Week 1
So I lost the journal, so you can expect this rendition of my month in Hawaii to be similiar to James Frey's A Million Little Pieces. (He's the dude that pissed Oprah off by lying about rehab).
All right so I get Honolulu and spend a couple days buying camping gear and chillin with Scott. Nothing special. But I did buy the most awesome backpack and Teva hiking sandals. And I did go to Ala Moana Beach, the place that I couldn't swim thanks to the raw sewage.
After that, it was off to Kauai. I left on the 5:25 a.m. flight with my 40 lb. backpack packed and ready. I decide to walk a mile to Walmart to see how this thing is gonna ride. Then I bussed to Kapaa, stuck my thumb up, and started walking 8 miles straight towards the trailhead of the secret tunnels. Yeah, I'm compulsive, but there was nothing I wanted more than to get through that 3rd tunnel. I got picked up by some surfer dude for a couple miles who had recently dropped everything to move to Kauai. He had actually completed the hike himself.
Here's a reservoir I stopped at for lunch along the way. And by lunch I mean a can of beans.
Well, I made it to the trailhead at about 1:00 p.m. I must have walked 6 miles already, and I don't want to bring my gear along so I camp out at the trailhead. A little side note for Scott. I looked for the trail after the first river crossing and got just as lost as we did the first time. Basically you cross, go upstream for a bit before entering the bamboo forest. Then there are a million trails in the forest, but you should see those logs within 20 feet of leaving the bamboo forest. If you don't go upstream and try the next trail.
So the next mourning, I start at 5:30 a.m., and I make it to the third tunnel by 9:00 a.m. I ditch everything but my flashlight, and my bottle of water. Scott's lucky that we didn't find this thing the first time because in one place it was so deep that I was on my tippy toes to avoid getting wet in uncomfortable places, and I was ducking down to try not to hit my head. I wish I had pictures of this place, but unfortunately my camera got wet during the hike. After I get out the third tunnel, I ditch the trail and start running straight for the river and hike upstream (BAD IDEA cause I got crazy lost trying to make my way back, and I was alone in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a flashlight.) Since I don't have a camera I'll just say, basically your dumped out into a piece of terrain that would be virually inaccessible by land if not for these mile long tunnels in the mountain. You come across a huge river water fall surrounded by red inward cliffs that are dripping water. When I went, it was very dry, but a day with rain would turn this cliff into an unbelievable water fall.
So then I make it back to the tunnel, and not to my surprise, my flashlight isn't working, and my backup flashilight is on the other end of that mile long tunnel. I make a go for that small dot on the other end, but after about 10 minutes I realize my only bottle of water fell out of my pocket. I've gotta find this thing. I decide to walk back to the entrance and try my flashlight one more time. After toggling with it a bit, it turns on, and boy, it was a good feeling. I even found my water bottle.
Now I'm on my way back, and for some reason, when I'm hiking, I always think it's a good idea to hop on rocks downstream and find the trailhead. Of course, I got the landmarks between the two rivers confused and ended up spending an hour hopping up and down the river. It really was a great time. Many people in their daily lives get to practice froggers trip across the street, but it's the rare occasion that you get practice his ominous journey across the river to his home. As fun as it was, I could have gone without the empty hoplessness of being lost in the woods, and the awful ankle scratches from slipping on the rocks. It was just one of those falls, where you can get up and keep going, without a problem, but instead you figure that while you are on the ground, you might as well just stay and relax for a bit.
Here's a picture of the trail that I took before my camera broke. I can see the trail only because I've been there, but it's where there is grass instead of ferns. When you're there, it's actually the obvious path to take.
I just Love the views during sunrise. It's my favorite time to hike.
So my third day in the woods, I decide to go on the Jungle hike, which is right next to the secret tunnels hike. BTW, they aren't so secret, but it is nice to go on a trail in Hawaii where you'll only see one other group all day. Anyways, I don't know if I stayed on jungle hike trail, and I don't care. I basically walked through numerous dirt roads with in use water tunnels, empty water tunnels, old ditches, broken bridges, and old bridges. It was good fun to come across all the different man made things. I saw nobody but a couple of hunters skinning a pig. It was just really nice to not have a destination, and just take whatever path I came across. I would stop for a swim. There is nothing better than feeling sore from head to toe and jumping into some freezing cold water. It was also nice to not have to worry about being lost except on the way back it wasn't too easy to remember whether I took a left or a right.
That day I found a broken lighter, and even though I had my own lighter, I decided to try a trick on that I saw on Survivor Man. (Survivor man is a TV show about this CRAZY guy who gets dropped off in some of the most rugged terrains, left to survive for 7 days.) So I tried to get a flame from the flint in the lighter, toilet paper, and lent peeled from my sock. Although it fizzed, after several attempts, it just wasn't flaming. So I put the toilet paper right by the flint, and started ferociously sparking it until the toilet paper combusted. How do you like me now, Survivor Man! I'll do it my own way! Yeah, yeah, three days in the woods. I'm crazy.
So the next day I head out stick the thunb up and make it all the way back to town. The very first truck that passed me on a dirt road took me 8 miles all the way to town, but I could fnot ind a person to take me 2 miles to the hostel on the busiest street in all of Kauai. That day I met Nikki, this skinny tall hippy chick with dreads. This girl was absolutely gorgeous, and she had this ratty head of hair, and a real raspy voice. She would say the craziest stuff, and then just let out this subtle smile and bob her head up and down. She had like diamond shaped eyes. They were pointed at the ends like an asian's, but they were wide open. I just loved hearing her say "Aloha" because she knows what it means and she always said it with that meaning. Anyways, more on her later.
That day I ended up eating a lot of food. I had a three entre meal from Panda Express followed by an entire pint of ice cream. All and all, at least 1600 calories in that one meal. Followed that up with pizza buffet in the evening. At the Hostel, I unsuccessfully surveyed everyone there to get a hiking partner for the Na Pali Coast.
So I lost the journal, so you can expect this rendition of my month in Hawaii to be similiar to James Frey's A Million Little Pieces. (He's the dude that pissed Oprah off by lying about rehab).
All right so I get Honolulu and spend a couple days buying camping gear and chillin with Scott. Nothing special. But I did buy the most awesome backpack and Teva hiking sandals. And I did go to Ala Moana Beach, the place that I couldn't swim thanks to the raw sewage.
After that, it was off to Kauai. I left on the 5:25 a.m. flight with my 40 lb. backpack packed and ready. I decide to walk a mile to Walmart to see how this thing is gonna ride. Then I bussed to Kapaa, stuck my thumb up, and started walking 8 miles straight towards the trailhead of the secret tunnels. Yeah, I'm compulsive, but there was nothing I wanted more than to get through that 3rd tunnel. I got picked up by some surfer dude for a couple miles who had recently dropped everything to move to Kauai. He had actually completed the hike himself.
Here's a reservoir I stopped at for lunch along the way. And by lunch I mean a can of beans.
Well, I made it to the trailhead at about 1:00 p.m. I must have walked 6 miles already, and I don't want to bring my gear along so I camp out at the trailhead. A little side note for Scott. I looked for the trail after the first river crossing and got just as lost as we did the first time. Basically you cross, go upstream for a bit before entering the bamboo forest. Then there are a million trails in the forest, but you should see those logs within 20 feet of leaving the bamboo forest. If you don't go upstream and try the next trail.
So the next mourning, I start at 5:30 a.m., and I make it to the third tunnel by 9:00 a.m. I ditch everything but my flashlight, and my bottle of water. Scott's lucky that we didn't find this thing the first time because in one place it was so deep that I was on my tippy toes to avoid getting wet in uncomfortable places, and I was ducking down to try not to hit my head. I wish I had pictures of this place, but unfortunately my camera got wet during the hike. After I get out the third tunnel, I ditch the trail and start running straight for the river and hike upstream (BAD IDEA cause I got crazy lost trying to make my way back, and I was alone in the middle of nowhere with nothing but a flashlight.) Since I don't have a camera I'll just say, basically your dumped out into a piece of terrain that would be virually inaccessible by land if not for these mile long tunnels in the mountain. You come across a huge river water fall surrounded by red inward cliffs that are dripping water. When I went, it was very dry, but a day with rain would turn this cliff into an unbelievable water fall.
So then I make it back to the tunnel, and not to my surprise, my flashlight isn't working, and my backup flashilight is on the other end of that mile long tunnel. I make a go for that small dot on the other end, but after about 10 minutes I realize my only bottle of water fell out of my pocket. I've gotta find this thing. I decide to walk back to the entrance and try my flashlight one more time. After toggling with it a bit, it turns on, and boy, it was a good feeling. I even found my water bottle.
Now I'm on my way back, and for some reason, when I'm hiking, I always think it's a good idea to hop on rocks downstream and find the trailhead. Of course, I got the landmarks between the two rivers confused and ended up spending an hour hopping up and down the river. It really was a great time. Many people in their daily lives get to practice froggers trip across the street, but it's the rare occasion that you get practice his ominous journey across the river to his home. As fun as it was, I could have gone without the empty hoplessness of being lost in the woods, and the awful ankle scratches from slipping on the rocks. It was just one of those falls, where you can get up and keep going, without a problem, but instead you figure that while you are on the ground, you might as well just stay and relax for a bit.
Here's a picture of the trail that I took before my camera broke. I can see the trail only because I've been there, but it's where there is grass instead of ferns. When you're there, it's actually the obvious path to take.
I just Love the views during sunrise. It's my favorite time to hike.
So my third day in the woods, I decide to go on the Jungle hike, which is right next to the secret tunnels hike. BTW, they aren't so secret, but it is nice to go on a trail in Hawaii where you'll only see one other group all day. Anyways, I don't know if I stayed on jungle hike trail, and I don't care. I basically walked through numerous dirt roads with in use water tunnels, empty water tunnels, old ditches, broken bridges, and old bridges. It was good fun to come across all the different man made things. I saw nobody but a couple of hunters skinning a pig. It was just really nice to not have a destination, and just take whatever path I came across. I would stop for a swim. There is nothing better than feeling sore from head to toe and jumping into some freezing cold water. It was also nice to not have to worry about being lost except on the way back it wasn't too easy to remember whether I took a left or a right.
That day I found a broken lighter, and even though I had my own lighter, I decided to try a trick on that I saw on Survivor Man. (Survivor man is a TV show about this CRAZY guy who gets dropped off in some of the most rugged terrains, left to survive for 7 days.) So I tried to get a flame from the flint in the lighter, toilet paper, and lent peeled from my sock. Although it fizzed, after several attempts, it just wasn't flaming. So I put the toilet paper right by the flint, and started ferociously sparking it until the toilet paper combusted. How do you like me now, Survivor Man! I'll do it my own way! Yeah, yeah, three days in the woods. I'm crazy.
So the next day I head out stick the thunb up and make it all the way back to town. The very first truck that passed me on a dirt road took me 8 miles all the way to town, but I could fnot ind a person to take me 2 miles to the hostel on the busiest street in all of Kauai. That day I met Nikki, this skinny tall hippy chick with dreads. This girl was absolutely gorgeous, and she had this ratty head of hair, and a real raspy voice. She would say the craziest stuff, and then just let out this subtle smile and bob her head up and down. She had like diamond shaped eyes. They were pointed at the ends like an asian's, but they were wide open. I just loved hearing her say "Aloha" because she knows what it means and she always said it with that meaning. Anyways, more on her later.
That day I ended up eating a lot of food. I had a three entre meal from Panda Express followed by an entire pint of ice cream. All and all, at least 1600 calories in that one meal. Followed that up with pizza buffet in the evening. At the Hostel, I unsuccessfully surveyed everyone there to get a hiking partner for the Na Pali Coast.
posted by robbo at 10:18 PM
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