our very own travelocity gnome "verde")

More of Hana

One blog post really doesn’t cover Hana. Second time into this amazing jungle I was lucky to have Andrew along for the ride. We got caught in a heavy rain but made the best of our day. We were able to swim in a waterfall, hike a bamboo forest and continue to be in awe of the beauty surroundingus. Maui is known for its banana bread, so of course we snacked on a loaf while we ventured into the exotic forest. We made it ½ way to Hana and called it a day. Next time we are hoping to make it to the 400 foot waterfall at the end of the bamboo forest, but we ran out of time and you can easily get lost in the canopy of never-ending trails.

Here are some of our epic photos that really tell the story:

(Andrew is in the middle falls, and some random person on the right)

The Famous Road To Hana-Maui,HI

(Map of Maui and the road to Hana. I started on the backside and went all the way around to Paia.)

The road to Hana in Maui. My first time to Hana was an unexpected journey. I began by driving out to see Andrews wind site on the southeast side of the island. I decided to continue driving and exploring for fear of returning on the same road since I was already car sick.

 I was hoping that the roads would improve and it would be a nice relaxing journey around the island. What I didn’t realize is that this particular “road to Hana” is famous and people actually buy T-shirts that say “I survived the road to Hana”. It was 7 hours later that I arrive back at our hotel. I made it through the most breathtaking scenery, gorgeous waterfalls full of sacred pools and by far the craziest roads I’ve ever driven on.

When traveling to Hana make sure to have a full tank of gas, water and know that you will not have cell phone service in the majority places you venture off to. Be aware of the locals who enjoy driving 80MPH on one lane roads who think it’s hilarious to make tourists soil their underpants ;) It encompasses 600 curves and 74 historical bridges and culverts, many of which are one lane with sheer cliff side and no guard rails.

Overall if I had to describe Maui in three words they would be: Majestic, off-grid and rugged.



North Shore Shark Encounter

In the company of family we decided to take a wild adventurous ride three miles off shore to observe Galapagos sharks in their natural habitat.

We were thrashed and bashed about from the oceans current, surrounded by 20-25 enormous cartilaginous skeletons and dorsal fins. The four of us entered into the cage surrounded by bars and large poly glass windows that allow you to peer into the open ocean and watch the sharks as they peer eye to eye with you as they glide by.

The dive lasts about 20 minutes but by that time you are chilly and ready to be back on dry land. It was a wonderful awe inspiring experience that I would recommend to anyone visiting the North Shore, but with the warning that it’s a rough sea adventure. So be ready to come back with a few bruises and out of this world memories that will last a lifetime.

Haleakala National Park Maui,HI

The Alarm went off at 4:00AM this morning and Andrew and I caught an early flight into Maui. Took off in our rental car and decided to venture up 10,023 feet (highest peak in Maui) to see the 8^th wonder of the world, Haleakala National Park “house of the sun”.

(Image:http://haleakala-mm.blogspot.com/2012/09/haleakala-nationla-park.html)

I prepared myself for a long curvy road full of switch backs that took over an hour’s journey to arrive at our destination. Haleakala is known for magnificent sunrises, but an avid hiker would need to wake up at 3:00AM to see the event. We decided to scope out the crater first in the day light and see how the trails faired. As you arrive into the park wispy clouds greet you and the view is already spectacular. You pay $10.00 to access 19 square miles of crater and 28,665 acres throughout the park for 3 days. Haleakala is a shield volcano whose crater is erosional, and the last eruption occurred over 200 years ago.

This has been my favorite excursion in the islands so far due to the unearthly sites. The geologic structures feel like you have been transported to mars or the moon. A highlight of the trip besides hiking into the crater was the highly adapted Silversord plant, only endemic to Haleakala. A very delicate plant sword-like succulent leaves covered with silver hairs. Silversword plants in general grow in dry, rocky substrate that is able to withstand freezing temperatures and high winds.

 The skin and hairs are strong enough to resist the wind and freezing temperature of this altitude and protect the plant from dehydration and the sun. Even though we were only able to catch a glimpse of this magnificent beauty it was well worth the motion sickness I experienced on Maui’s notorious hillsides.